Banksies Five to Follow- StarSports/TRC Greyhound Derby Saturday Night

Banksies Five to Follow- StarSports/TRC Greyhound Derby Saturday Night

Slightly different feel to my usual weekly column of trying to find five puppies that have ran in graded action in the last week or so that could be worth a follow in the next few weeks.

For the first few rounds, we will take a look at five Greyhounds who ran well in defeat but still managed to qualify for the next stage who may just be worth a bet next weekend.

AERO SACUNDAI: Ran from Trap 3 in Heat 24 at 7.10pm- Finished Second

For a Greyhound having his first four bend start November last year, you’d like to think that trainer Richie Taberner will this morning be delighted with the fact that Aero Sacundai ran such a good race in defeat and has qualified for the second round.

Having been expected to lead by most, his sectional of 4.09 is probably not as quick as connections were hoping for and was led in the early stages by John Lambe’s Swift Underwater in trap one but showed decent pace into the first bend to turn a clear second.

He then took up the lead at the second bend, and with the strong running and eventual winner, the Patrick Janssens-trained Barntick Bear in trap two finding the door closed in his face, Aero Sacundai managed to build up a lead of around a length and a half going down the back. With Barntick Bear in pursuit, it always looked to be a case of when not if he would get past, but huge credit has to go to Aero Sacundai, who held him off until the last 40-50 metres.

I’d suggest that Aero Sacundai has a better break In his locker, and he could come on a bundle for last night’s run. If drawn in a race where there isn’t a great deal of early pace, he could go well at decent odds again next week.

KEVINS ROCKET: Ran from Trap 2 in Heat 27 at 8.06pm- Finished Second

Trainer Seamus Cahill will be delighted to see Kevins Rocket safely qualifying into the second round, especially after running a pleasing race in defeat behind Graham Holland’s well-fancied Bombay Pat

When the traps rose, it was the two Hove runners, Jamie Kingsley’s Keylogues Runner in trap four and Kevins Rocket who battled it out into the first bend. At that point there was a coming together between the two, which Kevins Rocket got the better of, briefly leading into the second bend, but was soon overtaken by Bombay Pat running from trap six, who had shown good pace after slightly missing his break.

At that point, you could have been forgiven that Bombay Pat was going to set sail for home and record a wide margin victory but was never able to go further than three lengths clear, as Kevins Rocket stuck on well, reducing the margin to two and a half lengths as the winner crossed the line.

A lot may depend on the draw this afternoon, but if Kevins Rocket were to end up in a softer looking heat, then it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him putting up another decent showing again next week.

UNCLE FREDDIE: Ran from Trap 4 in Heat 28 at 8.22pm- Finished Second

Having attended last week’s trap draw, I know that part owner Mark Burridge was gutted that Uncle Freddie had been drawn out on the one night that he didn’t want to be drawn out on, Saturday, as he would have to miss out due to being at Portman Road commentating on his beloved Brentford. But fortunately for Mark, Brentford won 1-0 and he was able to pull over on the road and would have been just as delighted in seeing Uncle Freddie qualifying for the second round next week as he would with Brentford’s victory.

Trained by Hove trainer Richard Rees, Uncle Freddie broke fourth from the traps, with Maxine Locke’s Cooliogold running from trap one, building up an early and ultimately race winning lead, with Mark Wallis’s Table Toppers, running from trap two, turning the opening bend just behind.

Uncle Freddie just found his pathway blocked by Table Toppers rounding the first bend, without there being any physical contact, and just a length or two in momentum. But coming out of the second bend, he was in third around five lengths behind Cooliogold but was comfortably in a qualifying position, but he set about after chasing the leaders down, and coming off the last bend, he was only a couple of lengths behind.

It was here that Table Toppers made his challenge to take up the lead, and just had to check off the back of Cooliogold, but this played into Uncle Freddie’s paws, as continued to stay on well, moving into second, but the line came in time for Cooliogold, who took the spoils by a length, with Table Toppers finishing a close up third.

Again, a lot will depend on the draw, but if Uncle Freddie can find himself in a softer looking heat, or a heat with a few runners, there’s no reason why he can’t pick a few of the front runners off in the later stages and may be able sneak through add big odds again next week.

BAREFOOT ON FIRE: Ran from Trap 3 in Heat 29 at 8.39pm- Finished Second

It could be a bit of understatement, but it’s fair to say that Paul Hennessy’s Barefoot On Fire is getting used to the Northamptonshire circuit now in a race that was dominated from the off by himself and fellow Irish runner and race winner, Pat Buckley’s Ballinabola Joe.

In his four previous visits to Towcester, Barefoot On Fire hadn’t even broken 29.00 and won his only previous race here back on April 6th in a time of 29.38, but last night, produced a sensational performance to finished runner up behind Ballinabola Joe, recording 28.66 in doing so.

As mentioned, the pair dominated from the off, with Ballinabola Joe absolutely bolting out from the traps, recording a fastest of the round 3.91 sectional, and despite recording a speedy 3.98 sectional himself, Barefoot On Fire still found himself a good three lengths behind Ballinabola Joe out of the second bend.

But Barefoot On Fire gave hot pursuit and from the third bend, started eating into that advantage, and off the last bend, the lead was down to just over a length but despite his best efforts, he couldn’t quite reel in the winner with the distance down to half a length as they crossed the line.

That performance from Ballinabola Joe would have won the majority of the other first round heats and if able to produce that run again in the next round, it would take an exceptional performance to beat him

SUNNYSIDE BROXI: Ran from Trap 1 in Heat 32 at 9.34pm- Finished Second

One of the most popular winners in the entire first round came in the final heat, with Richard Rees’s Churchfield Syd producing one of his usual fast starts to make all the running with punters cheering him home to victory by the narrowest of margins, but Ted Soppitt’s Sunnyside Broxi ran him close at the end

When the traps opened, it was Churchfield Syd in trap six who hit the front in the early stages when cutting in towards the rails on the run up, and heading down the back, he had built up a lead of around two and a half lengths, from Sunnyside Broxi a lead that was maintained heading rounding the final bends.

But the stamina of Sunnyside Broxi kicked in at this point and started to reel in the leader with each stride and it looked on the run for home that the Soppitt runner may just be able to reel in the leader, but as the pair flashed across the line together, there was a slight feeling that Churchfield Syd may have just held on, which was soon confirmed by commentator Paul Lawrence.

Sunnyside Broxi lost nothing in defeat, and he looks to be the sort of runner that can keep on qualifying over the next few rounds given that he previously came from off the pace to score over 640m at Sunderland, then it wouldn’t be a surprise to him involved at the finish again next week.