Warzone Favorite to Blitz the Golden Jacket Field at Crayford
A £20,000 prize awaits the connections of Saturday Afternoon’s Premier Greyhound Racing Golden Jacket final winner. The prestigious competition with a 47-year history is staged over two laps of Crayford’s challenging 334-meter circumference circuit.
Crayford’s 714-meter Golden Jacket trip means greyhounds must navigate eight tight bends. ©GettyImages
Warzone Tom is unbeaten in seven starts at Crayford. The Liz McNair-trained greyhound won his owners £10,000 when taking December’s Ladbrokes Gold Collar final at the Kent circuit.
Drawn in trap-3, he is the only male greyhound in the final. At 13/8, Warzone Tom is also the betting favorite. The short price tag comes despite semi-final winning times suggesting Bellmore Sally is the greyhound to beat.
Can Newcastle’s Away Team Score Again?
The youngest runner in the final, Bellmore Sally has only recently been stepped up to six and eight-bend racing. She has had a remarkable 14 solo trials during her relatively short career.
Nevertheless, she improved significantly on her first-round effort to clock the fastest time of the competition when scoring easily last weekend.
Just a few weeks after Angela Harrison’s Coolavanny Aunty struck for Newcastle in the Essex Vase final, bookmakers rate the chances of Bellmore Sally claiming a second major victory for the northeast track at 9/4.
Pint-sized Piercestown Dove is a third unbeaten Golden Jacket finalist. The trap-2 runner represents Hove trainer Derek Knight. He has won the Golden Jacket five times in the past. The first occasion was 1984 at a time when the competition was still staged at Harringay.
Given Piercestown Dove is yet to find a clear passage but has won all four of her starts at Crayford, the industry top-price of 4/1, found at our Betfred review, will appeal to many.
Red Jacketed Lava Could Be Red Hot
From a draw perspective, Antigua Lava has fared well. The Mark Wallis trained greyhound is the only true railer in the line-up and should make the most of her slot in lane-1. However, she is yet to win at Crayford, and naysayers have regularly questioned her honesty.
Similarly, wide-running Burgess Hannah wears the striped vest of trap-6. Lightly raced, she will attempt to become the first locally-trained winner since Walk The Line in 2007.
Burgess Hannah is a dismissive 20/1 in the Paddy Power sportsbook. The price should not discourage value seekers as 2021 Golden Jacket winner, Punk Rock Mutley, started at 33/1.
Verdict…
Warzone Tom has a brilliant strike rate and loves Crayford. But with no advantage on heat and semi-final times, he will have to be foot-perfect at the start.
Piercestown Dove is poorly housed in trap-2 and is sure to be well adrift in the early stages. Resultantly Bellmore Sally is the best proposition at the current prices.
Of the bigger-priced runners, Antigua Lava will surely finish amongst the tricast spots. She could easily sneak a forecast place and if her rivals have a coming together, her love of the inside fence could see her snatch the race.
How and Where to Watch the Golden Jacket
The Premier Greyhound Racing Golden Jacket final is due off at 12.24 pm. It is the highlight of a morning/afternoon card that contains five finals.
The action will be broadcast live on Sky TV’s SportyStuff channel and via live streams found at the best greyhound betting sites.
