SATURDAY night saw Shawfield stage the final of the bettor.com Scottish Derby Trial Stakes Trophy at 9.25 plus two Divisions of a further Scottish Derby Trial Stake.
The Final was won by the 7-4 favourite Target Classic who showed superior early pace to his opposition but Craig Dawson's dog was desperately in need of the line as Greenwell Viper produced a storming late run to reduce the winning margin to 1/2L with the clock stopping at 29.52sec. Earlier, Division 1 of the Trial Stakes saw a welcome return to the winner's circle for Greenwell River (5-2) who beat the 4-7 favourite Honey Trampas by 1 3/4L in 29.46sec. Greenwell River (now in the veteran stage of his career), who broke the C&D track record in an Invitaion Race on Scottish Derby Final night last April when clocking 28.66sec, will hopefully be back for another crack at the title which gets underway proper on March 30. The Pat Flaherty Greenwell kennels struck again in Division 2 of the event when Greenwell Shadow (4-5F), who hhas gone well in both trials and races around here recently, outstayed Flors Power to score by 1L in 29.70sec. Classic on Target in Derby Trial Stakes
BARRIE DRAPER advertised his claims for the forthcoming Betfair Trainers’Championship (March 23) when putting some of his leading team members through their paces in trials before racing at Doncaster on Saturday.
His Glenroe Ginger was fastest of those to have 275m workouts when clocking 16.97sec (normal), while kennelmate Farley Blitz set the standard over 483m when stopping the clocking at 29.71sec. Draper also trialled Magna Flintoff (29.94sec) and Magna Vogue (30.17sec).
Calzaghe Bolt (29.98sec) was the pick of the Charlie Lister runners to trial ahead of ex-Australian bitch Jean Jeannie (30.00sec), while Dean Childs’s Droopys Kazia posted 30.07sec.
@Lister’s Greyhound of the Year Fear Zafonic (17.13sec,-5) and Yahoo Jamie (17.04sec) trialled over 275m before racing at Doncaster on Friday.
