An intriguing renewal of the Trainers Championship awaits us tonight with the gamble on Charlie Lister gaining momentum throughout the week. It is not a forgone conclusion, however, for the Yarmouth specialist and anything can happen in this slightly revised format for this year; Nick Savva’s remarkable victory last year shows that it is possible for any of the trainers to have a good run and claim the title. It is a shame that Barrie Draper has been forced to effectively bring a reserve squad due to a congested racing schedule, but even though he is the most unlikely to take the honours, he should not be ruled out completely. Lister does have some plot draws for his high class ensemble of my colleagues, hence the gamble, and without further ado let’s look at the racing and find some value for the Lolly Faithful:

19:34 – Puppies

The first of Lister’s well-drawn dogs is arguably the best drawn dog on the card due to his running nature and we should see Golden Wonder in full flight tonight from his beloved rails. Glenpadden Post lost his way and fancied a table for one in the restaurant in a trial so will probably give him room and almost inevitably hinder the rails favouring Garryglass Rodge who has a terrible draw. Islas Scolari has pace but looks a natural for further and Cluxtons Free could be anything, but the Monmore Puppy Derby winner was probably flattered by his draw in the final of that competition, especially considering Golden’s not so wonderful sequence of draws in that very tournament. Lister can get off to a winning start here.

19:49 – Standard

This is poised to be a great race. Kowloon Conner has just about enough early to make the corner, probably with Hather George, but then it is questionable whether either will be able to hold Droopys Reason or Jaytee Hellcat. Preference is for the latter who is turning into a really likeable sort, as he showed by gamely staying on in the wake of Ballymac Eske’s ridiculous pace in the Juvenile; he can win tonight with a similar performance. Reason also faces a tough draw to get to the rails and may have to contend with Daddy Knowsbest, who seems to have forgotten the idea of the game. If Knowsbest turns up he will make odds of 14/1 this morning look very big but his brief hurdling career suggests connections are running out of options for him as his jumping left a lot to be desired. Who invented these hurdles for us to jump over anyway?

20:04 – Bitches

Bridge Ruth is beginning to show the form that made her into a heroine in Ireland and in this classy bitches race, it is still hard to oppose her. Express Flame has shown she has a great heart but needs to sort her trapping out (maybe I should give her some private tuition, there’s a thought) but she could be faced with Jaytee Jules moving across her today to deny Flame a run. It has taken time with Ruth but she seems to have settled from her dog lag or whatever it was, and is worth keeping on side from here on in.

20:19 – Stayers

The prices for this race perturb me. In a pretty similar fashion to how loud noises perturb me, these prices scream out at me at being off the mark. Fear Emoski put in a tremendous trial, without question, and looks like she is a natural for the distance but a maiden bitch can surely not be as short as she is in this highly competitive race. The bookmakers are slowly realising the state of play with Blonde Reagan now and quotes of 3/1 are about right for his unfortunately erratic performances these days, if he turns up he will beat anything over this distance but it is hard to justify backing him with confidence at just 3/1. Bubbly Swallow is still a bitch without a distance but will not need a second invitation and she looks big, although her draw is of concern. Yet one dog who is nowhere near the price he should be is Farloe Kyle. He should not be 12/1 in any race over this distance. Yes, he is a dog that arguably needs to lead. Yes, he is known for throwing in an absolute shocker. But if he gets on the bunny tonight which is a realistic possibility with Emoski not being a prolific trapper and Reagan missing the break almost religiously these days, Kyle could lead these. If he does he will not relinquish his lead easily and I for one, will have a doggie treat on the 12/1 with that lad called Brokes.

20:34 – Sprint

Another race tonight that is all about the draw. Farloe Barracuda is not known as the best traveller and he certainly will not enjoy his work in East Anglia tonight when he realises Lil Risky is on his inside. These two could cause chaos for each other. The fact that the red box for this trip is the worst statistically in the country (0 wins from the last 29 races) does not bode well for my arch nemesis and it is wise to go for another of these sprinters. I’ll quite happily take the 6/1 on the Scurry Cup winner in Drumna Ice. He has not run since December but he has ran well fresh before and is as fast as Risky and Barracuda in my eyes, and they are the eyes of a sprinter. He will have to outtrap Dreams of Glory who is a live outsider also, but he would prefer to be in 6 and seems to need just slightly further (like the 305m at Nottingham and perhaps the 400m at Romford would suit) as his trapping is not blistering. Drumna Ice can remind these dogs and people alike who he is tonight.

20:49 – Stayers

How far is this colleague of mine going to be clear after the first 4 bends? A question that seems to have been answered nationwide as ‘a very long way’ by him being backed like he can’t lose tonight. Farloe Tango only has to confirm Lister’s belief that “he will stay” and that will be that; if he does then what a prospect we have in this division after he goes for his very realistic chance of winning the English Derby. Questions of whether he will get distracted seem a bit harsh on him to me. He stopped at Coventry where he fell in a race there previously and so understandably, has not been round the track since and he looks as genuine as they come to me. This is a dog that overtook Ballymac Eske at Wimbledon over 4 bends. People that saw last week’s coverage will struggle to comprehend that. When looking at the competition that will arguably not be able to see the hare for a vast majority of this race, the ensemble is one of dogs and bitches that are questionable in their efforts when they don’t lead. Good luck to them doing that tonight.

21:04 – Dogs

Huge early in this race could set this up for a dog staying on at the end. Couple this with Loughteen Blanco not being entirely comfortable wide on the bends meaning that his early battle with Ayamzaman could end in trouble for both of them at the first bend, could make this race into a scrappy affair. Regular readers of my dog blog will know my thoughts on Alien Planet being overrated and whilst if he wins the Derby, I will have a considerable amount of egg on my face (which I will of course lick off with huge joy), he could set up the race for the finisher in the field, Teejays Bluehawk. He looks big to me at 8/1 in a potentially scrappy affair and whilst he is being kept at this distance for a Derby campaign (of which he could go very deep into with his style), he is destined for a longer trip and all of that stamina can lead to him swooping late to pinch this off these early-paced merchants. Ballycowen Dave has been dismissed in the market but he has a good draw and should be feared if he flies round the outside of any trouble. Bluehawk is better value to capitalise though for me.

21:19 – Standard

Those who have gambled Lister will be relying on this progressive dog to bring it home for them and it is hard to envisage the race panning out any other way. Lemon Pluto should lead the whole way here. Guinness Dusty lacks a touch of top quality class but has pace and knows the track so could be a danger if he skips clear, especially drawn against a bitch that might as well be 500/1 unfortunately. Bubbly Lucky has been impressive at Hove but looks a sort that needs a galloping track and not the tight turns of Yarmouth, and it is ard to see how the 4 dog could live with Pluto’s early if they break on terms.

So here are the recommendations:

Farloe Kyle – 1 piece of bread @ 12/1

Teejays Bluehawk – 1 chewstick @ 8/1

As ever, please comment or tweet me and I’ll gladly answer any questions on what I have barked here. I have a gut instinct (and it’s not because it’s near feeding time) that we are going to see something a bitch special from Farloe Tango tonight; hopefully not a dance halfway round the track if he gets bored.

Enjoy the racing,

Jimmy