The action returns to Sky Sports this evening with a tournament that has been kind to the Lolly Faithful over the years, most memorably White Soks Roks’ heroic victory 2 years ago!  We don’t have an antepost runner in the final but that doesn’t mean we can’t profit on the tournament with a dog that has a cracking draw so it should be a good night if things go to plan!  On the whole, it is a varied card to the extreme with no four bend standards in the televised action and a race that would take me 5 days to complete in a 1048m marathon!  Crayford is a tight track that you need to get on the bunny (something you all know I excelled at) as soon as my colleagues can and on that note, let’s find the value for the Lolly Faithful:

19:11 – Hurdle

The dogs that like to jump over things for no apparent reason other than to chase that pesky hare kick off the action and in it we have two very well-thought of hurdlers in Jetsream Reason and Con Te Partiro.  Both of those colleagues are very fast timber-lovers but they are prone to errors and paw performances so the vote for me is the well-drawn Scolari Express to run his usual solid race and account for the two more fancied, and probably more talented on their day, hounds.

19:26 – Marathon

Droopys Bear is favourite for this and whilst he looked a different dog in his first two efforts round here as he pinged the boxes like yours truly, he went back to his napping ways in the Semi-Finals of the Jacket and he looks vulnerable here.  He has never been comfortable coming out of 5 and with Kakantu capable of pinging next to him, Bear could find himself in bother as he tries to mow down any colleagues in front of him.  Kakantu is just not running the track well but I suppose he could be a danger if he was given a solo; he runs the 3rd bend extremely wide (even for his standards) and that could let another hound in.  That dog is Borna Champ.  The Kent St. Leger winner round here runs the track particularly well and was making eye-catching progress in the Semi-Finals before being stopped in his paw tracks abruptly (hence why it is an advantage to be in the lead at this circuit) but he has a nice draw to weave his way through the field here and you could easily see him turning 3rd or 4th here round the first circuit and picking these off.  9/4 is too big and the 3/1 this morning made me miss one of my 3 naps before breakfast as I just couldn’t sleep with excitement, which is rare.

19:43 – Stayers

Without doubt the most talented dog in this field is Sidarian Blitz who made an eye-catching staying bow-wow round here (his first look at the track) last week where he stayed on well once he worked out where he was (Crayford).  He can gain on that experience and provided he can overcome what does look a slightly iffy draw (the 4 and 6 have pace) he can score in impressive fashion here.  He has never quite hit the heights of his potential as an ex-Irish dog who was touted as an Irish Derby runner in some circles in his youth.  He mixed it with the likes of Boylesports Hero (once Irish Derby favourite) and Laughil Blake (2014 Irish Derby champion) in Ireland so this is a huge class drop against Crayford regulars.  He has shown glimpses of real ability in his UK career and whilst connections must be frustrated with his lack of top quality progress, he can surely account for these and should be odds-on.  Hearthill Fairy has been running very well the past couple of weeks and looks too big as well if the jolly has an off-day.

19:59 – Marathon

Market Heights was unfortunate to meet a rampant Roxholme Magic last week where she picked up a useful lead only to be absolutely blown away by that extremely classy looking ex-Irish bitch.  Incidentally, Magic does not run here as connections have thrown their toys out of the pram (which is a shame) for the Golden Jacket antepost favourite being clipped in the Semi-Finals in an unfortunate incident that saw Farley Rio not seeing the bend coming at him in time and so he ran off taking out the tiny Roxholme Dream with him: that’s racing I bark!  Anyways, Heights possibly did not stay in that aforementioned marathon as whilst Magic was impressive, it could have been exaggerated by Heights running up-and-down on the spot in the final yards.  With that in mind, it is worth siding with Painted Craft who has been running consistently well round here and I am more than confident that she will stay this trip: she is too big at 9/2 if the 3 doesn’t stay, which is entirely possible.

20:16 – Stayers Hurdle

An intriguing contest here with the all-conquering Never Doubt Me running from his favoured box but he looks on the short side now and it is therefore worth having a tickle on your tummy of the 6: Soviet Military.  He is nowhere near the force of old which saw him virtually unbeatable over this course-and-distance a year ago and beyond but he still has enough life in his tiring legs to utilise his pitch out-wide and out-jump this lot.  Newinn Hawk is a gutsy competitor but has it all to do to overturn the recent form with Never Doubt Me so he’s priced about right.  Lollylips is nearly worth a speculative doggie treat at what looks a big 14/1 for a local who can put in a solid round of jumping.

20:33 – Peter Bussey Final

A tough looking affair to bark confidently about which is reflected in the prices and it looks to me that whoever gets on that elusive bunny wins this.  That could be 2, 3, 4 and 6 for me so it is a hard race to gauge.  The 3 is probably outclassed for me and whilst Farneys Cookie won well last week, he is not one to overtake so you simply have to be on the bunny for him to score, which he could do but there’s some useful early in this for the trip.  Jimmy Nailed On has a similar profile to Farneys Cookie and like him, is capable of putting up a long losing streak but still looking like he’s running well: he could turn up tonight, however.  I’m going to side with Castlelyons Sevi who can’t be in finer fettle and has the inside to potentially rail these off and poach a winning lead.

20:51 – Maxi Marathon

In what has to be the most ridiculous concept that any entity has ever come up with, this lot are going to have a go at running 1048m: good luck!  There are only so many hounds that can get this far in the world, let alone England, and here we have two that definitely stay this ludicrous trip.  Supreme Rossie is running OK and needs this sort of distance but this trip is simply Musical Fawn’s speciality and she nearly looks a play at odds-against in a 4 runner affair.  She stays longer than my bitch-in-law and she can utilise this somewhat unique affair.

21:08 – Golden Jacket Final

Racenight Jenny is a worthy favourite as she has put in some intelligent performances to weave her way through the field in both races round here to win, but I cannot have her this short to repeat the feat: she could be stopped at any point.  Bubbly Time came out like a rocket in the Semi-Final, which is a rarity, to put the race to her doggie bed in the first few strides as she stays longer than this but I can’t have her repeating that either.  That leads the 2, Black Francis, who could not have asked for a better draw to make the bend, get on the bunny on the inside, and set these a target as whilst he doesn’t get the trip strongly, he battles gamely in front.  Wiki Waki Woo has a bad draw for such a tight railing bitch and whilst she has ran the track well, her job will be to hold up Jenny and Time rather than win herself.  Millwards Amy was backed in the heats but didn’t get the precious lead she needs and Malls Pride has done well to get here, but both look held.  Francis to make-all in an exhibition of how to win at Crayford.

Here are the recommendations:

19:26 – Borna Champ – 1/2 dog bone @ 9/2

19:43 – Sidarian Blitz – 1 doggie treat @ 6/4

19:59 – Painted Craft – 1 breast of chicken @ 9/2

21:08 – Black Francis – 1 piece of bread @ 11/2

So there are my thoughts on the proceedings!  As ever, please tweet me if you have any comments and I promise to bark back at you faster than Black Francis gets on that bunny tonight!  It should be an entertaining night around a notoriously difficult track, let’s hope I’ve worked out the puzzles!

Enjoy the racing,

Jimmy