British Performance of the Week - 19 May 2025

British Performance of the Week 

After English Derby winner De Lahdedah set the first round standard with a 28.50 win, it was up to Irish Derby winner Bockos Diamond to record the quickest second round heat of the 2025 event with a 28.51 run. Not that the time should have come as any major surprise. In his second look at the track, in preparation for the Juvenile, the Graham Holland trained hound clocked an identical time, off an identical sectional (3.93). 

There were so many worthy performances at Monmore on Saturday, but there is only one possible starting point, Mongys Wild’s win in the Golden Jacket. He knocked another dozen spots off his own track record despite losing six spots on his semi-final sectional. It was a third time Mark Wallis has won the event. Ballinakill Liam was just three spots off the fastest sprint for the year, this denying the kennel a clean sweep of the four distances thanks to Proper Heiress (480), New Destiny (630) and Mongys Wild over 684m. 

Ballinakill Liam was the last dog to beat Magical Bluebear over the Perry Barr sprint. On Saturday night, and despite missing his break, Mark Russell’s Bluebear made it consecutive open race wins with a 15.94 run. Quickest over the standard distance was former Monmore A2 runner Bert Ted with a career best 28.13 run. Billis Wizard landed the six bend open in 39.91 (FOY 39.62).  

Central Park staged D1s, A1s and opens over three different distances on Saturday. But all were overshadowed by Jumpstart Sarah with a near five-length A1 win on Tuesday. Her winning time of 29.10 followed up a previous 29.30 (-10). Formerly A2 at Oxford, she has five wins in her last eight. And yet another mention for the golden oldie Noduff Grand following yet another A1 win in a calculated 29.29. The 34 kilo black celebrated his fifth birthday in November. 

A year ago next Monday, Lion Heart was contesting the €12,000 Champion Unraced Stake at Kilkenny which was won by a dog called Bockos Diamond. Having missed out by a length for a place in the 2024 Classic Final at Sunderland, Carl Jackson’s choicely bred black was in sprint action at the same track on Friday night and produced a decent 15.55 run. Only track record holder Stonepark Hoffa (15.25/15.38) has gone quicker this year. 

The ‘Derby squeeze’ draws runners and trainer out of circulation, at least for the first round, was again noticeable this week. Nottingham’s Monday night opens were comparatively weak with a 17.86 sprint run for Heathmill Nidge the most notable performance. The Perry Barr based pup landed a the final of a maiden Cat 3 competition. 

To be fair, Swindon bucked the Derby squeeze trend and produced a cracking three-dog 476m open on Tuesday. (It was actually a six runner field but half the field were returned at 20/1, 25/1 and 28/1). The three main protagonists were the defending POW Hard Done Boy (1/2f), the recent 28.15/28.21 open race winner Ballymac Zari (100/30) and last year’s Pall Mall finalist Eze (7/2). It went to Eze, though the favourite pulled up trees to come from last to second and survive first bend bumping. Nothing lost in defeat. A mention too for Invergarry’s 27.98 A2 win on Saturday. 

Meanwhile Hard Done Boy’s litter sister Gingers Tali is building a growing reputation at Hove. On Thursday night Patrick Browne’s black pup clocked the quickest of the night’s 500m opens with a 29.38 (-10) run. That is three wins from her four races to date. A mention too for Swift Jarvis who has four wins and four seconds from his last nine races at the track. He won the night’s quickest 695m open in 42.34 (-15). A mention too for Noirs News with the fastest graded win (29.33). 

Newcastle’s Thursday night racing continues at a high standard with a number of impressive performances last week. There was a 28.48 run over the standard trip for John Flaherty’s August pup Greenwell Tyson. A huge run too for Stuart Ray’s 18 month Blackhouse Zoom in his seventh race. But, Naochra picks himself by virtue of a 28.12 run. Only Droopys Deploy (28.10) has gone quicker this year. 

Following every Derby there is a group of also-rans who try their luck over six bends and with the Coronation Cup due to start in late June, they could start appearing in the Romford minor opens from now onwards. It was locally trained Out The Blue who produced the best 575m run this week. Maxine Locke’s blue and white bitch pup completed an open race hat-trick with a 35.23 run. Her previous two successes were timed at 35.27 and 35.29. 

Things were also very low key up the road at Harlow with nothing breaking 26.50 for the standard. The quickest run of the week was a 26.65 for Swift Legacy, but bearing in mind her age, we’ve opted for the September pup Snazzy Panda who was just a spot slower. That is four wins in her last five races for Sharon Saberton’s coloured bitch. 

While Roy Peckham was enjoying some early success in the Derby with Tiffield Tarquin, Tullymurry Kane was busy impressing at Yarmouth. In his first four bend outing since winning at Romford in February, the son of Dorotas Wildcat went within one spot of the fastest ‘462’ of the year with a 27.47 run. Kennelmate Mrs Doyle completed her stranglehold on the track’s marathon trip with her third consecutive win. 

Avongate Venus had shown signs of returning to form following a lay-off but was drawn in the toughest of the Derby’s first round heats. But after exiting, alongside Wicky Ned, Phil Milner’s Empress Stakes winner found herself in slightly easier company at Doncaster this Saturday. Class told as she saw off the prolific Tiermana Blaze in 29.42 and you would expect her to kick on from that run. 

There were no dazzling times in the three Sheffield opens on Sunday, but that should take nothing away from the performance of Acomb Johnny who landed the sprint in 16.06. It was the 110th race of his career that began must under three years ago with qualifying trials at Kinsley. There have been 25 wins including 18 opens. His PBs at Sheffield are 15.91-280m, 27.74-480m and 28.86-500m. Nothing broke 29.00 for the standard this week, the quickest being 29.03 A2 winner Ballymac Lawless. 

Meanwhile back at Kinsley, nothing went quicker than A3 winner Peads Toe this week following a 28.14 win. (Grosvenor Tails clocked an identical time on +20 going). It was a fifth win in the last seven races for the Lyons hound and her seventh win this year. A mention too for puppy Power Of Water who completed an A6-A4-A4-A4 four timer and has won five of her last six. 

There was another four-timer for Kevin Hutton at Oxford on Saturday night but the most impressive winner was Matt Dartnall’s Long Fellow. Matt Dartnall’s hound absolutely loves Cowley and beat King Memphis in the 2023 Puppy Collar Final when clocking 26.72, as well as finishing as runner-up in the Pall Mall. On Saturday he was pitched against Memphis’ half brother King Jackson who showed tremendous early pace but struggled to handle the first two bends and was eventually reeled in by Long Fellow with a head to spare. 

At Valley, Quivers Rafa extended his winning sequence to four as he maintained his position as the track’s top dog with another impressive open race win. The James Danahar trained black led up was challenged by Unwanted Present going into the third bend but kicked on again to win by three quarters of a length in 28.30. To think, he struggled to win A5 at Swindon! A mention too for Hawkfield Hugo, a mere 27 kilo male, who beat Loot And Shoot in 28.31 earlier in the week. 

The week ended with Tromora Meg retaining the selection for the top performance at Pelaw Grange. Her 25.71 run was four lengths back on her previous win but it was the quickest over the standard distance this week and completed a near 12/1 treble. The meeting also featured a double for Southern raider Jason Ray with 590m open winner Savana Aurora and a rare 790m open for Intrepidity (3/1). It was the first time that the distance had been used since August 2015.