All of the hype, all of the anticipation and all of the barking about the Derby’s new home at Towcester turns into fast–paced, exhillarating action this evening as the greatest prize in sport begins in earnest!  Much has been made about what it will take to become the champion around the Northamptonshire venue but one thing for sure is that the victor after 6 gruelling rounds will have had to display a combination of speed, stamina and resilience in the face of adversity that marks a true Derby champion.  Personally, I think it is a track that favours front-running railers but that is in individual races and the fact that the competition is so heavily subscribed with these types means that the true wide runners have to be looked at as value to keep qualifying as they are almost guaranteed good draws for the duration.  A factor that needs more emphasis is the considerable run to the drop after each race for my colleagues; the early-paced types that just about get home over the 500m trip will find it difficult in my dog’s honest opinion to last through the latter stages, particularly when faced with 3 runs in a week.  The champion is almost always the hound that manages to negotiate that week without over-exerting themselves or picking up a niggle and that could be even more pronounced with this much more testing challenge than Wimbledon’s 480m.  This Derby will have an emphasis on stamina rather than speed for me and that is my crucial consideration in selecting Team Lolly.

Tonight, we paw off the proceedings with a few of the fancied runners strutting their stuff including favourite Clares Rocket who has yet to run the track fluently to date and is still a maiden at the venue.  Only time will tell whether he can justify his short-price and lofty reputation and I for one cannot wait for the action to start!  Here are my thoughts for the heats tonight:

7:39 – Heat 1

A nice competitive affair to start the best month in racing and Astute Missile has a nice draw to work from on the rails.  However, hounds in trap 1 have sometimes skewed out of the new traps over 500m as the inside rail juts out which is what happened to him on 13 May in a trial stakes.  With that in mind, Carn Brea could easily get on the bunny here and looks value to skip clear of this field and not be for catching.  Juvenile winner Murrys Act is an erratic sort and his style of high, wide and not-so-handsome-as-me is not suited to the track and he might leave his race out on the wide bends.  Paradise Valdez has pace but has struggled when faced with classy competitors.

Selection: T4 – Carn Brea

7:54 – Heat 2

Garryvoe Bobby has taken Britain by storm as he bolted up in the Arc and has taken a distinct liking to the course and distance.  He will have to look lively to clear his compatriot Droopys Awesome but he has every chance to do so off a level break and can begin his campaign with a victory.  Dorotas Tiger has a horror draw to overcome for a bang railer which could turn into a theme for this competition: Powerful Boy out wide looks like he doesn’t have the tools to capitalise however.

Selection: T2 – Garryvoe Bobby

8:10 – Heat 3

Tiernans Gift is a character to take on when he is favourite and he will need luck-in-running to utilise his pace in the closing stages.  Beaming For You does not want to be in trap 1 as he looks to move middle but he could easily clear Ballydoyle Time and get on that pesky bunny.  With Piemans Bullet an almost confirmed non-stayer and having the hindrance of Danzey Exception looking for the rails, if For You holds his pitch at the first bend he could have his supporters and connections Beaming.

Selection: T1 – Beaming For You

8:26 – Heat 4

Rubys Rascal has been tardy to the bend at Towcester so this represents a golden opportunity for Razldazl Tierna to get on the bunny.  He stays plenty well enough to account for his market rival in red and it perplexes me like a squirrel up a tree why Tierna isn’t clear favourite for this contest: it is hard to envisage Rascal being able to back run him.  Irish raider Brandyandbaileys for that shrewd human Liam Dowling clearly has pace (judged by his trials) but he doesn’t look the most fluent of trappers and so he is best watched on British debut.

Selection: T2 – Razldazl Tierna NB

8:42 – Heat 5

Tyrur Shay produced a miraculous display of courage and power to get up in the shadow of the post on his Towcester debut in an impressive time, but a slow-away wide runner round here is tough to back with confidence at such a short price.  Preference is for Roswell Iceman who blatantly doesn’t stay the trip but has his ideal conditions with his favoured red box and Jims Chance looking to move right from the traps.  Shay will also have to negotiate Shaneboy Freddie who is not a hound to simply just waltz by and whilst if the favourite does get a clear run he will be too good, I’m happy to have Iceman off the front to cling on.  Desperately!!!

Selection: T1 – Roswell Iceman

8:58 – Heat 6

All eyes turn to the rapid Clares Rocket here who has lit up the Emerald Isle over the past year.  That fast he was the subject to a rather calamitous abduction attempt, it will be fascinating to see if he can overcome his lack of fluency round the Northamptonshire circuit.  Indeed, throughout his career he has been seeded anything from rails to wide and back again which perhaps suggests he takes a while to acclimatise to a track but there is no doubting he is a flying machine once he sorts himself out!  He could have asked for an easier first assignment with the exhillarating early of Whoops Jack on his inner but that colleague of mine will need a kennelhuman to give him oxygen off the 4th bend and so the Rocket should make no mistake.  Tougher tests will come.

Selection: T4 – Clares Rocket

9:15 – Heat 7

Droopys Buick is the headline selection for Team Lolly and his ability, prowess and tenacity can surely lead him to go close to a Derby victory at a track perfect for his style.  He was desperately unlucky not to have a chance at Wimbledon’s last Derby in 2016 through injury, but his human Jimmy Wright has nursed his superstar superbly since and this competition has been his target for some time.  He has enough early to lead any dog on his day when he gets it right (a memorable ping at Monmore last year against a Derby Final quality field was breathtaking) yet it is his desire in behind that makes him so admirable.  On Trainer’s Championship night it was billed as “Bluebird v Buick” but after both completely fluffed their lines, it was Buick who caught the eye and effectively “qualified” in that race by coming 3rd from a hopeless position: that is a Derby dog.  He does have a pawchant for the rails and so would not like to face being in 4 or more importantly 5 (where he lost all hope in the Scottish Derby Final) too often but his sprint track record trials combined with his staying prowess mean that it is going to take a serious effort to knock him out of the competition.  Here he faces a field that he should simply blitz with his main competition being Barricane Tiger who is a competitor that is at least a class below this superstar.

Selection: T4 – Droopys Buick

9:32 – Heat 8

Irish Derby Semi-Finalist College Paradise is a gutsy sort but has yet to fully adjust to the English-style boxes which means Empress Katie has a good opportunity to win a round here off the front.  Bockos Alfie is a hound that often requires a sat nav at the bends and if he runs straight off at the bend, he could easily hinder Paradise’s chances of turning second.  Jaytee Patriot is a dog who is perhaps allergic to sand in how wide he runs and will surely concede to much ground as he gallops on the grass round the outskirts.

Selection: T5 – Empress Katie

9:48 – Heat 9

The most competitive affair of the evening is predictably a tough contest to call but Minglers Toure has nice early and could be an archetypal winner at Towcester by railing off the front.  Diego Flight is a hound who can throw in mystifying performances but if he could turn handy enough he would become a huge danger to the selection.  Killeacle Wayne out wide nearly decided to enter himself into the 2m Novices Hurdle during his trial as he was that close to entering the horse racecourse so he is readily opposed.

Selection: T2 – Minglers Toure

10:03 – Heat 10

Always nice to see the best bet on the card come in the lucky last and here we have one of the reasons why the first round can be so lucrative for punting hounds like myself and the Lolly Faithful.  King Kid at odds-against of 11/10 is nearly as good a steal as when I hid my human’s shoe in the garden bush for 3 weeks!  That leathery delight for me to chew was nearly as mouthwatering a prospect as when I saw the price on Rab McNair’s flyer here and he will take some catching off the front!  Jaytee Yankee is another Irish raider that is clearly useful but Kid is a serious prospect in this competition as a whole if he can continue to clear the field out wide.

Selection: T6 – King Kid NAP

Here are the recommendations:

7:39 – Carn Brea – 1 doggie treat @ 3/1

8:26 – Razldazl Tierna – 2 dog bones @ 2/1

9:48 – Minglers Toure – 1 breast of chicken @ 3/1

10:03 – King Kid – 3 pieces of bread @ 11/10

So there are my thoughts on the proceedings! As ever, if you have any comments don’t hesitate to tweet me and I promise to bark back at you with all the gusto that this great month of racing deserves!  Let’s hope we can have a few winners tonight and most importantly, that members of Team Lolly survive any shock eliminations!

Enjoy the racing,

Jimmy