Deerfield can make sweet music
In the first round of the Laurels, five dogs broke 28.30. Now, I'll accept that it takes a top class dog to run those sort of times but I’m yet to come across one that can do it week-in week-out.
And that, in its little nutshell, is why finding the winner of the Laurels is so difficult and why it’s 9-1 the field heading into the second round.
It’s nice to see fast times as an affirmation of the performance you’ve witnessed, but I don’t have any great affection for fast tracks, and firmly believe that the emphasis should not be on producing a speedy surface but rather a safe one.
The faster the track, the more it carries the front runners home and, for competitive racing, that's not ideal. Rather than being about the speed, agility and trackcraft of a greyhound, racing is reduced to a case of fastest breaker wins.
That aside, let’s look at the Laurels from an ante-post perspective. Beaten Derby favourite Rockchase Bullet still heads the list but Paddy Power chose only to clip him one single point into 9-1. Their first reason, I suspect, is that he is not the most fluent trapper in the business and, as in the first round, he will often have to come from behind to win his races. On the lightning surfaces I’ve mentioned above, that’s not the greatest option.
The second reason he’s still 9-1 could be that he is drawn in a heat with some smashing early-pacers and just obtaining a clear run will be difficult. Tonight will provide a truer test of his mettle.
Slick Seattle, who looked a superstar in the making when winning a novices’ event earlier in the year, found his very best form when recording the fastest time of the first round. In a display of incredible speed, he came from three lengths behind National Puppy Stake champion Deerfield Music to post 28.16. Most bookmakers took a slash-hook to his odds but I’d have reservations about backing him as low as 10-1.
The problem, as I see it, is that Slick Seattle has just enough early pace to get himself into trouble and not enough to get himself out of it.
There's no doubting his ability but he'll need a lot of luck.
Moes Tavern produced a superb effort to see off a top-class field in his first round heat but his supporters have been given a quick lesson on the importance of the draw as he must run from trap five in tonight’s second-round heat.
Housed outside Bombolini, he’ll need to be on his toes to obtain a clear run early and, though there isn’t a surplus of early pace in the heat, how he fares will give a more realistic guide as to his outright claims.The consistent Colorful Champ looked to be impeded on the run-up last week and he is a shade over-priced at 20-1.
Concentrating on tonight, I had expected that there would be heat prices for the second round but, at time of writing, unfortunately that’s not the case. Deerfield Music looks perfectly drawn in the second heat and it’ll be a huge shock if he’s beaten but he may be very short.
Razldazl Rioga looks drawn to win the sixth heat. The presence of Slick Seattle should ensure his odds are not too prohibitive and, with Paid Paddy and Mumhan Aris providing a buffer between himself and the fastest first round winner, he can steal a march early. Leeview Jet looks poorly draw but I expect he can run a big race and should qualify, at least.
A couple of outsiders I might have been advising had the heats been priced, are Shaneboy Fantasy in the first and Knockane Rebel in the fifth. It’s all down to the prices, but both could outrun their likely big odds despite appearing to be poorly drawn.
