Well, isn’t a year a long time in greyhound racing! This time last year I recommended Sawpit Sensation to win the Eclipse at 8/1 and he duly obliged for the Lolly Faithful in a stunning all-the-way track record success: I sense a case of dógjà vu tonight. Before we get to that though, there is a brilliant supporting card at Nottingham this evening with Trainer of the Year points being at a premium for the human race that is going to be the closest for many a dog year. As ever, it is always imperative to keep Charlie Lister runners onside as his dogs know this track so well. Here are my thoughts on the card and as ever, some value for the Lolly Faithful:

19:34 – Puppy

Some pretty useful youngsters line-up here and I think it is worth opposing the up-in-class Take The Crown. His style suggests he will need luck in-running as he adjusts to his working life and Droopys Dave can utilise his experience here. Dave has been the perennial houndsmaid in the big Puppy tournaments this year but he has a touch of class about him; also this galloping track should play right to his strengths. He came 2nd in the Puppy Classic here and can account for his loss to Redbrick Stuart in the Northern Puppy Derby by beating his poorly drawn and out-of-form colleague.

19:49 – Bitches

The two Lister runners are at the fore of the market and deservedly so, but Silverview Pinky has been with her trainer since puppy status and will know this track far better than the classy Airforce Diva. Diva has been a revelation since stepping up to six bends for the St. Leger but she crucially missed the break in the final of that competition (although her efforts would have been in vain anyway to the awesome Farloe Tango); this is an all-too-familiar situation with Diva as she struggles to ping the lids consistently and any faults at trap-rise can prove costly against the consistent and likeable Pinky. Pinky has never hit the heights of her litter-sister superbitch Silverview Perky but like her sister, she has excellent early and will take some catching on the bunny. Five Alley Queen is well-drawn but is not in the same class as the aforementioned two.

20:04 – Stayers

A difficult conundrum to paw over here and it is possible to make a case for many of these as they are all pretty equally matched and drawn well. Bubbly Swallow just gets the vote as she is a prolific bitch on Sky and loves nosing the camera to show off to her fans before the race. She has been relinquishing her lead a bit too frequently for my liking of late though, as she is a proven stayer and should be setting a stiffer mark on the bunny than she has been doing. Afewdollarsmore has pace but struggles in this sort of company to win his races. Aayamzalad provided a shock in the Kent St. Leger and has good middle pace but has question marks over this extended 6 bends for me. Tough race to call this.

20:19 – Sprint

The best race on the card sees my favourite sprinting colleague with a great draw and it is worth backing him to account for useful rivals: Jumeirah Dubai. He is 4 from 7 this year and is warming up for a defence of his National Sprint title (around here) with 2 wins at Nottingham preceding tonight. If he pings like me as he normally does, he will take the world of beating especially considering his main rival, Droopys Quincy, has a poor record out of trap 1 with his only win in 4 starts from the red box coming on his debut; Quincy can actually miss the break from any box and whilst his pace is unquestionable, his timing leaves a lot to be desired. Helenas Sailor and Billymatt are prolific winners at their favourite tracks of Hove and Romford respectively, but always seem to fail in top company away from their beloved home venues and that looks set to continue here. Dubai to continue to oil his creaking bones and lay down a marker for the National Sprint.

20:34 – 480m

An interesting contest here sees the pacey Frisby Barney trying to outlast some of his stronger colleagues. He should lead but the presence of Daddyknowsbest on his outside should give him something to think about for the duration as Best has good all-round pace. Hadrians Wall is a likeable sort from the strongest graded track in the country, Newcastle, and he has proven he can mix it with the best in Category One tournaments. He always tries his hardest and can turn in a handy position here before outstaying a tired Barney.

20:49 – Marathon

Aayamzabella is having a season to remember and she will be gracing the Emerald Isle with her presence on the most famous talent show in the world, The Night of Stars, at the end of the year. She has explosive middle pace over a marathon distance and it is hard to see anything stopping her unleashing that here. She ran admirably in the Leger by winning her first round but just found the pace too hot in one of the best Legers of my lifetime, and there is nothing of the class in that tournament here. Barley Bussell could actually run to Ireland in one go if she so wished, but Aayamzabella will be too far ahead here.

21:04 – Standard

For me, it is always worth opposing Droopys Odell when he is not drawn in his beloved red box (or at least with slow starters inside) and whilst in houndsight, he has defeated his poor draws before, he faces a really classy colleague here in Bold Three. Three blasted onto the scene at the start of the year and made a bold attempt at the Irish derby; he needs an extended trip to see his galloping pace to the best of his ability and Nottingham fits the bill for him in that regard. Slippery Sooty actually progressed further in the Irish Derby than the selection, but he is taking his time in getting used to his new kennel in the UK and did not leave as big an impression as Bold Three in the premier Irish classic anyway.

21:19 – Eclipse Final

The Eclipse always produces a stellar final as Nottingham is such a good track for us dogs to run round and here we have no exception. If Exocet rockets out, it will all be over bar the barking but a trap 1 draw is surely a concern for this ex-mid runner. In saying he is an “ex” mid runner, probably implies the wrong thing as he definitely still runs middle, but his connections were tired of the dearth of wide runners in tournaments which led him to being put in trap 6 far too often. That barked, it has backfired here as he has only ran out of 1 once and his trapping ability cannot be guaranteed. That accompanied with the fact he has the brute pace of Calzaghe Davy (another mid runner) next to him means that those two could cause all sorts of bother to each other; if either get a clear they are going to take the world of beating but I cannot see it. Bridge Honcho is likely to get squeezed too and so it leaves the wide runner with the most pace to the bend, Sawpit Sensation, to steal a march on the outside and prove too strong for the whole field. His record is nothing short of sensational being in the first 2 over the Course and Distance in 20 of 21 starts (winning 10 of his last 13). Whilst some of these victories have been against poor fields, it would be foolish to forget he beat the Derby winner of his year, Taylors Sky, and the mighty incomparable speed of Farloe Tango round here in the final last year: it was not even a contest. He does not often ping but when he does, he is truly formidable and Sensation has no problem in coming out of trap 4 (some connections have quipped that it is his preferred trap). He should lead Aghaburren Paddy and whilst Airlie Impact is a Derby runner-up and serial finalist, his gruelling season is surely taking it’s toll on him to have an impact here. Last year, I barked in my dog blog (found here http://is.gd/h9DFtY) that “Sensation is set for a solo out-wide and you ignore this dog at your peril…He has finished outside the top 3 in one of his last twenty-seven starts (he sounds like me!) and he will run through a brick wall for you and will not give in”. How remarkable that a year on, he faces the same test: he can pass it.

Here are the recommendations:

21:19 – Sawpit Sensation – 1 breast of chicken @ 8/1

So there are my thoughts on a night that should make riveting viewing. As ever, if you have any comments please tweet me and I’ll bark back at you faster than Dubai comes out of the traps this evening. In another remarkably strong Eclipse Final, Sensation can once again show he is a truly top class colleague of mine.

Enjoy the racing,

Jimmy