Janssens happy with remaining sextet of runners

Janssens happy with remaining sextet of runners

Patrick Janssens has six runners in the Third Round of the StarSports/TRC Greyhound Derby on Saturday, and he speaks about how he thinks they have fared so far, plus how impressed he was with the food and service in the restaurant at Towcester.

With the Irish runners dominating at the head of the Ante-Post market, the UK challenge is led by Patrick Janssens, who still has six runners remaining heading into the Third Round and speaks to us about how his runners have fared in the Derby so far.

DROOPYS PLUNGE: “He ran alright in the Second Round, he didn’t break as well as he can do but he paced up to the bend, one of the others slightly got in his way there and again round the third bend and had to check at the fourth bend. Mark Wallis’s bitch Vhagar ran on well to do him for second but at this point it’s all about qualifying at this point as there aren’t any easy races now”

BARNTICK BEAR: “Like I said before when we spoke before the start of the Derby, back Barntick Bear at 40/1 each way and you’ll get 10/1 that he reaches the Final. I was worried in the week as Druids All Go, Never Say No and Sunnyside Broxi along with him all want the same sort of ground, they are all tight railers.

 I used to train Druids All Go and he has Derby middle pace but doesn’t stay that well but everytime he tried to make a move rounding the last couple of bends, he couldn’t get past and that allowed Sunnyside Broxi up the inside to come second. The winner (Tiffield Tarquin) won well and had a good draw, but without wanting to disrespect anyone’s dog, if Barntick Bear had got through at the third bend, he would have won by three or four lengths.

ROMEO TOMCAT: “He’s a very pacey dog. He started off at Central Park and was very impressive in a weak race. Then he went to Monmore for the Puppy Derby but Monmore isn’t his track as it’s a speedy four bends. Then he went to Sheffield as the Gymcrack was another puppy competition and that wasn’t his track either. They are all catch me if you can types of tracks and he’s not that type of dog. 

He’s a 500m galloping dog and you can see that at Towcester. He’s much more comfortable, he drives the bend well and does everything a dog should do at Towcester. I knew Towcester would be his track as when he trialled before, he ran the bends as well as the straights.

ROMEO EMPIRE: “He won his first round well, in the second round the dog in four Glory Lord just chopped him off at the bend. If he had a clear run, then he may have been able to pick up Droopys Trade who knows. But he’s another one who was good at Central Park, but now he’s passing dogs more fluently, he’s driving the bends better and I get the feeling that all the time he is just improving and improving and improving.

DROOPYS TRADE: “I think in the first round when he won that he was coursing the hare down the back which is why he was so wide. I think there’s only a handful of dogs that actually stay tight on the rails down the back, Droopys Plunge and Barntick Bear would be a couple of them, but most dogs course the hare. I think his draw in Trap 1 is perfect for him. When he was in one in the first round, and I know he was 2/5F, but he only won because of the draw.

 But he had never ran out of those traps before, he had a trial but hadn’t raced out of those traps and now hopefully he’s got the hang of things with his trapping here like he did at Sheffield. I think he has a great draw on Saturday as Teddie has been moving off in the early stages. I like Tiffield Tarquin in five, but I don’t think he has the pace to the bend, but Droopys Trade last week was awesome between bends two and three.

 He stays on at full pelt but he looked to be a non-stayer as Romeo Empire was flying after him but in a trial before the Derby, Romeo Empire caught Barntick Bear after the line so that’s how well he stayed on Saturday

SLICK SENTINEL: “I still think he has more to come. He’s been off since January and only had three races since. He’s won two, but when he didn’t lead on Friday, I thought he was in trouble as there were strong dogs around him and he’s not the greatest when he doesn’t lead. But to be fair to the dog, he kept plodding away and was only beaten two and a quarter at the finish and still did 28.93 having not led. This week he has a great  draw as there’s not a lot of pace on his inside and he’s better from Trap six.

“The dogs I have now in the Derby, the likes of Barntick Bear, who get shuffled back to fifth but finish third, Slick Sentinel who didn’t lead but finished third, they are the type of dogs that will win you a Derby. It’s ok doing flashy times when you lead, but it’s when you don’t lead, you’re a million. But they are all in good order and there’s no issues with any of them so fingers crossed, they will all go well again on Saturday.”

“I’d just like to mention as well about the food and the service in the restaurant at Towcester on Saturday. It was absolutely superb, one of my owners Graham Carpenter, who owns part of Barntick Bear, ate in there the other night and he’s already booked in for next week.  It’s important that when you go to a dog track and have a meal in the restaurant that the food is good as well as the service, and both are excellent, so credit has to go to Towcester there”.