Dave Clark's Blog 27/02/2015
Another set of opens litter Sunday's card, and with the £2,500 Mini Derby just three weeks away, a number of contenders return to the track in preparation for the Category Three event.
Liz McNair's KING ALLEY ran riot during last year's KAB Maiden Derby when going unbeaten throughout, and makes his eagerly awaited 2015 debut at 8.15pm.
Drawn outside five railers, including Graham Holford's sprinting-type Falkirk Madam in trap five, a carve up on the inside looks a real possibility with the selections set for a solo out wide. A series of rapid trials at Wimbledon and Romford suggests all is well with McNair's early pace sort, who carries this week's nap and is taken to make all in this stepping stone onto bigger and better things.
Talented campaigner LANDED AT LAST is the class act in the first of the seven opens and can kick off proceedings with a win from his inside pitch in the first Henlow Dash.
Peter Goodfellow's Golden Sprint finalist is a lot more at home when clad in the red jacket of trap one and, with local Blackrose Roger likely to shift off from trap two, he'll have oceans of racing room to operate in.
Paul Clarke's Castlegore Jet was a winner for us last week and is the main danger, but this is a big drop in class for Landed At Last, who can pace up and crucially make the bend.
ARDERA EURO is another greyhound dropping in class in the second of the 277m events at 7.30pm.Chasing home talented sorts such as Trade Victorious, Millwards Ozil and Aero Babooshka recently, there is nothing of that calibre lining up in this five runner race.Drawn down the centre, where he tends to break slightly better, he can bounce back and end a losing run of four.
Peter Goodfellow can also strike with his BOHERNA PETAL, who has shown more than enough in recent spins at Romford to suggest she is ready to shed her maiden tag over 460m.
With only Deborah Manning's staying type Coolruss Bridget on her inside, the daughter of Ace Hi Rumble can bag the rails at the first bend and prove too strong for likely leader Swift Nixon.
SLICK SAVI has disappointed since his return to action this year, but a switch from Romford to Henlow may just provoke a slightly better - and much needed - start from Frank Savill's striking white a fawn dog. Possessing plenty of early zip, he can get loose on the outside and hang on from Derby semi-finalist Blackrose Vic - who will be doing his best work from halfway and is a must for any punter playing forecasts and tricasts.
Lincoln-based Carl Perry is a talented new addition to the training ranks and his kennel is certainly one to follow in the years to come.
His GEELO JET has already notched three wins from twelve starts and has the class to score over 550m in his first race at Henlow in the finale at the Bedfordshire track.
An inside pitch is far from ideal with him likely to move off, but providing he misses Eric Cantillon's Blackrose Dame at the first turn, he can take up a handy enough pitch to show his middle gears and assert.
7.15 Landed At Last (nb)
7.30 Ardera Euro
8.15 King Alley (nap)
8.30 Boherna Petal
8.45 Slick Savi
9.15 Geelo Jet
