The best bred hounds in the world line-up in the feature at Nottingham tonight and with the Wimbledon track-record holder and Derby finalist Eden The Kid likely to go off one of the shortest prices in recent Sky memory, it is likely that the feature race will be more a race to savour the speed of Rab McNair’s powerful galloper than a contest.  Elsewhere on the card, we have an intriguing array of races over various trips and with the likes of Greyhound of the Year elect Swift Hoffman gracing the card it should be a great night of action!  As ever, I have found the value for the Lolly Faithful and also the ever-popular Lolly Goliath so my human followers can have an interest in each race for a relatively small stake!

7:11 – Puppy

The young tykes have a go here to paw off the proceedings and one of the most exciting dogs of his generation lines up at a track he knows very well for one so young: Camp Joker revels around here and is a worthy favourite.  He would perhaps prefer to come out of the 500m boxes to these halfway up the straight but that’s the only real negative for a dog who is drawn to make the bend ahead of his outclassed rival in 1 and fend off the challenge of the interesting prospect Roxholme Scolari.  Scolari (and his brother Roxholme Barkley) descended upon Romford for their Puppy Cup recently and both showed great pace at times, but also inconsistency that can occur with these pesky youngsters; Scolari will have to be paw perfect at the start here and even then will have to progress on what he has achieved to date to match Camp Joker around this circuit.  He is entitled to progress and 3 is probably his favoured box but he looks held by the odds-on jolly on all known form.  Why Droopys Buick is on the supporting card and not in this race is puzzling and could have made it more mouth-watering than gravy-soaked brown bread!

Lolly Goliath: T2 – Camp Joker

7:26 – Bitches

The Faithful know by now that I love watching a good bitches contest and here we have some decent ladies looking to strut their stuff on the dogwalk.  Greenhill Gem lacks a trial but looks to have the measure of Peerless Trio to the bend and if she can get on the bunny she should be able to see out this 500m trip well enough to repel the challengers.  Trio is clearly talented and will relish every yard of this galloping track but she will have to be smart out of the boxes to avoid Clounamon Queen who takes a step right coming out.  Even if she does go round clear, Trio has a couple of lengths to find with Gem on their exploits around Perry Barr of late and whilst the extra 20m of this track probably favours Trio, Gem should be clear favourite to be out-and-gone this evening.  The local Roo Wen is running out of her hair and is drawn to punish any mistakes from the more established open racing bitches.

Goliath: T5 – Greenhill Gem

7:43 – Dogs

We have two cracking dogs races tonight and this first one has the Yarmouth and Kent Derby victor priced at over 4/1!  Do It For Twiggy has progressed rapidly since he switched kennels but even here he looks held and will have to avoid Hovex Prince on his outer as the Irish Derby runner will be looking for the rails straight away.  That makes a case for Rafas Wee Jet who is flying round this course and distance of late but that hound has had his problems in classy company and he will have to be completely gone to beat these in my dog’s honest opinion: he could easily do so and 6/1 does look big!  The even better value in the race, however, is to back Aero Inferno to fly out (as he has done on 3 of his last 4 starts) and clear the excellent Swift Keith.  The reason for thinking Inferno can clear Keith is that on his only look at the circuit, in the Select Stakes, Keith completely flopped out of these boxes from the red draw that he faces tonight and whilst he does like to be on the inside, if he repeats that effort then Inferno has an absolute solo as Do It For Twiggy rarely produces a flying break or the early to match quality hounds like these.  If Inferno and Jet turn the bend together I more than fancy the former to show better pace and desire down the back to get on that elusive bunny!

Goliath: T2 – Aero Inferno

7:59 – Stayers

Those hounds who like to run for 4 bends too many have their race here and the ever-likeable bitch Moss Lane Sue is drawn to get on the bunny and stay every yard of this 680m trip.  Worsboro Phantom falls out before making his progress from around the 3rd and 4th bends but his chances in the race might be scuppered by Charlie Lister’s Oneco Melissa who will be heading straight right from her draw in 4; if she turns second to Sue it is hard to see her either overtaking the leader or succumbing to Phantom out-wide when he is beginning to make his move.  Of course, if Melissa flies out then she can make-all as she is definitely keen on this venue but her defeat in early August at the paws of Moss Lane Sue looks like repeating itself here in a case of dogja-vu.

Goliath: T6 – Moss Lane Sue

8:16 – Sprint

Everyone’s favourite race graces the card in the middle of the card and it involves some of the top sprinters from across the country.  Ballybee Brewery is going from strength to strength over the optimum distance and his victory over Skate On on Derby final night was particularly memorable to catch that bitch on the bunny.  In his quest to maintain his winning streak he will have to be paw perfect here though as Cloncunny Ardera is no mug as Daytime Flyer found out when he tried to clear him at Monmore earlier in the year.  Brewery will have to be a length clear of Ardera in 3 to make the bend and that is debatable he can have the speed to do so at such odds of 11/8.  Target Harris is now known as a shocking trapper but he could easily turn up at any point and whilst his undoubted pace is respected, it is hard to make a case of backing him at close to 2/1 against such a quality field.  Ballymac Cathal failed to land a gamble when last seen on the Sky cameras and that race was nowhere near as classy as this ensemble.  The value in the race is to back Tiermana Power as drawn to step slightly right from the boxes, before pacing up and leading Who Needs Pace (who has completely lost his way and didn’t trap at his peak!) and being just within touching distance to rail at the bend and power his way up the inside.  He looks the value call in a very difficult race to make a strong case for anything at the prices.

Goliath: T2 – Tiermana Power

8:33 – Dogs

The second of the two brilliant dogs races here is a pawfect opportunity to take nearly Evens on the Select Stakes hero Swift Hoffman to dish out another beating to some fantastic hounds around arguably his favourite circuit.  His sprint trial as a warm-up to this would have arguably won the sprint that precedes this race and that is ominous for a dog who is finally getting the hang of coming out of trap 5.  Crossfield Cesar next to him runs off at the bend and is a powerful galloper who just does not have the early that Hoff can hassle a field with; that means the selection can make the bend and if he is anywhere near the front down the back then even this lot won’t have enough to live with him.  Maum Legend is consistently a great performer who can do it off the front or from the back but is another hound who is giving us a great price on the Greyhound of the Year elect.  The inside draw for Light Foot Mata is not one that he would ideally pick for himself and whilst he could potentially be a very special hound, La Maqina will be diving straight into him and they look drawn to scupper each other’s chances.

Goliath: T5 – Swift Hoffman

8:51 – British Bred Oaks Final

David Firmager lines up with 4 of the 5 runners here but quantity can’t quite outweigh quality on this occassion and it is hard to see how Russanda Blue doesn’t get a run and pick up the likely leader of the Hall Green human’s runners in trap 6.  Blue is an enigmatic bitch who is sometimes not entirely focussed on the prize but she is too classy for this depleted field.

Goliath: T2 – Russanda Blue

9:08 – British Breeders’ Stakes Final

Eden The Kids’ meteoric rise from Newcastle handicapper to Wimbledon track record holder and Derby finalist seemed to take a bit of the zest out of his effort’s following that epic final of the English Classic.  After having a rest, he returned for this tournament and whilst he looked rusty in the first round, in the semi-final he simply blew the opposition away with a galloping stride of a serious hound and he can win this with a bit to spare.  Damson Jam is drawn to lead but also to block the chances of Fabulous Expert getting a run and so it looks like it will be down to her litter-sister in 6 to offer any sort of challenge to Rab McNair’s machine.

Goliath: T4 – Eden The Kid

Here are the recommendations:

7:26 – Greenhill Gem – 1 breast of chicken @ 11/4

7:43 – Aero Inferno – 1 piece of bread @ 7/2

7:59 – Moss Lane Sue – 1 dog bone @ 5/2

8:33 – Swift Hoffman – 1 chewstick @ 10/11

So there are my thoughts on the proceedings!  As ever, please tweet me if you have any comments and I promise to bark at you faster than I barked at a squirrel on my walk earlier today!  It looks a decent card for this time of year and let’s hope we get to see some special performances from two of the best hounds in the country: Hoffman and the Kid.

Enjoy the racing,

Jimmy