Gary ‘mad dog’ Maunders reports…

Friday 3rd June:

Gino (Horse Outside) sectional (to the line first circuit) was 5.00 which is in fact his fastest! However, South East King pinged, led all the way to win in 29.44.  Gino was just over 3l adrift in 29.70, having suffered crowding at the first bend.

Gino again showed good pace down the far side and stayed on well enough. He’s learning the game and going the right way! An enthusiastic gang of club members went round to see him ‘kennelside’  after his race and he was happy, relaxed and enjoyed the attention given  to him!

Norah said we can consider Gino as a possible entrant in the  Puppy Derby this September. So here’s hoping for continued progress and a couple of notches on his belt as he proceeds through the grades.

Saturday 4th June:

Woody (Fleetwood Rocker/Mac) took his chance in the Champion Hurdle heats. An outsider in the betting, he was faced with a very difficult task, given his lack of race fitness. Looking at the make-up of the race it appeared essential that he broke quickly, given he was in with five other rails/middle runners and boxed on the outside of the lot!

A slow start may not have been too bad for his chance except that he then made-up decent ground on the outside to the first bend where he took an almighty bump. This knocked him sideways, and took him way off the pace, and he could never really recover.

He jumped well down the back straight but was again forced to check off the last bend and was eventually beaten just over 9l.  His race time, 30.20, reflects the trouble in running. He jumped well, showed some pace and will be sharper for this much-belated return to race night action.

Other News

All connected to the kennels are looking forward to a sensational Saturday, Derby finals night!

Cloheena ‘Johnny’ Cash showed real courage, trackcraft and tenacity to grab second spot in his semi-final last Saturday. He now gets a decent draw – again in six – in the final and has a real chance to land what will be an incredibly popular victory – and make history for Burhill kennels. Quite rightly, Norah has been getting rave reviews in the Racing press for her handling of this terrific, but somewhat fragile, greyhound.

Earlier in the evening another kennel headline act, Sizzlers Spirit, lines up for the £1,500 Champion Hurdle final but will have to be at his best to collar old rival, Junior Mac. That said Sizzlers has all the credentials and will be strongly fancied to continue in top form, retaining his current reputation as the best hurdler in the country.