Greyhounds: Warzone Tom and Crayford, a Gold Collar Match
With just a 334-meter circumference the Ladbrokes owned Crayford Greyhound Stadium is one of the tightest greyhound tracks in the world.
Crayford’s sharp circuit stages the Gold Collar this week. ©GettyImage
On the other side of the globe, in Hobart, Tasmania, Ladbrokes will sponsor next month’s Hobart Thousand. Staged at Hobart Greyhound Racing Club, Elwick Park, this circuit has a standard two-bend race distance of 599-meters. Some difference!
Ferdinand Boy, a 32-time winner with almost £190,000 in prizemoney, will be the one to beat down under in December. But beforehand, back in blighty, the £10,000 Ladbrokes Gold Collar has an even stronger favorite.
Warzone Tom is even-money with the track owner and sponsors to take this six-bend 540-meter competition. It is a short price given the severity of the Crayford bends and the significant fact the Liz McNair-trained dog has yet to make the final.
Indeed, two semifinals will be run at the Kent circuit on Saturday morning. The first, featuring Warzone Tom, is due off at 11.24 am. The second semifinal, a race that contains the competition’s second favorite, Gymstar Elusive, is scheduled for 12.09 pm. The first three in each race qualify for the decider.
The Gold Collar competition was first staged in 1933 at Catford Greyhound Stadium. It was held there for 70 years baring a four-year interruption caused by World War II.
Expect Tom to Battle Through
If the first semi-final were run at the galloping Hobart track, Warzone Tom would be a probative odds-on favorite. Crayford is trickier but based on first-round times he still has the clear measure of his rivals. Two of them were all-the-way winners.
Warzone Tom did not have the luxury of a clear passage in his qualifying heat. He lost his back footing twice around the opening bends and was short of room when challenging for the lead at the fifth bend.
The rare blue-colored dog is unbeaten in all three starts at Crayford and has shown exceptional track craft. He carries a middle-seeding but is equally adept at starting and racing wide.
Considering he goes from trap 6 on Saturday and is assured of another helpful trap draw if proceeding to the final, this fast dog cannot be opposed in the ante-post betting lists found at the best greyhound bookmaker sites.
Young Ben the Saturday Tip
Naturally, Warzone Tom will be long odds-on to take his Gold Collar semifinal and seventh race win from eight starts on Saturday morning.
But the second semifinal is a wide-open affair. Gymstar Elusive, the runner-up in Romford’s Champion Stakes final, is likely to go off as favorite.
However, Bens Lad, racing from trap 6 is our fancy. Just weeks out of puppy status, this greyhound has won four of his seven-lifetime starts. Impressive stuff considering he made his debut at the start of September and has never raced in a graded contest.
When Bens Lad landed his first-round heat of the Gold Collar it was his attempt at a six-bend trip. He was also making his debut for local Crayford trainer Julie Luckhurst. These factors suggest he can only improve on his first-round success.
Recommended Bets:
- Ante-Post/Outright: Warzone Tom 1/1 Ladbrokes
- 12.09 pm Saturday: Bens Lad
