British Performance of the Week - 2 June 2025

British Performance of the Week

2021 Greyhound of the Year Signet Ace went out of two English Derbys at the quarter-final stage without ever convincing that he was comfortable at Towcester. His son, the wide seeded (!?!) Lennies Desire was beaten in the Maiden Derby Final and went out of the Derby in a car crash of a second round heat, but showed that he could run the track with a fabulous 28.39 track record breaking run on Saturday, five spots inside the previous best. 

Ace’s trainer Kevin Hutton had his regulation four winners at Oxford on Saturday and once again it was Start The Engine who was the star of the show. It was a race, in which even a cautious Big Kev might have fancied his chances - he had all six runners in the Cat 3 final. But take nothing from a dog who has won all five of his UK starts. His winning time of 26.41 is 17 spots outside El Tornillo’s track record. No doubt connections will be waiting to see plans for the scheduled July Pall Mall confirmed in the next GBGB Calendar. 

At Yarmouth defending POW Outdoor Cracker won again last Monday, his 27.49 being just one spot slower than his previous A1 win. However, the quickest of the seven sub28 winners on the night was Back To Black with a 27.40 run – the fastest ‘462’ recorded this year. It was also a new PB for Craig Morris’ black who has bulked up by two kilos since his previous best run of 27.50, last October. The card also featured the quickest sprint of the year (16.12) for kennelmate Druids All Go. (Sadly the week would end sourly at Towcester for both the Morris runners) 

There was a nice double for the Sutherst pups Witton Williams (17.87-305m) and Witton Cash (28.75-480m) at Nottingham on Monday. But all things considered, we have to go with the prolific Jetstream Breeze following a 29.61 eight length win over the standard distance. Next quickest on the night was a 30.06 run. From his last 12 outings, Pete Holland’s brindle has eight wins and three seconds. 

A slow Swindon racing circuit ruled out any flash times on Tuesday. The going for the standard was given as -30 which appeared vindicated by the night’s fastest middle distance winner Danish Ruby whose run, a calculated 28.24, was within half a length of her previous best. However the -45 for Droopys Suprstar’s 42.16 run over six bends seemed a bit frugal. None of which mattered to Southfield Queen who doubled down on Dashing Dude with a 15.62 win – some 23 calculated spots slower than last week. 

It was a close call between Hove’s fastest 500m and 515m open winners on Thursday. Quickest over the longer trip was Moving Force with a 29.96 run. But we’ve gone for Icemans Girl whose 29.17 was the fastest of the night’s six 500m opens. Nathan Hunt’s Empress Stakes runner-up is now 17 weeks out of season and landed a Cat 3 final. 

Meanwhile, back at Romford there were open races over four distances on Friday though nothing set the place alight. The fastest 400 of the week belonged to Yahoo Lolls (24.11). Over six bends it was Dower Duchess (35.09) and over eight, Gothic Kitty (47.41). Although Dreamin Faith’s 13.45 would not get her among the ten fastest sprints of the year, the 225m open was probably the night’s most competitive race as she was followed home by POW regulars, Teaboy Brownie and Isthatmyfella. 

Similarly, it was a similar low key day at Essex neighbours Harlow. Nothing broke 26.40 on the week with the two quickest times both recorded on Friday by A4 winners. The morning session saw ex-Weatherall hound Getup Me Champ clock 26.48, while the evening session had a 26.46 run from Gothic Icon. We’ve gone with the latter even though the calculated time just favours Champ. All a bit underwhelming though TBH. 

Going allowance was an even bigger factor at Monmore when Hello Katie won an A5 in 28.20 (+40) on Thursday. While there is a temptation to attribute the fast time to track and atmospheric conditions, the fact is, she won by a head short of five lengths. Three races earlier Hilton Wolf’s A1 was won 28.36 (+10), and four races later Tullymurry Troy won another top heat in 28.50 (+20). Overall, it was a very tightly graded card with seven of the 12 races won by half a length or less. A mention too for Magical Bertie’s very decent 37.83 S1 win on Saturday. 

There were a couple of A1s at Newcastle on Thursday though locals might have viewed them as an A1 and an A1+. The prolific Wraysbury Katie always looked a good thing (8/11f) for the A1 and duly obliged in 28.47. She might have found the other A1 just a little more challenging. The layers made it a ‘match’ between promising pup Greenwell Tyson (11/8) and that A1 stalwart, Delvin Cat (6/5f). 6/1 bar two. So it proved with the Caile canine leading from box to beam in 28.40. 

Derby third round casualty Sunnyside Broxi was back over six bends at Sunderland on Friday, started at 1/8f and won by 11. The only surprise was that his winning time of 39.35 was 11 spots off his PB. Despite the fact that there were four 450m opens, it was graded A1 winner Punch A Hole who produced the week’s quickest time, 27.11. 

Staying races are a bit thin on the ground this week (or most weeks to be honest). One of the exceptions was at Central Park where Paul Donovan’s Wonderful Abi just came out on top of a great battle with Julie Luckhurst’s One More Tune. The winning time was 40.24 and given that there was only a neck between them, they recorded the second and third fastest times over course and distance this year. Garfiney Blaze was just 12 spots quicker.  

Flying Desire took over the Perry Barr POW title from Hurry Up Brendan with a 28.34 A1 win on Thursday. It was only her tenth outing, and the first win, for John Lambe’s black since here withdrawal (in season) from last July’s Juvenile Classic Final at Towcester having beaten Tiffield Tarquin in the second fastest semi-final (29.11). 

It was last November when we highlighted an exceptional run by Doncaster pup, Look Smart who won a B1 in 27.77 over the track’s 450 metres trip when still just 17 months old. How much improvement was there in him? To update rather than complete the story, Kirsty Grayson’s black clocked 27.25 over the same trip on Saturday. It was the joint second fastest time ever over c&d and only 12 spots outside the clock. Perhaps just a remarkable, it was Smart’s last race as a pup. 

Meanwhile at Kinsley, Sunday’s A2 stood out as the week’s feature race and it included four runners from the Zivkovic kennel. The layers fancied Devon Chime (15/8f) to reverse his previous line of form with kennelmate Sober Ballad (100/30) and they were proved right with an easy 28.13 win. That is four wins from his last eight graded races over course and distance. 

105 races after making his debut at Sheffield, Acomb Felix made it career win 46 by taking the final of a Cat 3 final at the same track on Sunday. The 13/8f showed every ounce of his experience by barging second favourite Good Knick out of contention at the first bend and then completing a Fergusonforecast by holding off pesky sister Acomb Irene by a head at the winning line. Mentions too for the week’s fastest 500m winner, Distant Eve and 15.84 sprint winner Ellanne Best. 

Crokers Fluffy’s A2 win in 28.36 was the quickest time over the Valley standard trip this week. However, the selection is Jackies Princess with a 28.38 run. The reason? For a start, Donna Davy’s runner did the business in open class company, but arguably more relevant, she did it over two bends less than her favourite trip. That is four wins and two seconds in her last seven outings over dual distances.  

The week’s final selection was drawn from its last meeting, at Pelaw Grange on Sunday night. Old warhorse Tonelagee had won on each of his last two visits to Durham including clocking the fourth fastest time of the year for the standard distance, 25.45. Installed as the 7/4f to make it three in a row, the Northern Flat finalist led throughout clocking a new PB of 25.41.