Well, this could turn into a very enjoyable evening for the Lolly Faithful as our two antepost selections will be going off as favourite and third-favourite respectively. Whilst we can’t count our chickens yet (presumably because I would eat them), only a disastrous 5th and 6th for Pay Freeze and Kowloon Conner would lead us not profiting on the tournament that is the highlight of the year for Owlerton Stadium; that scenario is nearly as unthinkable as the sofa being taken up by humans. The rest of the card is competitive and as in the Steel City analysis, local runners are strong around their Sheffield track due to it’s peculiar shape. As ever, I have found some value for the Lolly Faithful, even though it looks a night for favourite backers to prosper, let’s take advantage!

19:34 – 480m

The night begins with an intriguing contest with the inclusion of back-to-form Droopys Reason posing a real teaser to form students: can he repeat his run from last week? If he does, he is a different class to these but he has shown throughout his career that he is a temperamental sort so it is worth siding with Whiterock pinging the lids in his typical fashion and holding on desperately. Indeed, desperately is the correct word here as he does not want any further than 3 bends (let alone 4!) but he should have built up a healthy enough lead to cling on. Other likeable sorts, Lionhearted Andy and Russanda Rodge, could also do with a three bend race but the wide Andy drawn inside Rodge should hinder both of their chances sufficiently. Craster Kipper hails from the strong Harry Williams kennel and any A1 form around Newcastle should be treated as Open race class these days. Whiterock should just have enough though.

19:49 – 500m

A nice young bitch is something I like to watch on my Surhound Sound TV and that is what we will be watching tonight in the form of Droopys Posh. She elegantly moved her way through the field last week at Yarmouth to overhaul the highly-revered Swift Keith and there is nothing of Keith’s pace in this race for me. Droopys Dave should definitely be respected as his formlines are strong but Posh looks destined for great things on and then off the track and the extra 38m she has to play with today can show her as a potential staying star. Yorkshire Mafia knows this track inside out yet even that advantage should not hinder the classy Posh and she can spice up the night here.

20:04 – 280m

The sprinting scene is really starting to pick up after a subdued period following my retirment: probably due to the confidence-denting beatings I used to dish out! It is rare that you will see a Track-Record holder as young as Droopys Quincy be third-favourite for a race but that is an indictment of his inconsistency and his poor strike-rate for a dog of his speed. Wajas Trump is on an eight-timer for his connections but is crucially drawn outside course and distance stalwart Bowtime Fella who can utilise his favourable draw. Fella sprints round here as well as anything and has had some great battles recently with top draw sprinters Farloe Barracuda and Jumeirah Dubai, albeit with mixed success, yet it still shows his consistency and his draw can sway this one. A race to savour here.

20:19 – Marathon

Now and again you get a type of colleague that looks like they could run 5000m and challenge that human Mo Farah and here is a prime example: Incitatus. While the Latin pronunciation may be hindering the commentators, I can bark that they seemed to have nailed it now even if their interpretation is a bit ad hoc. This extraordinarily long distance of 915m is exactly 3 times further than any self-respecting colleague of mine should consider running but as it is, Incitatus will get this trip and further if needed; the same can’t be confirmed for some of the other runners in the field. The way he ran on valiantly (although one-paced) in the TV Trophy Final suggests he is ready to take this even if he will have a battle with Storm Pockets for the majority of the race. Pockets is running below her best for me and seems to have lost the sparkle that sent her off favourite for last year’s TV Trophy. Peggys Gift is a bitch who gets the trip and hails from Newcastle but has many facets to make-up on Incitatus, like genuine open-racing pace et cetera.

20:34 – Hurdles

I must admit I have limited interest in hurdles as regular readers will vouch that I once banged my head on one because I was so quickly away. In an uninspiring contest even for the most hardened of jumping fans, Green Amigo is in a different league pace and class wise.

20:49 – Stayers

Just when I was beginning to think my opinions were faultless and all-knowing, a bitch called Bubbly Swallow comes along and thwarts my ill-conceived opinion of her. If she is reading this from her kennel, I have to apologise for barking that she is a bitch without a distance and is worth taking on, as she is now top Sky dog for this year which definitely puts egg on my nose, that I will lick off. Indeed she loves being in front of the cameras more than Katie Price and actually has a talent that is worth watching. She meets top locals here in the form of Stepaside Glenis and Hather Sherlock with the former having found a new lease of life in recent weeks! Whilst she is clearly not ready for the sofa yet, I think the main danger is Hather Sherlock getting a run as he is a powerful sort who can swoop round the outside. But who am I to oppose Swallow? I won’t make that mistake again, possibly!

21:04 – Standard

This penultimate affair is a good race on paper with Derby Semi-Finalist Hather George being challenged by some progressive types around arguably his favourite track. The 3 Steps to Victory winner at this circuit, George, will need to draw upon all of his experience from a slightly poor draw to maintain his healthy strike-rate at the Owlerton circuit. Express Giant has yet to really find his form here at Sheffield but is a well-bred type who could progress at any moment; he is also well-drawn on the rails this evening. Bubbly Lucky is a danger if he turns handy as he is a classy, powerful colleague yet he will rail and so his draw in 4 is not ideal. The most barked about dog in the race from around the kennels and human opinions is Toystory King who is well-drawn, progressing and is taking a liking to the track. He will have to go some to beat Lister’s admirable, faithful servant though.

21:19 – Steel City Cup Final

So here we are! The moment of truth as we take 12/1 Pay Freeze and 16/1 Kowloon Conner into the final. Indeed, the dog blog at the start of the tournament highlighted the importance of local runners in this tournament when I barked: “This Category One tournament is often dominated by the strong Northern kennels and in particular local trainers” (the full antepost thoughts can be viewed here: http://is.gd/2OmI1m). This has proved particularly significant as 5 of the 6 runners in the final this evening are local and the other is from a “Northern Kennel” in Harry William’s Hadrians Wall.

Looking at the race, the draw has not worked out kindly for Freeze drawn out as far as 5 and indeed his only defeat to date is from this box, but his record of 8 wins from 9 starts is simply impossible to ignore and he can lead Jolly Angelo and Hadrians Wall to give himself room on the inside. Glenpadden Bolt is the main danger for the Lolly Faithful but he will need one of his electric breaks (which are not that often) to counter any early moves from the mid-moving and pacey local Corkish Mick. Bolt with a clear run is going to be a real threat but it is hard to envisage Freeze not extending his record here. I barked in the dog blog before the tournament, I “was too dismissive of such a course specialist” in last year’s winner (Skywalker Louie who won @ 10/1) and Freeze definitely fits into that mould. Conner always runs his heart out and will need to rediscover his trapping boots to win, but he has a great draw to work from with Freeze moving in at the bend and so he could have the race run to suit. Freeze looks like he has too much sheer pace and power for these, however.

So here are the recommendations for this evening:

Droopys Posh – 1 doggie treat @ 6/4

Incitatus – 1 chewstick @ 10/11

As always, please comment or tweet if you have anything to say about my opinions and I promise to bark back at you with as much excitement as if I see Pay Freeze make the bend this evening. Of course, we would be delighted to see Conner win, but a Freeze photo between the two would pay us huge numbers of doggie treats. I’m salivating at the thought!

Enjoy the racing,

Jimmy

A great card from Yarmouth this evening sees the remarkable staying bitch Musical Gaga attempting to get her paws on the illustrious TV Trophy; indeed, it is hard to make a case for her not creating more publicity than when she wore a meat dress, which she famously ate before getting to the traps. The supporting card has a feel of the young pretenders trying to make a name for themselves accompanied by some Sky stalwarts and that should lead to an intriguing night’s action. I have recently earned enough doggie treats to purchase a new Surhound Sound TV which should give me some great viewing from the comfort of my ever-reliable sofa. As ever, I have found some value for the Lolly Faithful tonight and so we should all be dining in style come 9:30 this evening:

19:34 – Puppies

These little tykes are always hard to predict and none moreso than my young colleague Swift Keith who is worth taking on when he is short, despite his obvious pace and potential. His run at Monmore was nothing short of disastrous last time out and whilst any dog should always be forgiven one run, another missed break from trap 1 will have his backers in disarray here. It makes more sense to side with Droopys Posh who is showing admirable qualities as as fine young bitch and even though the 462m here is on the short side for this destined stayer, she was superb at Hove against her fairer sex and in houndsight, we should have backed her in the Ladies final on the South Coast. Moody Paul is apparently in no reference to his trainer Paul Young, but his human mentor cannot be happy with his draw out in 4 and he makes little appeal as an inexperienced pup from an unfamiliar berth. Posh to prove too classy here.

19:49 – Maiden

A rare maiden for the Sky cameras here and it is one to really not write home about. As I am at home, however, I will do a little and bark that Donnys Angel has good breeding with litter-sister Toosey Beannie plying her trade in decent stayers races. With that in mind, Angel’s early speed, track knowledge and potential to stay based on her sister suggests she will have too much for these. She also has a good draw so a 28:16 or near to her best should be enough to prevail.

20:04 – Marathon

It would be remiss of me not to mention a colleague who is joining me in the good-life on the sofa after an outstanding career: happy retirement Aero Gaga. The superb, gutsy and honest Gaga is not as controversial as his namesake but he has created many headlines over the years including taking on the Irish and beating them in their own dogyard; he can have one last dog-song here and win from the front. He has an excellent draw to work from with the tardy but game Storm Pockets on his inside and so he can assert and await the inevitable challenge from the rail-hugging Aayamzabella, who would jump over a dog to get to the rails it seems. Her performance was remarkable in the TV Trophy Semi-Finals to nearly get up and whilst she made Gaga look like he was standing still in that race, the old-timer is a different dog on the bunny. The former Mallogs Holly, Aaaaayamzabella (sorry I forget how many ‘A’s), will win with anything like a clear run but it is hard to envisage her getting one. Em Millie has the best draw of the night and ran her heart out last week so could be a touch of value at 16/1; Gaga will make that academic, however.

20:19 – Dogs

The fellas line up here and whilst bragging rights of this race will surely lead to some one-line barks towards Musical Gaga in the kennels after, it is a race that looks difficult to call from a value perspective. Young Golden gets the narrow vote as he has a decent draw and is undoubtedly from a pacey litter, but none of the litter seem to have developed the knack of winning based on their potential and whilst the Gymcrack winner will be able to flaunt that trophy for the rest of his life, he struggles to win races for me. Droopys Reason is in that mould as well as when I paws for thought, I always consider him an unlucky dog in races as opposed to a consistent sort. He can turn up on any day though and you ignore him in a race of this nature at your peril. Late Starter also has a good looking form-card for this race and will have his supporters, although his natural pace is a worry if Young Golden displays some of the ability that he did last week in chasing the forlorn hope of overtaking the Derby champion Sidaz Jack. Golden to just win his medal here.

20:34 – Sprint

Nothing like a classy sprint to get me sat up in an awkward position that I wished I’d never got myself into, and here we have a great contest. Lord Save Us is a powerful sort when he gets the boxes but he has been known to stand up in them which as far as I could make out when I was running, wasn’t ideal. Andlyns Asabat is poorly drawn between him and the interesting Wacka but if any of these get a cheap lead then they will claim the plaudits here I am sure. Asabat is perhaps the most reliable from the boxes but Wacka is looking for his 5th win in 6 races and any Lister dog round this circuit should be feared. With the potential for crowding between those similarly matched types, it is worth backing the track-record holder, Monleek Town, to rediscover his magic from as wide a box as I can remember him coming out of (bearing in mind my memory extends between my last meal and my last walk normally). Town has struggled this term but with his newly-acquired wide tag he has been given space to work from here and hopefully he can regain the form that saw him fancied against the likes of the now-retired superstars Lil Risky and Fernhill Jess; those two even gave me something to think about so those formlines for Town are more impressive than the three fancied runners in the race and his odds of 7/1 more than account for his poorer showings recently.

20:49 – Standard

The most fancied dog of the day lines up here and when all things are considered, it is worth joining in the party as we all stand-up on our sofas and bark this one to victory. Airtech Alfie looks a good thing here. He has all-round pace that should be too much for these and whilst Forest Trick may lead him, she doesn’t really rail so she can afford Alfie plenty of room. The reason for not getting too carried away with Alfie and throwing my whole bowl of food for this evening at him is that Tyrur Willyjoe is in ominous form at his home track and he is a hugely talented performer on his day. He may not have hit the heights of his potential when arriving from Ireland, but he has shown he can throw a collar in the works of a well-backed dog and so whilst Alfie is fancied, the Faithful do not want to see Willyjoe on the bunny.

21:04 – Stayers

A fantastic afternoon for us at Monmore for the Gold Cup card was enhanced by the fluent, impressive performance of Sidelight round her local track. Her legion of supporters cheered her all the way home there after a typical ping break and she will need that whole legion to turn up in East Anglia today to get her through the final 65m that she will struggle with. She also has to contend with the occassional pinging qualities of Bubbly Swallow and Droopys Xavier on her inside and neither of those two like to relinquish their position wherever they are situated in a race. Whilst those three battle for the inside, it is worth backing a Lister dog who flatters to deceive at times, but is a talented performer over a 6-bend trip nonetheless: Killieford Khali can swoop round the outside to take this. He is often frustrating in his endeavours but I’ve liked him since he was a pup and he can repay my faith in him here by entertaining us in front of the Sky cameras today: us dogs love the limelight!

21:19 – TV Trophy

Barking of limelight, it is hard to think of a dog in the spotlight more than Gaga and whilst she would argue she was born this way, it has taken a while for her to reach the heights that have led her to be the darling of the paparazzi. Her stunning 462m sectional last week was faster than Sidaz Jack’s time for the Standard course and if that wasn’t enough, she carried on to break the track-record in a scintillating time. If she leads tonight it is all over; it is hard to see her not leading. Blonde Reagan may give her something to think about early on but his prowess has diminished over the course of this year and he is sadly a shadow of his former majestic self. That leaves the one question that is almost not a question: can Farloe Tango catch her? The last time these two met, I actually recommended backing Tango to do exactly that and whilst he got no sort of run that night, Gaga was arguably lapping him before he got going. If Tango gets a clear run though, this could be a race to savour. Most probably a procession though, I must admit.

So here are the recommendations for the Lolly Faithful:

Killieford Khali – 1 dog bone @ 9/2

As ever, if you have any comments or questions regarding the dog blog, please don’t hesitate to tweet me and I promise to bark back with the sort of definition I will be receiving from my new Surhound Sound TV tonight. The common dogsensus is that Airtech Alfie is the bet of the night, and we the Lolly Faithful, will be over the moon if Alfie wins.