It promises to be full on action during Sunday’s Auckland meeting. Final qualifying efforts for the Formpro Amazing Chase field positions will be undertaken, a couple of strong feature races will be decided, plus the terminating $25,000 Pick6 continues.
Pictured: Amazing Chase contender Lochinvar Brogue who will contest Sunday’s AGRC Board Cup 527m feature
Amazing Chase Qualifying
Amazing Chase final field places from the Hatrick and Addington venues will be known by the time the final trial/race time attempts take place at Manukau.
All that will remain to be decided from those two venues is the ballot between the holders of the third fastest times from Hatrick and Addington. That will be conducted following the conclusion of the Manukau qualifying process. For the ballot winner, an Amazing Chase field position for next Sunday’s $30,500 four 527m match races will be granted. The ballot loser will occupy the first position on the reserves bench.
Adding real spice prior to Sunday’s meeting will be solo 527m trials by six nominated greyhounds. Included is the current Manukau time leader Ridin’ Shotgun (30.22s), trained by Karen Walsh. His kennelmate Thrilling Flo will be looking to improve on her 31s recorded time, as will Beautiful Boy who holds a current 30.70s best clock for trainer Ben Craik.
Lisa Cole is bringing north the Manukau fourth place holder Bigtime Welldone (30.65s) and Bigtime Bell (30.91s) with the later holding the Hatrick third place (30.24s) prior to Friday evening’s racing. Absinthe Minded will also solo trial.
Racing engagements are held by Amazing Chase nominated greyhounds Lochinvar Brogue, Westworld and Beltom (race 10 – see below), along with Yap’s Me Mum and Zipping Silva (race 12).
Sunday’s Formpro Amazing Chase 527m Manukau solo trailists includes (from left): Thrilling Flo; Beautiful Boy; Bigtime Welldone
AGRC Board Cup and Sprint
The $5,500 AGRC Board Cup (race 10) is the afternoon’s feature 527m event. Funding for the race, plus also the $3,000 AGRC Board Sprint (race 11) is provided by AGRC Board members from their entitled board fees which they haven’t drawn down.
The Cup is a beauty. It contains three greyhounds who are chasing The Amazing Chase final field positions. Two of them Lochinvar Brogue and Westworld occupy the second and third placings on the current Manukau 527m leader board. Whether they are still in those positions at 4.07pm when this feature is contested remains to be seen.
Lochinvar Brogue has been the dominant open class Manukau 527m greyhound for a while, although he has tasted recent defeats. His solid 527m form cannot be denied and the current Denis Scofield trained chaser can carry the green racing vest to victory here.
Kennelmate Gold Class dictated the pace to her rivals throughout in last Sunday’s version of the C5 527m event. She delivered her 30.64s 527m win after hopping away smartly from trap five. She has to use those same healthy racing tactics when leaping from trap eight here.
Beltom will be seeking to improve her 30.83s Amazing Chase qualifying time also for Scofield. She produced a sound 3.25 length third behind her kennelmate Gold Class last Sunday. The key to her prospects here is the jump. She has proved to be a quick chaser if she’s allowed her own rules in front. She has no option but to sniff out the early race lead here.
The fourth Schofield prepared contender here is Blazing Spirit. He had been delivering real competitive C4/5 northern 457m and 527m races when graded as a C4 chaser. Two races ago he deservedly regained his C5 racing stripes. Last Sunday a slow start led to him being impeded when racing into the first turn from which he never recovered from. He must step away smartly from trap seven on Sunday.
The Schofield kennels also provides the second reserve with Untraceable occupying that position. The C4 assessed greyhound will be resuming from a spell if he’s required here after last being presented at Cambridge on March 19 over 457m.
Contesting the AGRC Board Cup is Amazing Chase contenders Westworld and Beltom, while also lining up in the race will be Jimmy’s Rocket
Ben Craik has his strong finishing chaser Westworld sitting right on the edge of Amazing Chase final field inclusion via his 30.55s 527m time. His race is likely to be determined on what sort of exit from the traps he makes. He has been tardy in his recent outings, which has led to him striking traffic problems. He has been known to get underway on terms with his rivals and this renowned strong finisher can make his presence felt at the business end by making an okay start.
Bloomingdales occupies the first position on the reserves bench for the Craik team. She has recently returned into the C4 ranks after her delivering her pace-making C3/4 30.69s 527m win here. She owns an abundance of early pace which is an asset she must use if she’s required to race here.
Wayne and Tracy Steele has their team of chasers ticking over real sweetly at the moment. Included has been Kava Blu who has filled minor places on the Manukau podium over the last three Sunday’s. He’s a sound prospect of again being required back at the podium, despite him being lumbered with the tricky five trap to contend with.
Adding interest to this field is the presence of the exciting chaser Jimmy’s Rocket for Steve Clark. He has rushed through the grades which saw him contesting his first race as a C5 graded chaser in his last Cambridge 457m outing, resulting in a solid 457m second (to Blazing Spirit). He tends to race out in the middle of the track, therefore jumping from the ace trap here can make the rush for early positions interesting. He placed in his only race from that trap, while he won both of his races from trap two.
Completing the drawn field is the Phil Green prepared Clockwise Rap. He ducked back down into the C4 grade last Sunday where he struck immediately when delivering his freewheeling, pace making 30.69s 527m win. He delivered that effort from the two trap and he will be loaded away into the same trap for this event.
The feature AGRC Board Sprint presents the much anticipated between the sharp Steve Clark trained sprinters Nitrology and Yeboah. Completely overlook the traffic impeded Cambridge 375m sprint Nitrology endured on Thursday. He certainly can bounce back from the two trap here. Yeboah was huge when delivering his 18.28s 318m win last Sunday and he has drawn to serve up a repeat dose from trap eight on Sunday.
The inform Hayley Mullane kennel is represented by three of her sprinters in this dash (plus the only reserve). Her leading prospect looks to be Jump Up who was bold when delivering his Cambridge 375m second on Thursday.
Obstinatus is going to be shortly announced as the 2016/17 Auckland Sprinter of the Year. It is a thoroughly deserved title for the Ron and Naomi O’Regan prepared ultra consistent Manukau 318m sprinter and his stakes earning claims can never be dismissed at the Auckland headquarters.
Ross and Lynne Udy provides two sprinters for this dash with Raging Demon currently racing in career best form. That was an eye catching effort he put in when dashing home late for his third over 375m at Cambridge on Thursday evening.
AGRC Board Sprint contenders includes (from left): Yeboah, Obstinatus and Jump up
By Peter Fenemor
