A tournament that has been surrounded in controversy concludes this evening with the feeling that anything could happen being the only realistic prediction! It would be harsh to chastise my colleague Longwood Warrior too severely as his antics in the rounds of the tournament have come completely out of the blue, but whether he will be chasing the hare or the other dogs this evening is a question that will hopefully be the former. He is certainly quick enough. I never really knew if the dogs behind me were chasing me or the hare because they never got close enough for that to be an issue. Anyways, on to the card which has quite a few tricky races to call with the standard being especially high in some of the contests. As ever, I will find some value for the Lolly Faithful in amongst the intriguing undercard:

19:34 – Bitches

Regular readers of the dog blog will know that I’ll be lying on the edge of the sofa with my eyes firmly glued to this one as I enjoy these races with classy bitches involved. Butts Mott rose through the grades at Monmore rapidly, which is a fair standard, but was a no-show in the Arc and if she repeats those antics, it could set the race up for Forest Mollie to pinch an all-important lead and reverse her course-and-distance loss to Sharies Miller. Miller is a game bitch, of which I have a particular fondness for, but she will need to avoid trouble and with Mollie being drawn inside her this evening, she might not be for catching. Forest Dot is formidable on the bunny but will be needing the rails. I’ll be looking forward to watching Tarty Toes in the parade due to the lure of her name, but she looks outclassed.

19:49 – Sprint

This has the feel of a two-dog race and the question is whether Guinness Sky will take to the track having his first look round. If he doesn’t it will most likely be a procession for Chester Lad. He is, however, a fast but beatable sort and at the prices it is worth backing Sky to build on his impressive young career to date. His latest race can be forgiven as he had no sort of draw to work from whatsoever but today he should be able to lead the gutsy Lord Save Us and then prove too pacey for the well-drawn Lad.

20:04 – 509er

The Arc trip was probably on the short-side for Ardkill Star but those sighters will be a benefit today when he returns to this more adequate trip. He has drawn his favourite box and can steal a march on the track-record holder Crusty Crab. Despite being lightly-raced, it must be remembered that Crab is now a veteran and whilst my creaking bones are reserved for a jog in the park these days (albeit a very fast jog), he cannot be trusted to rediscover the blistering pace of his youth. Gemstone Jack has pace but often gives himself too much to do and can get into some trouble too often for my liking.

20:19 – Stayers

Ding Hero sadly did not make it through the first round of the 3 Steps to Victory for the Lolly Faithful over his inadequate trip but he can demonstrate his class over 6 bends here. He can come out of any box so trap 4 is not a problem and he should assert from the off and not be for catching. Navarone was an expensive purchase and is slowly recouping some of that for connections but is a bang railer and the stripes will not benefit him at all; he looks the chief threat, however. It is difficult to envisage Hero not producing a facile success here and is worth backing with a doggie treat for those who like a flutter with their food.

20:34 – Standard

The three inside dogs in this affair have all shown early in their careers and are classy colleagues of mine. They all have question marks over them though and look worth swerving. Scolari Express is making his UK debut for Paul Sallis, whose kennel strength is growing for the Derby, and so he may take time to settle with a dog that he beat in Ireland, Ladbrokes Star, also taking time to get used to the British way of life as an example. Farloe Iceman, full-brother to the Derby second Farloe Ironman, looks a slight shadow of his former self which showed in the Semis of the Arc; he looks as though his best days are behind him and a career of the breeding paddocks and the sofa watching Pets Do The Funniest Things beckons. Taranis Rex is a star of the Swindon circuit on-and-off the track but he did not take to his draw out-wide at all in his last race and he will have to clear the two early-paced merchants on his inside. Incidentally, Rex has taken to Twitter and so may be interested in a career like myself as a Freelance Journadog after his racing days conclude. The possibility of those three tangling could lead to the well-drawn and likeable Tyrur Willyjoe pinging out like he did in the heats of the Arc to only be caught in the dying strides. He may be too far ahead today to be caught and he is worth a treat from anyone’s cupboard at 10/1.

20:49 – Super Stayers

The remarkable statistic that Ballymac Swift went under the track record for 4 bends when going on to record an impressive track-record over the 8 bends at Coventry is hard to ignore in this contest. The barks from around the kennels are starting to suggest that my colleague Aero Rebel is a one-track specialist and as she is the only realistic contender to Swift here, it looks like this will be a matter of how far.

21:04 – 509er

Arguably the classiest race of the undercard here poses some real questions into the outcome. Will Longwood Fantasy lead? Is Ballymac Cryan as good as last term? Can Slippery Patch turn handy? Was it a freak run in the heats from Tyrur Andy? When am I getting fed (sorry I got distracted)? Anyways, my heads starting to hurt more than when I used to get patted on the head vigorously after winning. I’m going to side with a stalwart for the Lolly Faithful in Sawpit Sensation regaining his form as Airlie Impact will go for his usual visit to the restaurant and back during the race to give Sensation enough room to challenge. He may even lead. He’s a truly top dog and I doubt his trainer would run his superstar if he was not totally fit.

21:19 – Arc Final

Some real Derby contenders come into this contest looking to build some momentum before heading to Wimbledon. Longwood Warrior’s pace was frightening to pick up Jolly Bullseye in the Semi and whilst he was a naughty boy on the run-in, he still got his head in front and could do so again today, although the likelihood of a photo-finish is more of a possibility. Longwood Bound could be hindered by his kennelmate and the fact that Jolly Bullseye will be looking for room on the inside. So whilst those three tussle on the inside, I think that Shaneboy Alley will be able to lead the outside as he did last week and not be for catching. He has thrived on his racing since arriving from Ireland and if he wins tonight, I’m sure Rab McNair will be asking “what price the Derby”? He looks to have too much early and too much pace for these and can show that tonight.

So there are a dog’s thoughts on the proceedings. Please tweet or comment if you have anything to say about what I have barked and I promise I’ll try and avoid any puns on the Warrior name of Longwood Warrior if at all possible. It has been a real battle to do so, so far.

Enjoy the racing,

Jimmy