The Sky Sports cameras descend on Romford tonight for the Essex Vase final and whilst that competition is sadly missing the participation of Adageo Bob, it should be great final nonetheless! The track has been on the quick side of late round the Essex venue and with these television nights tending to make the surface even quicker, it looks a front-runners card (when is it not at Romford?). With all that in mind, you want a hound who pings like me and gets on that pesky bunny this evening in my dog’s honest opinion. As ever, I have found the value for the Lolly Faithful:

19:34 – Bitches

I love watching these bitches race and I’ve got two this evening to salivate over! In this first, the well-bred Domino Storm attempts to defy some pretty tame efforts over this course-and-distance and whilst she is respected, Farran Lisicki is an in-form bitch who looks the bark in this field. Without a trial at Towcester recently she would arguably be a bet, but that trip to the new venue might be detrimental to her chances of pinging this evening. If she does come out, she is in fine fettle and with On The Razzle being wide enough to let her owners give her a pat on the way round, Lisicki can hold her pitch and assert down the back. Storm could of course turn up and beat these comfortably, but her course-and-distance performances have been mediocre based on her overall profile, to put it lightly!

19:49 – Stayers

This type of race looks all about the draw and local favourite Hometown Day can capitalise at a decent price from a really good make-up. He needs to be on the bunny or at least very close to the action, but he is drawn to dominate the middle here. Franks Dream is a pinging bitch who can hold up the favourite, Vanfrenchie, significantly enough to hinder his chances. Trap 3 is slow-away and Buoy Johnny is high wide and not-so-handsome as me so Janoan will have to be plenty sharp enough as the lids rise. This all looks set for a big strong-running display on the bunny from Day and on a quick track, none of these will pick him up if he leads, which he is expected to do so.

20:04 – Bitches

The second mouthwatering bitches race here and Aayamzaone has been on my radar for a while now and after her run on Friday, she is worth siding with to follow-up. Swooping around the whole field after she missed the break (which she can do) she showed a remarkable gallant attitude to suggest she is in the form of her life. Jaytee Columbia is running below-paw for a bitch of her class (ex-Silverview Rosay) and is arguably not suited to this tight track; that with the fact she has the likeable but often outclassed pinging bitch Mikes Machine next to her makes the 1 no appeal at all (unless she is of course reading this and I’ll take her for a doggie treat anytime). Wotnobubbles finally showed what she is capable of out of trap 6 in a Maiden over the c&d but she has question marks out of trap 4 and whilst she could lead, she will need a career best to account for these. With the 5 being slow-away, Aayamzaone can swoop round the outside again and the fact she could even lead, makes her a very tempting proposition here.

20:19 – Hurdles

My favourite colleague who attempts to jump over these obstacles for no apparent reason is Cornamaddy Jumbo, but whilst he should be a certainty for Greyhound of the Year, his form has dipped because of his exertions in winning the Triple Crown for Hurdlers this year. He is worth taking on with the track specialist Jetstream Reason who won the Irish Grand National before coming over to the proper racing nation and he is drawn to attack here. Lenson Razldazl is hit and miss for me and Mash Mad Snowy needs further so if Reason can beat Jumbo to the bend or turn second, he can account for his flagging rival. Jumbo winning this would be no surprise to me or many of his admirers, however.

20:34 – Stayers

Providing Adageo Bob makes the track today, he should show why he would have taken all the beating in this evening’s feature. He will have to clear the useful local Fivestar Clipper, but he can account for these with consummate ease.

20:49 – Marathon

On a very quick surface that is anticipated, Flawless Floyd will be hard to beat here with the kipper in trap 5 next to him, but the run of Festival Time on the last Sky card confirmed the promise she had shown for a while. She arguably needs further but she can lead the dogs around her and turn handy enough to overhaul Floyd. Time led King Kane last time out who confirmed that form when he chased gallantly in second on the Night of Stars on Saturday and that type of form comparison, is too much for Floyd.

21:04 – Standard

This is a fascinating contest that could go the way of any of these in-form hounds but the real class act around this circuit at the moment is Ibiza Rocks. He can turn handy enough to a rejuvenated Dower Matt to barge him out of the way and assert. Express Max is always respected over his optimum distance but his trapping will have to be paw perfect to account for these as Headford Joe is not devoid of early. Joe probably lacks the class of trap 2 especially, and for that reason I think class will tell in this very competitive affair.

21:19 – Essex Vase Final

If the track is not ludicrously quick this evening, a lot of these write-ups will looks silly but the Lolly Faithful know I rarely got my trapping or get my tipping wrong and for that reason, Any Dak is too big to make-all here. He is about as tired as I am over 315m by the end of his races over this trip, but on a quick surface and a repeat of his fastest-sectional being required, he can have too much of a lead to be caught here. Airport Captain is of course respected but Ballymac Aalto and Tuna Crunch want the rails and both can ping at any given time. Teejays Powerhawk for all of his quirks and the fact he doesn’t seem to like trap 1, showed in the St. Leger that he has early when he comfortably led Fear Emoski so Captain will have to be at his brilliant best, which he normally is, to get a run here. If Captain leads it is all over, but Any Dak is the clear standout value to gain an unassailable lead.

Here are the recommendations:

21:19 – Any Dak – 1 dog bone @ 6/1

So there are my thoughts on the proceedings! As ever, if you have any comments please tweet me and I promise to bark back with all of the enthusiasm if I see the track is +30 in the first race! It should be a great night’s racing and whilst it will be sad to see Adageo Bob contest a minor race instead of the real prize, Any Dak can ease the pain for the Lolly Faithful.

Enjoy the racing,

Jimmy