British Performance of the Week - 30 June 2025

British Performance of the Week

The week’s sole Category One decider was the delayed Kent Silver Salver. The betting was dominated by Rioja Oisin (7/4f) and Ballinakill Liam (5/2) and the two proven stars lived up to their billing. The Scurry winner broke the beam in a new track record of 16.01, one spot inside the previous best, but he did so on a track rated -20. There was also a decent six bend run for the 664m track record holder Garfiney Blaze whose 40.60 was recorded on going rated at -60. That said, his 40.12 clock was recorded on -30 going.  

Alien Bolt was beaten in four consecutive races by Ballinakill Liam in Monmore opens. On Saturday, Richie Taberner’s brindle was contesting, arguably, the most competitive race of the week at the Midlands venue. In a blanket finish, he reversed form with Makeadifference when holding on by a short head, with Bandanna Bono a similar distance back in third and all five runners finishing within two lengths. Times were a bit erratic earlier in the week with A3 winner Thru The Roof one of the three sub-28.40 times on Tuesday. 

She might have had a single spot to find on semi form but Slingshot Poppy justified the journey from Limerick to Sunderland to land the €7,500 ARC Puppy Trophy. Favourite backers would have had zero fears as Pat Buckley’s Irish Produce Stakes runner-up took command from traprise and would surely have skated up even without trouble behind her. The winner clocked 26.73, identical to her first round run and thus giving the youngest finalist the two quickest runs in the event. 

Unanimous Kai began his career in the Buckley kennel for whom he a won a small puppy stake at Shelbourne Park and he turned over March On Freddie in a Kirby trial stake at Limerick. Now with Chloe Hardy, Kai was the quickest middle distance hound at Perry Barr this week when landing a Saturday night open in 28.00. 

28.00 also serves as a quality guide at Valley, though in their case it is for the 460m trip. Thus far this year, only three hounds have joined the ‘sub28’ elite club and ‘two of them’ are Unwanted Present (27.86/27.97) plus Loot And Shoot (27.98). On Thursday, Kranky Tom who won a maiden open at Newcastle for Tom Heilbron before winning D2 at Sheffield for Josh Morris, clocked 28.00 (N) when winning an A3 by nearly eight lengths. Loot And Shoot stamped the from with an A1 on the same card in 28.42.  

Until Saturday afternoon, the Heilbron hound Romeo Jackson looked like being this week’s Newcastle selection following his 28.65 win in a Time Northern Flat trial stake. (The main event which gets underway on July 10.) However, Cuile Line Molly jumped the queue after taking an A1 in 28.59 (+10) on Saturday. Angela Harrison’s puppy has won five of her last eight races and given her 4.52 sectional was three quarters of a length slower than her previous outing, there could be a bit more to come. 

Newcastle raider Wicky Ned absolutely loves Sheffield. He has now raced there on 11 occasions for nine wins and two second places. The Gymcrack and Steel City Cup winner clocked 28.45 on debut for the track’s 500 metres when only 19 months old which would prove to be the fastest time recorded for 2024. The Fenwick flyer equalled that run in the semis of the Time Three Steps To Victory on Sunday. Will he stay the 660? Or put another way, will the other semi winners managed to eat into the five+ lengths advantage in the next 160 metres? 

When Romeo Ability was beaten in this year’s Gymcrack Final in April, he and brother Romeo Alliance were comfortably the youngest in the line-up. On Sunday afternoon the Dave Firmager bred pup went to the Towcester traps for just the tenth race of his career and delivered win number seven in the quickest run of the week, 28.91 for 500 metres. 

Kirsty Grayson’s Maximum Calibre, sold for £4,000 at the Premier Greyhound Sale at Sheffield sale some 15 months ago, has continued his fine recent form with an eighth win from his last 11 Doncaster outings. His most recent was a 29.44 O/R. A mention too for puppy Send For You following a 16.86 sprint open win for Ricky Overton. Only Redbrick Daisy has gone quicker this year - though she has done it three times – most notably with a 16.78 run. 

Gary The Arb (a £3,800 bargain at the Hove sale) seems to be one of those hounds who should have won more than he has. A good example came in the opening round of the Coronation Cup where he found trouble and was eliminated only to go quicker than all three semis-finals on Friday with a 34.94 (-15) run. This is the same hound that has previously run 34.57 (+30) over the 575m course, or more telling still, a 27.71 for Monmore’s 480. 

Two months ago, Crossfield Niall was having an unhappy time in graded company at Romford. Unable to win an A3, he was downgraded to A4 and was knocked over. Dusted off and now with Richard Yeates, the 35 kilo brindle and white is loving his new life at Oxford. He has three wins and two seconds from his five races and clocked the quickest of the Pall Mall trial stakes winners, 26.61. Mentions too for Star The Engine’s seven-timer in 26.73 (-10) and a 39.43 (-15 650) run for Alright Gordy. 

Two weeks ago, Ivergarry was the Swindon selection based on a 41.35 open race win over the 682m course. The following week, he won again (41.37) but was outshone by Eagles Respect’s 41.30. The pair finally met on Tuesday, and were soundly beaten by Baggios Dilemma in 41.72. However, his potential reign as this week’s top performer lasted just over an hour until All Along landed an S1 by eight lengths in 41.31. True, it was in lesser company, but 41 spots cannot be ignored. 

This week started like most in recent weeks, by confirming Jetstream Breeze as the Nottingham Performer of the Week. Peter Holland’s black was back over 500 metres this week – coming off the pace to win in 29.94 – having made his mark over 480m the previous Monday. To update his figures, that is nine wins and four seconds in his last 13 races. 

Belgium invaded Hove on Thursday with Derby winning trainer Patrick Janssens sending out an open race treble including the two major contenders for the POW selection. Just missing out is Romeo Empire whose 41.62 for the 695m course was just two spots away from Intriguing Iris’s FOY. To top that would inevitably require something special and that was delivered by Slick Sentinel with the fastest time over the 500m course so far this year, 28.82. Candolim Monsoon’s track record is 28.69.  

It isn’t often that the sprinters get a look-in at Harlow, but when Darren Whitton’s British bred puppy Moaning Hearns became the first hound to break 15.00 this year, it wasn’t a tough call. The fast times on Monday and Wednesday included a 26.27 (+40) from Salems Tequila though Swift Legacy’s 26.47 (+10)was a fastest calculated time and beating an A3 field that included the bang-in-form Bang On Alfie. 

With six ‘sub28s’ for the standard distance on Monday and three more on Wednesday, it will have come as little surprise to see some very quick runs in Yarmouth’s Saturday’s opens. They included Two Slips Jigs with the quickest sprint of the year, 16.11. All of which might appear to undermine the 40.14 run over 659 metres for Heres Ringo. It shouldn’t. Only Roxholme Poppy has ever gone quicker than Glenn Hocking’s hound and that was when she set the clock at 40.07 back in 2019. One more point, Ringo’s 277m sectional was 16.06. Let us hope that the dog marked ‘awkward’ in an A1 back in March has truly turned the corner. 

28.00 was broken twice for Kinsley’s 462m trip last week with Highview Amy recording the best run of the week, 27.95 (+20). The selection though is her kennelmate and A4 winner Ballymac Frisby who clocked 27.96 (+10). It was win number 25 in career outing 111 for Bev Heaton’s veteran who has a PB of 27.56. 

The week’s final selection comes from Star Pelaw where the pick of the action came from ‘the far side’. Joint sprint track record holder Bitzer Maloney won again meaning he has won more than half of his last 13 races. However, we’ve gone for the six bend specialist Emilys Superstar. She went to traps with a record of four wins from five outings over the 590 metre course. That is now extended to five from six following a comparatively moderate (for her) 36.28 run. She is currently the quickest over course and distance this year (35.70).