A welcome return for my colleagues to the Sky cameras this evening as the Juvenile and the final of the Springbok are shown live with a quality supporting card. I used to love having the cameras turn up to see my wins, I always tried to give a nose to the camera before the race to please my adoring fans: the Lolly Faithful. The racing looks highly competitive tonight and with competition normally comes some great value and the Lolly Faithful should be benefiting from it by 9:30p.m. tonight! Here are my thought’s on the card:

19:34 – 273m

Not the highest quality of sprints to get us going but there is definitely value in a dog to rediscover his old form, which would beat these. He once went off at 33/1 when he lost to me round Wimbledon but I’m pretty sure most dogs were priced at that when they raced against me so that should not be of concern tonight; the value is the well-drawn King Scotty to sweep round the outside and take this. Comeragh King is no doubt fast-up and with a clear run will be hard to beat but he is drawn next to the equally pacey Murlens Crash and so for me, these two could get in each other’s way and set it up for Scotty to take the debut race for the new coverage.

19:49 – 480m

A quality field of bitches here and believe me, I like a quality field of bitches. The concern for the favourite, Bridge Ruth, is she did not run Wimbledon well at all in the Oaks and looks like she prefers a galloping track: she is worth taking on at her price. Cases could be made for them all here really, but the value if I had to pick one would be for Jaytee Cuba who is showing signs of returning to form having ran well at the Spring Festival at Monmore. Hopefully tonight she will show why the Lolly Faithful backed her antepost for the Oaks last year, albeit ill-fatedly.

20:04 – 894m

This is a true marathon distance around Wimbledon and the danger of Buglys Billie turning anywhere close to a menacing position on the first circuit is a huge concern; she is a truly admirable bitch and seems to have forgotten her owners are retiring her when she comes into season. The best value on the card tonight though is in this race in the form of another bitch as it is hard to envisage how she does not lead by a long way after 6 bends and she definitely gets this stern trip. Backing Aero Rebel with some doggie treats will lead to us dining in style tonight. The 5/2 has gone as I fell asleep on the sofa this morning and missed it, but the 9/4 is still far too big for this in-form bitch. She sometimes does not take to a track well but she is proven around Wimbledon and that is good enough for me.

20:19 – 480mH

The Springbok Final is sadly lacking in the Lolly Faithful’s antepost selection, Droopys Lorenzo, but this is a decent ensemble of my colleagues this year and there are many ways the race can pan out. Druids Abouttime looks a big price given he is drawn next to two tardy starters but that also plays into the hands of Lenson Johnny, who can go some way to fulfilling his potential over the hurdles if he is to skip clear around the first bend today. Westmead Meteor has jumped well but my thoughts have not changed from what I barked in my antepost write-up for this competition (http://is.gd/eYSbu3) when I suggested he “jumps well but this is a dog who could not win an A1 at Hall Green; it is hard to envisage him competing no matter how well he goes over the sticks”. He could go on to prove me wrong and he was clearly value when he was backed pretty heavily antepost, but that value has now gone and he is plenty short enough, certainly considering that he may make a mistake over a hurdle as he has only been jumping for 5 weeks! Johnny can let his experience tell here.

20:34 – 273m

The quality for this sprint is better and yet there is a dog who is being underrated as a potential sprinting star of the future. He is worth backing today to out-trap my old nemesis Lil Risky as he did at Monmore in the Winter Festival over 416m: the value is with the lid-pinging Andlyns Asabat. Kim Billingham’s dog has put in a decent trial at Wimbledon and is one of the most reliable trappers I have seen over the past year; he will no doubt miss the break tonight as my colleagues can be pesky but he is value to beat Risky as he was in front of him for at least 273m at Monmore in December. Aero Joseph (ex-Millridge Blue) is useful without being spectacular and the same can apply for the dog on his immediate inside, Guinness Smokie, with those two likely to cause each other more problems than the judge at the winning line.

20:49 – 480m

It’s pretty obvious that whichever of my colleagues wins this race will be shortened for the Derby in May, which is a testament to the quality of this line-up. If Bubbly Phoenix was in his beloved stripes, then he would be well worthy of some of my doggie treats but those with a better memory than a dog’s (I had to watch the race again) will remember how he missed the break terribly from 5 in the Derby Semi-Final in May. If he comes away I think he has more overall pace than Loughteen Blanco but it is worth siding with Blanco on this occasion with the potential of Phoenix missing the break again too risky to go with him. Jolly Bullseye is no doubt pacey and is flying around Plough Lane, but has class questions to answer if Blanco leads him up.

21:04 – 687m

Well, Blonde Reagan has been throwing form students some curve balls recently and whilst he returns to his happiest of hunting grounds here (and hunting rabbits is what we are best at!), he cannot be trusted to rediscover his trapping boots at such a short price. He has created value in the market without question. That value for me comes in the form of Droopys Xavier who is developing into a classy sort, especially on the bunny, and he has the best of the draw to work on with Swift Signal and Bubbly Swallow both looking awkward from their berths. Xavier chased home Reagan twice in the St. Leger but not by a ridiculous distance and if he gets first run today, he is value to get one over the Stayer of the Year.

21:19 – 480m

If I had a hat, and believe me I would if my ears didn’t prick when I get excited and it falls off, I would be saying “hold onto your hats” in this race. This Juvenile is going to be a belter, almost regardless of the outcome. The least likely eventuality is Teejays Bluehawk swooping late but it is hard to envisage unless there is ridiculous trouble in front, and these two year olds are too classy to all get involved in a completely chaotic race. Alien Planet is not exactly ideally drawn in the red box and whilst Lister might find a yard or two more pace out of him, he was, and remains overrated in my eyes. Jaytee Hellcat has been flying around Wimbledon and arguably has the best draw considering Lenson Champ is looking outclassed realistically; Hellcat could set a serious bar for the others to aim at. Ballymac Eske is arguably the fastest dog in England when he has a solo but his performances around Wimbledon must be a concern to his backers and he may show why he is no value at all for the Derby at his current price; it goes without saying if he gets a clear run he will go at least close. The value, and surprisingly not favourite when all considered, is Farloe Warhawk who’s draw is not of as much concern as some circles are making out as Eske does not have his early and Hellcat will likely hold his position. Warhawk has shown his class on the bunny, from off-the-pace and generally his desire to win being one that should seriously worry my colleagues this evening. If he leads, which is very realistic, it will be all over bar me barking from my sofa.

So there are a dog’s thoughts on the proceedings. It should be a quality night’s entertainment to show that there is a place for dog racing on Sky and that the decision to promote basketball instead is ludicrous. Maybe my colleagues for the Springbok would be most suited to a career change to the NBA but tonight, they will show why greyhound racing is a much better sport to watch. If you haven’t already, get your doggie treats on Aero Rebel, I don’t lose them lightly I promise.

Enjoy the racing,

Jimmy