A cracking card at Monmore this evening completes their Summer Festival with the highlight being whether potential greyhound-of-the-year elect Swift Hoffman can clear the first bend unscathed: if he does it will take a very special dog to get near him!  Elsewhere we have the finals of the Trafalgar Cup (first held nearly 13 years ago), the Summer 416 and the Summer 630 with the latter looking an interesting contest to bark the least!  As ever, I have found the value for the Lolly Faithful and here it is:

7:11 – Sprint

Everyone’s favourite race starts the proceedings with Daytime Flyer gracing the card as one of the best sprinters in the country.  Originally 10/11 looked a big price, despite his lack of a look at the Wolverhampton boxes, so it will be interesting how the race is priced up following the withdrawal of Indalo Flame this afternoon.  The key to this race is whether Flyer can clear the useful early of Perry Barr raider Cloncunny Ardera but that should be achievable with the long run-up from Monmore’s 264m boxes.  Cluxtons Free will be moving right and rarely comes out of his favoured box in 6 these days so he should be no hindrance to the favourite and Klockwork Khaos has early but is not a natural sprinting type.  Flyer looks comfortably too good for these.

7:26 – Standard

Some useful well-seasoned campaigners battle it out here but as drawn and how he runs Monmore so well, the versatile Ibiza Rocks can confirm his sectional superiority on the field and then not be caught for a dog that has been running much stronger since his puppy days.  Mays King is capable in lesser class and Blackstone Marco runs here well but wants the fence and wants a 5 bend sort of race to be seen to best effect.  The danger could be old boy Express Master in 4 as he has nice early, knows the track like the back of his front paw and could potentially skip clear; that barked, even if he does Rocks is capable of back-running him.  Southfield Noir is the best drawn dog on the card but in this class is probably found wanting.

7:43 – Stayers

This race all centres around Romany Rouge and how he handles Monmore following last week’s effort over the shorter 6 bend trip where he looked like he’d had a few too many milk and waters when negotiating the bends.  He has looked a dog destined for great things over this sort of trip since his youth and Derby exploits but he is not drawn well today in having to clear both Droopys Gonza and Droopys Tamera to get close to the bitch-in-form Calzaghe Lisa.  Her human believes she is a TV Trophy candidate for next year and whilst that is a while off and she has plenty to prove between now and then to get near the class of this year’s winner, Ballymac Bonnie, it still shows she is highly thought-of over a ludicrous distance and she has duly obliged on her last two starts.  Very well drawn in trap 1 here with trap 2 caught napping in the traps, she is unlikely to be caught this evening and represents value at odds-against.

7:59 – Marathon

The two at the top of the market here have never been round but it’s hard to see how they won’t be a reverse forecast here as they can use the first circuit as a form of ‘trial’ before surging past inferior rivals.  Preference is for Droopys Cottage who’s staying prowess over this even more ludicrous trip was questioned on Derby final night but that performance from Roxholme Magic was something quite special and Cottage arguably checked at the sough on the second circuit thinking her race was over when she was miles clear, allowing Magic to get back in the contest.  Moss Lane Sue makes her marathon bow-wow here and whilst she is a game, local bitch she tends to find these Category One sorts (which Bubbly Time and Cottage are) difficult to assert over.

8:16 – Puppy Final

The young tykes have a go here and it is drawn to be absolute chaos (moreso than usual with these youngsters!)! Ballymac Sheehy will be pinging and going straight left from 4, Roxholme Barkley will be pinging and also heading in that direction which means that Droopys Yves on the rail could easily have enough legs to make the bend with those two and get into a world of trouble at the bend.  If one of those skips clear then it will be all over but it looks like a messy affair which could either set it up for El Nino to use his undoubted early (led Sheehy in the heats) and go round the whole field to build a perhaps unassailable lead, or Farloe Axle to show his eye-catching pace from the third bend to pick up the pieces: both are worth backing at 25/1.  Barkley’s brother, Roxholme Scolari, completely fluffed his lines in the heats and is perhaps well-drawn if he can get out a bit better as 4 will give him all the room in the West Midlands but his back straight pace could further complicate issues for the more fancied runners and this just looks a scrappy affair that could be won by all 6 in the right conditions: hence to back the big priced hounds.  The reverse forecast of the two selections at ridiculously long-odds is not the worst bark I’ve ever heard if the scenario unfolds as above.

8:33 – Summer 416 Final

This course and distance, with its traps so close to the bend, is often won by the dog that pings like me and who is drawn to turn in front; in this race that is Tyrur Vettel.  Skyfall Act missed it in the heats from 4 and also misses it from 1 so Vettel can make the bend, Dawsons Waft can ping and run straight up to repel favourite Cape Impact and Vettel will be away-and-gone over a trip he gets pretty well.  It’s all on the break and there are few at Monmore that ping like Tyrur Vettel.

8:51 – Summer 630 Final

These traps are also on the bend so it’s helpful to get in a useful position early which Elwick Glory demonstrated expertly when getting first run on Bubbly Gold in the heats.  She could easily repeat that feat here and be out-and-gone but the pace of some of the others behind means that it’s a tentative selection.  How fast Millwards Teddy could actually go if he put his best paw forward only dog knows but he can’t be trusted to fully get on with his eyes on the prize after another naughty performance in the heats so he is swerved.  Oleg and Farneys Cookie got involved in a barging match of their own in their race so a blanket finish looks odds-on in this race and I’ll take Glory to poke her nose in front watching the hare.

9:08 – Gold Cup Final

Swift Hoffman has been in quite devastating form of late and whilst he has pace in 4 and 5 to clear, it is hard to oppose him in his current mood.  Some of the times he has been doing at Nottingham, Perry Barr and over this C&D have quite frankly been startling and whilst he clearly would appreciate further, he could simply have too much pace for these.  He is no value though as aforementioned trouble could hinder him but it’s hard to confidently put something up to beat him.  El Lema was a kennel gamble in the heats but he faces a tough task in clearing Hoffman’s brother My Real Mutley in trap 1; also, whilst there has been money for Timaru Surprise today because he is a mid-runner drawn next to the definitely wide Starshineedifice, this is a big step up for the lightly raced Surpise, despite his undoubted pace.  Vatican Gurkha sticks to the task and could be a revelation over further when he is stepped up as his human’s suggested this week but it is tough to see him getting in the frame without it getting really messy.

Here are the recommendations:

7:26 – Ibiza Rocks – 1 doggie treat @ 13/8

7:43 – Calzaghe Lisa – 1 breast of chicken @ 6/4

8:16 – Farloe Axle + El Nino – 1 piece of bread win each @ 25/1 and half a dog bone reverse forecast

8:33 – Tyrur Vettel – 1 chewstick @ 2/1

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 Tyrur Vettel comes out the traps tonight!  It should be a great meeting at the Midlands track and let’s hope we land the big-priced forecast: I dream quite a lot in the day you know!

Enjoy the racing,

Jimmy