A truly magical night’s racing is in prospect for us tonight as the greatest St. Leger final of my lifetime is supported by a classy renewal of the Puppy Derby. The Lolly Faithful were dealt the devastating news that Sidarian Teejay was withdrawn lame yesterday having looked so promising after his gallant second in his Heat and then Semi-Final win, but we can be confident that Fear Emoski will give us plenty to bark about in the St. Leger final where she can run her usual honest race. The supporting card is perhaps not the class of some other Sky cards due to the abundance of Category One tournaments around this period, but nonetheless it is competitive and as ever, there is some value for the Lolly Faithful. Here are my thoughts on the proceedings:

19:34 – Sprint

What better way to start the night than with the most eagerly anticipated race and it looks a very useful battle of my sprinting colleagues. Droopys Quincy is without doubt the fastest in the line-up and on his day he can beat anything over the optimum trip, but at his odds he cannot be trusted as he has some pretty bad off-days. The draw is intriguing and has swayed me to side with Aero Twizzle who is not the best at pinging the lids, but has scintillating early that he has demonstrated at Romford and Peterborough. The presence of Cape Impact on his outside is a concern as he is running very well and rails pretty tightly, but Twizzle can power his way up the inside and assert at the first bend. Lode Henry has early over 4 bends but will possibly struggle stepping down in trip to be in contention and Kizi is useful but struggles in quality affairs: this is a quality affair.

19:49 – Maiden

A rare maiden in front of the Sky cameras can also provide us with the best value for this evening: Nomadic Loner. The formline that sticks out like a rabbit peaking out of a hedge is his beating of Chicago in a trial before the Puppy Derby (who goes off favourite in the Final tonight) and if he can reproduce anything like that effort, he will take a lot of beating. It could be argued that Chicago was lacking in race sharpness but he did not look like he lacked that in the first round when he pinged out nearly as well as me. Aayamzamodel has flattered to deceive of late and looks like she needs a stiffer four bend trip so Loner can lead her. Clonad Girl has shown good early in her races but has failed to stamp her authority on the proceedings and will not relish Loner turning anyway near her. Sundance Storm is a useful local but the 28:59 of Loner around Monmore is a better time than an A1 dog, which Storm appears to be at the moment.

20:04 – Hurdles

A match race here can go in favour of the track specialist Westmead Meteor who won the Springbok here (for Novice hurdlers) earlier in the year. Mash Mad Snowy has gone on to win the Grand National in pretty good style but he struggled in trials around here when tried over these ridiculous obstacles. Meteor can be more fluent and show he is a class act.

20:19 – Bitches

An interesting decision to name this race as “Ladies” has been met with mixed opinions in the kennels as us dogs definitely consider them to be bitches. Anyway, as the spokesdog for the greyhound community I have to bark our feelings at times and on to the race. Jaytee Jules ran a blinder behind Jaytee Lightening in the Olympic Final on her last run and the efforts of her litter-brother Jaytee Hellcat (track record at Limerick) show that they possess great pace and determination. She will have to be on her toes at the traps to beat the pinging Sidelight but if she does that, she should be too strong for her fellow bitches. Zoos Caprice is a useful local but does not quite have the class of Jules.

20:34 – Marathon

This is not the best marathon you are ever likely to see and it is hard to make a case for any of my colleagues with great confidence. A tentative selection goes to Barley Bussell after her track-record effort last time out at Sheffield but she wins few and far between and don’t expect anything from her for a considerable period of the race. Castlehill Aris comes with a decent reputation in Ireland but he has showed tendencies that he deserves a place on the naughty step. Incitatus will run his usual, grinding, one-paced race but will be staying on.

20:49 – Standard

Lough Messi can further enhance his growing reputation on these shores by making up for the news that the human that was named after him has been declared lame this week. His scintillating early at Romford seems to have been transferred to the Plough Lane circuit and if he pings, he can assert from the first bend (he missed the break a few times in Ireland). It might seem barking mad to oppose Farloe Warhawk (who is unbeaten out of trap 1 from 10 starts), but his last race barked volumes to me that he was not the dog of old as he succumbed at the first bend in a way that he simply would not have done a year ago; he seems to have lost a little of his determination. Jaytee Seville disappointed for the Lolly Faithful in the Puppy Derby and has been thrown in the deepest of deep ends in an oversized swimming pool here, but he is talented and Wimbledon should suit. Mountjoy Rebel is perhaps overpriced based on his early season form but it is hard to envisage him leading Messi in his current mood. Lough Messi can show his credentials for the Derby next year here.

21:04 – Puppy Derby Final

A good indicator to potential stars of next year’s Derby can be found in this tournament and one has risen to the fore that every man and his greyhound has taken note of: Chicago. It is desperately disappointing that Sidarian Teejay has been withdrawn for us as he would have given Chicago a race but with his vacancy, it has given Chicago the room to manoeuvre himself on the run-up and utilise his awesome early. The son of Milldean Panther (the legendary Irish dog of yesteryear who is arguably nearly as famous as me) has exploded from the traps in each round and it is hard to envisage him not repeating the feat now he is drawn even better as he does like to turn slightly left out of the boxes. Droopys London has been impressive but he has not met a dog of Chicago’s pace to chase yet and it will be a huge effort for him to overhaul him if he turns behind; he will also have to deal with an unfamiliar draw and the determined Droopys Dave on his inside. Bubbly Beauty and King Kane have shown early in the competition but nothing that comes close to the brute pace of Chicago.

21:19 – St. Leger Final

So here we are. The epic final of a tournament that has been brilliant and demonstrated that there is one superstar of the greyhound world at the moment: Farloe Tango. His style of jogging nonchalantly either at the back or in midfield before deciding to unleash his incomparable explosive speed is a joy to watch and provides huge entertainment; as I barked in my antepost blog he “simply has a different gear to any other hound in training” (the whole blog can be found here http://is.gd/v0si20) and I would not begrudge him the win here and that is the dog’s honest truth. He will have to come and beat Fear Emoski on merit for me though. Humans are pointing out her times have not been impressive but she is still winning her races (unbeaten in the competition and 10 from 12 over a stayer’s trip) and the Regency and Yorkshire St. Leger winner can add to her illustrious collection. Her draw in trap 3 is pretty much perfect for her as she does not like to rail and she can find herself room with Tango likely to start slowly and Droopys Posh looking for the rail. The latter has been a revelation in the tournament but has been caught by Tango in the heats and lost to Emoski in the Semis (although notably making late headway) so it is difficult to argue that she has the ability to win this, however progressive she is. Musical Gaga has shown that she is more suited to 8-bends these days and the fact that Tango overtook her in the Semis shows that he is phenomenal, and she needs a longer trip. Airforce Diva is another revelation but is still unproven as a true stayer for me and will have an early battle with her kennelmate, the gallant Killieford Khali. Fear Emoski as I barked in my blog can show that simply: “she is a winner”

So here are the recommendations:

Fear Emoski – 1 doggie treat to win the St. Leger @ 5/1

So there we are! A fascinating night ahead of us which will culminate in a race that will be barked about for many years to come. As ever, please tweet me if you have comments and I promise to bark back less nonchalantly than Tango will run the first lap this evening. As the Lolly Faithful are well aware, you should Fear the Emoski.

Enjoy the racing,

Jimmy