Premier Greyhound Racing Regency final preview: Guide to the contenders
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Saturday evening’s 2023 Premier Greyhound Racing Regency final at Hove looks wide open and is sure to attract plenty of betting interest.
The 695 metres event has been won by some legends of the sport, including the great Scurlogue Champ.
With £20,000 in prize money on offer, another top-class decider is on the cards this weekend and Matt Dartnall has a particularly strong hand, training the inside trio:
Trap 1: Swiper @ 14/1
Dartnall’s Oxford raider entered the competition as a rank outsider but has twice taken full advantage of a plum rails pitch and the short run to the first turn to earn a deserved place in the decider.
Was just collared near the finishing line when a neck second to Space Jet in his heat and then battled on gamely from the front to score at 8/1 in the semis, clocking a calculated time of 41.80. Trap out and hope for trouble in behind will be the tactic again here.
Trap 2: Lively Lauren @ 2/1
Was a fine runner-up in the Brighton Belle here over 515m in April and is much better suited to running over six bends, with half a dozen wins from eight staying races, including a 650m track record success at Oxford.
Trapped well and made all when wearing the blue jacket in the semis, posting 41.64 for a fourth straight win, and the aim will be the same in the final. A 14.13 sectional last weekend suggests she can build up an unassailable lead if able to break quicker than her kennelmate in red.
Trap 3: Space Jet @ 5/2
Probably the most popular greyhound of the past few years, landing numerous elite-level prizes, notably the 2021 St Leger at Perry Barr and last year’s Coral TV Trophy at this venue.
That latter success was over 955m and this trip is on the short side for Dartnall’s superstar, but she has managed to time her late charge to perfection twice so far, getting up to beat Savana Heross by a neck in 41.55 a week ago.
Trap 4: Savana Heross @ 5/1
Was sent off as the 10/11 favourite for her clash with Space Jet on the back of three straight wins and five victories from six outings prior to the semis and we feel Diane Henry’s charge lost nothing in defeat.
Savana Heross had to find a way past the front-running Lightfoot Falcon and just lost a bit of momentum when chopped off by that rival entering the fifth bend, so certainly appeals at the prices on offer for the final.
Trap 5: Bubbly Scorcher @ 10/1
Paul Young’s long-striding powerhouse was a 41.74 scorer in the heats and put all kinds of pressure on Lively Lauren in the second half of their tremendous semi-final tussle, only going down by half a length at the line.
Having to start from this wide out is an issue for a dog which would prefer to be much nearer to the inside but that concern is reflected in his odds, which may tempt some value seekers.
Trap 6: Jacktavern Magic @ 11/2
Champion trainer Mark Wallis has won this valuable prize four times in the last dozen years and looked to have another strong contender on his hands after this son of Droopys Sydney completed a hat-trick of course and distance victories in the heats.
However, a tendency to run very wide around the bends proved his undoing when having to settle for second best behind Swiper in the semis and he can ill-afford to be giving away so much ground in the decider.
All odds correct at time of publication
