Jim Daly Interview – Crayford Weekend Opens

Crayford greyhound track is the place to be on Saturday night. The all open race card features heats of no less than 3 major competitions. The myracing.com syndicate trainer guides us through his charges chances in two of the three competitions that have their opening round heats on the 16th of September. If you can’t make it to the track, fear not, you can watch the heats action live on Racing Post Greyhound TV live on Sky channel 468, we will have our greyhound tips for the heats and again for finals night which is live on Sky Sports.

Guys and Dolls

The Guys and Dolls is a battle of the sexes over 380m, a competition that is back as a feature of the Crayford season having been lost from 2008-2015. The boys and girls have their own heats and semi final before they are brought together with three from each of the sexes for the £5,000 final live on Sky Sports on the 26th of September.

“In the Guys and Dolls we have Bubbas Bullet and Kelva Cuthbert. Bubbas Bullet is an exciting prospect. She’s got career stats of 8 races run, with 6 wins and 2 second placings. She’s got early and stays and although still in the settling in process at Crayford, she deserves her chance in the Guys and Dolls.”

“Kelva Cuthbert is a homebred pup who has worked his way through the ranks. Cuthbert is maybe lacking a bit of pace against some of the better dogs in this competition but he does win his share and has plenty of top three finishes, so we are hopeful of making the final.”

Gold Collar

One of the most prestigious named competitions in the calendar, it was first run at Catford in 1933, contested every year up until the London track closed their doors for the last time in 2003. An abortive move to Belle Vue saw the competition disappear from 2009 until Crayford resurrected the famous name in 2015. An £8,000 to the winner final live on Sky Sports is the prize for the winner of the 2017 Gold Collar.

“Droopys Fernanda and Go Pixie both run in the Gold Collar. Fernanda will be higher of our pair in the ante post lists at around 10/1 and her record at this trip is decent since stepping up to the six bend division at Crayford, Droopys Fernanda has won five of her eight starts over 540m, finishing runner up twice.”

“Go Pixie was a real bargain buy for just a few hundred quid and she’s a big favourite with her Jim Daly Racing club members. Pixie has beaten Fernanda recently and although her stats are not quite as good overall, she rarely runs a bad race”

Kent Cesarewitch

No entries for Kelva Kennels in the toughest test of stamina of the three competitions, the 874m Kent Cesarewitch. Run over ten bends of the track, it is a unique test as despite the distance of the competition, the track is not an easy one to make up ground on so the winner needs the perfect blend of speed and strength to triumph in £3,000 to the winner competition.