The Golden Crest takes place at Poole tonight and will be shown on the BAGS. The race, Poole's biggest of the year, is due off at 20:24. The latest betting is available here.

Speed Figs

T3 - Black Taxi 100
T1 - Cagey Jeff 99
T2 - Yahoo Commander 96+
T6 - Keady Rave 91
T4 - Love Mac 87+
T5 - Bonville Podge 83

Last Year's Romford Golden Sprint winner Black Taxi heads the ratings but its a tight affair with the top three all within half a length of each other on the figures.

Its a tricky looking contest with all the finalists railers and there could well be trouble. Cagey Jeff is the most likely leader and being in the red jacket he's best placed to make his way home trouble free. If pushed he'd be my selection but this is another no bet race for me.

Mark Wallis' Centaur Decree provided yet another Arc success for Walthamstow based handlers on Tuesday night. The son of American sire Kiowa Sweet Trey got a great start and with a little scrimmaging on the inside he was away and gone to land connections the sponsors cash. A video of the race can be viewed here.

The winner will now be aimed at the Derby, probably after an outing in the Trainers Championship.

Not a great competititon for me with the ante-post selection, another Wallis inmate Seanis Strike, going out in the first round and no bet identified in the final.

The final of the Arc takes place at Walthamstow tomorrow night, coverage of what looks a excellent card starts on Sky Sports 2 at 7:30 p.m.

Speed Figs

T1 - Milldean Flash 100
T2 - Blonde Jeannie 97
T6 - Centaur Decree 74
T5 - Kilkenny Lonjack 63
T4 - Arthurs Joy 61
T3 - Swhimasdylan 47

Milldean Flash is just ahead of Oaks winner Blonde Jeannie on the ratings and thats the way the bookies see it going 13/8 and 7/4 respectively.

I think Blonde Jeannie could well lead up but Seamus Cahill's dog proved in the semi's that he can do it from behind and it should be a hell of a battle between the two. Mark Wallis' well drawn Centaur Decree will be ready to pounce if there's trouble on the inside.

It should be a cracking contest but overall I think this is a race where its difficult to find an edge and it looks one to savour rather than bet on.

Well done to connections of Shelbourne Merc for landing the Golden Jacket. The Brian Clemenson trained bitch was always up with the pace and led from the second bend to pick up the very nice prize.

Praise also goes to Johnny Moyles for tipping this one up on the Bantiss Greyhounds Blog.

The Skydogs antepost selection Rough Rose ran well finishing second for a nice profit and the suggested lay of favourite Swift Jade also paid off.

The final of the Golden Jacket is at Crayford on the BAGS today, the race is due off at 13:11. The each way ante-post selection Rough Rose (rec. at 33/1) goes from trap 5 and I'm hopeful she'll make the first four.

Speed Figs

T2 - Barnfield Brooke 100
T6 - Shelbourne Merc 61
T5 - Rough Rose 51
T4 - Tipp The Breeze 50+
T1 - Charlies Dream 36+
T3 - Swift Jade 36+

Barnfield Brooke is clear on the ratings and has strong claims. Paul Philpott's bitch broke the track record at Coventry when taking the Tom Fruit St Ledger and is very tempting at the 11/4 put up by Skybet. The draw puts me off though with four railers in the race around this tricky venue and there could well be trouble on the inside. Next best on the figures is Shelbourne Merc who was tipped up on Johnny Moyles' excellent blog earlier in the week. She's the best drawn hound in the race and is likely to get the lead, at 4/1 I couldn't put anyone off.

One dog I don't particularly fancy is the favourite Swift Jade. She beat Barnfield Brooke in a messy semi final but even at her very best I would rate her behind both the top two. I'd be quite prepared to take her on at the 5/2 being offered.

In conclusion a tricky race in prospect, I'll probably try and lay Swift Jade on Betfair and if I get chance I might wander down to my local Ladbrokes and have a small reverse forecast on Barnfield Brooke and Shelbourne Merc ... whilst keeping an eye on Rough Rose.

Good Luck.

The final of the Arc is live on Sky on Tuesday night, the draw is as below.

There's a fine supporting card featuring Spiridon Louis against Bubbly Kate in the marathon and Hotdog Jack taking on Kildare Lark in the hurdle.

TUESDAY 26TH FEBRUARY
21.45 LADBROKES.COM ARC FINAL

1 MILLDEAN FLASH
2 BLONDE JEANNIE
3 SWHIMASDYLAN
4 ARTHURS JOY(M)
5 KILKENNY LONJACK(W)
6 CENTAUR DECREE(W)

All credit to Ladbrokes for the prizemoney on offer for the final, £15000 in total, but to me the distribution of the money in these big races could be fairer. First past the post scoops £13000 of the pot with £1000 for the runner up, £500 for third and £250 for the remainder. All these dogs have had to contest two qualifying rounds and the owners will have no doubt had to cover travelling expenses etc. Its nice if you land the big prize but it takes six dogs to make a race and I think the money could be better divided up than it is now.

Rant over, the latest betting is available here, I'll post a preview of the race before Tuesday.

The Arc continues on Thursday night at Walthamstow, the trap draw is as below -

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 21
WALTHAMSTOW

1ST SEMI

1 BOWER TURBO
2 MILLDEAN FLASH
3 ERINACEOUS RAPID (M)
4 ATHURS JOY (M)
5 CENTAUR DECREE (W)
6 FLYING JACK (W)

2ND SEMI

1 SWHIMASDYLAN
2 RONNIES EARNER
3 BLONDE JEANNIE
4 MUSTANG GARCIA (M)
5 COBRA STRIKING (W)
6 KILKENNY LONJACK (W)

The latest betting is available here.

The Golden Jacket reaches its finale at Crayford on Saturday morning. The ante-post selection Rough Rose (adv. at 33/1) has made the final six and is now a best priced 8/1.

I'll try and do a full preview before Saturday but in the meantime here's the draw -

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 23
CRAYFORD

714M LADBROKE GOLDEN JACKET FINAL

1 CHARLIES DREAM
2 BARNFIELD BROOKE
3 SWIFT JADE
4 TIPP THE BREEZE
5 ROUGH ROSE (W)
6 SHELBOURNE MERC (W)

The latest betting is available here.

If you want to contact me regarding the blog please email me at -

skydogs@blueyonder.co.uk

The Golden Jacket continues on Saturday morning with the action being covered live in the betting shops.

The ante-post tip Rough Rose has been given a decent draw in the second semi and I fancy her to progress. The first three in the market, Barnfield Brooke, Big Brett Coal and Swift Jade have all been drawn in a very hot looking first qualifier due off at 11.23.

Trap Draw -

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 16
CRAYFORD

11.23 714M THE 2008 LADBROKES GOLDEN JACKET - 1ST SEMI-FINAL

1 LISSYCASEY ROSE
2 BIG BRETT COAL
3 BARNFIELD BROOKE
4 SWIFT JADE
5 SHERRIES BOY
6 XAMAX DEB

12.08 714M THE 2008 LADBROKES GOLDEN JACKET - 2ND SEMI-FINAL

1TIPP THE BREEZE
2 SPANKEE MOVED
3 EYE ONTHE POWER
4 FLYING FUSILIER (W)
5 BUTTERBRIDGE ALI (W)
6 ROUGH ROSE (W)

12.57 714M THE 2008 LADBROKES GOLDEN JACKET - 3RD SEMI-FINAL

1 RHIAS BEAUTY
2 TUFTYS PEARLETTA
3 MABELS ABLE
4 CHARLIES DREAM
5 JULIES NEWBIE (W)
6 SHELBOURNE MERC (W)

The latest betting is available here.

The Ladbrokes.com Arc continues on Saturday with four second round heats. Unfortunately they go without the ante-post selection Seanis Strike who went out pretty tamely in the first round.

Mustang Garcia for the Sam Poots/Darren Keefe team was quickest of the qualifiers in a brisk 28.49 (calc), he now heads the market at 9/2.

Trap draw -

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 16
WALTHAMSTOW

20.11 475M THE LADBROKES.COM ARC - 2ND ROUND - HEAT 1

1 MILLDEAN FLASH
2 LIVELY ARTHUR
3 LEGAL MAJOR
4 VIPAR TOTTI (M)
5 ERINACEOUS RAPID (M)
6 FLYING JACK (W)

20.39 475M THE LADBROKES.COM ARC - 2ND ROUND - HEAT 2

1 SWHIMASDYLAN
2 WHERES YER MAN
3 FEAR BECKS
4 TREACLE ROSE
5 ARTHURS JOY (M)
6 KILKENNY LONJACK (W)

21.07 475M THE LADBROKES.COM ARC - 2ND ROUND - HEAT 3

1 HYPATIABLUE
2 BLONDE JEANNIE
3 JULIES PROTEGE
4 BLACK ICE BOSS
5 RONNIES EARNER
6 CENTAUR DECREE (W)

21.35 475M THE LADBROKES.COM ARC - 2ND ROUND - HEAT 4

1 BALLYMAC RITA
2 BOWER TURBO
3 WESTMEAD PRINCE
4 MILLDEAN BUSTER (M)
5 MUSTANG GARCIA (M)
6 COBRA STRIKING (W)

The latest betting is available here.

The ante-post selection Hotdog Jack ran a cracker last night winning the Springbok final.

Backed in to 1/2 on the night, Seamus Cahill's dog was pressed early by Beardys Harry but saw off that rival by the second bend and came home over two lengths clear of the staying on Quivers Punch.

The Springbok final takes place tomorrow night, live from Wimbledon on Sky Sports 3.

Speed Figs

T5 - Quivers Punch 100
T2 - Hotdog Jack 92
T6 - Beardys Harry 79
T4 - Billsdad Bill 72
T1 - Be All 65+
T3 - Mayfield Daz 45

Quivers Punch is a length clear on the speed figures and looks decent value at 7/2. Next best is Hotdog Jack and if he manages to trap better than in the semi's he can improve on his heat figure. The others look like they have it to do on the numbers.

Quivers Punch certainly appeals at the price but the make up of the race may not be in his favour. If Hotdog Jack traps then he'll almost certainly lead and that could be race over. Quivers Punch may also find trouble as I reckon the outside three dogs could arrive at the first bend together.

I couldn't back Hotdog Jack at the 4/5 now available but the fact that we're on at 6/1 opens up various scenarios. The one I'm going for is to back Quivers Punch as a saver. I had 12 points each way at 6's for a total investment of 24 points, to save that stake I'll try to get 6 points on Betfair at around 5.2. Betting this way gives us a profit if Hotdog Jack wins or Quivers Punch wins and Hotdog Jack places (2nd, 3rd or 4th). If neither dog wins but Hotdog Jack places then we break even. If Hotdog Jack finishes out of the first four and Quivers Punch doesn't win then there's a loss of 30 points on the event ... and if that happens I'll be very disappointed.

Despite saying I wouldn't be having a bet in the Golden Jacket I've been going through the entries again have decided to have a token bet on Rough Rose.

The ante-post favourite Droopys Nelson gives me the impression that he won't truly see out the 714 metre trip and Maria Dennis' bitch looks worth a punt against him at a decent price. She won a trail stake over the tricky course and distance staying on really well and is open to further improvement.

The selection goes in the first heat, against the aforementioned Droopys Nelson, with the race due off at 19:46.

The latest betting is available here.

Bet - 1 point each way Rough Rose at 33/1 (Stan James, Bet Direct)

The draw for the final of the Springbok has been made with the ante-post selection Hotdog Jack getting the blue jacket of trap 2. It’s a reasonable enough draw for Seamus Cahill's dog and if he traps better than in the semi's his ferocious early pace could see him take a decisive first bend lead.

The race is live on Sky on Tuesday with a good supporting card which includes greyhound of the year Spiridon Louis, hurdler of the year Kildare Lark and Charlie Lister's exciting youngster Ninja Jamie. I'll try and post a preview of the big race tomorrow night, in the meantime here's the draw -

21.45 460M HURDLES STAN JAMES SPRINGBOK FINAL

1 BE ALL
2 HOTDOG JACK
3 MAYFIELD DAZ
4 BILLSDAD BILL (M)
5 QUIVERS PUNCH (W)
6 BEARDYS HARRY (W)

The latest betting is available here

The Ladbrokes sponsored Golden Jacket, an event for stayers over 714 metres at Crayford, gets underway with six first round heats on Monday. The event will be screened live in the betting shops.

I have my doubts about the ante-post favourite Droopys Nelson fully staying this trip but try as I might I can't find anything to back against him so I won't be playing at this stage.

Trap draw as below -

MONDAY FEBRUARY 11
CRAYFORD

19.46 714M THE 2008 LADBROKES GOLDEN JACKET - HEAT 1

1 LISSYCASEY ROSE (O D KUERES, BVUE)
2 DELWOOD EMMA (G L DAVIDSON, CRYFD)
3 DROOPYS NELSON (D CHILDS, UNATT)
4 WALK THE LINE (M) (P J CUSACK, CRYFD)
5 BUTTERBRIDGE ALI (W) (M A WALLIS, WSTOW)
6 ROUGH ROSE (W) (M T DENNIS, UNATT)

20.02 714M THE 2008 LADBROKES GOLDEN JACKET - HEAT 2

1 TUFTYS PEARLETTA (A P TUFFIN, HNLOW)
2 BIG BRETT COAL (S A CAHILL, WSTOW)
3 WELL TUTORED (M J DARTNALL, READG)
4 LOCAL KNOWLEDGE (W) (P W YOUNG, ROMFD)
5 SHELBOURNE MERC (W) (B A CLEMENSON, HOVE)
6 PENNYS VIKTOR (W) (P R GARLAND, WSTOW)

20.18 714M THE 2008 LADBROKES GOLDEN JACKET - HEAT 3

1 TIPP THE BREEZE (M A WALLIS, WSTOW)
2 SPANKEE MOVED (H J DIMMOCK, PBRGH)
3 CUNNING KATE (P A THOMPSON, CRYFD)
4 SHELBOURNE MISS (M) (C DUGGAN, UNATT)
5 NEWTOWN SUSIE (W) (L S CRANFIELD, YRMTH)
6 JULIES NEWBIE (W) (G F SALLIS, STGBRN)

20.34 714M THE 2008 LADBROKES GOLDEN JACKET - HEAT 4

1 RAGE (B D O'SULLIVAN, CRYFD)
2 MABELS ABLE (K A DOUGAL, STGBRN)
3 WILCOS MATE (M A PETERSON, OXFRD)
4 RHIAS BEAUTY (M A WALLIS, WSTOW)
5 BUBBLY CASINO (W) (P W YOUNG, ROMFD)
6 DUBAI ADVENTURE (W) (J J COLEMAN, WSTOW)

21.06 714M THE 2008 LADBROKES GOLDEN JACKET - HEAT 5

1 EYE ONTHE POWER (M A WALLIS, WSTOW)
2 BARNFIELD BROOKE (P B PHILPOTT, UNATT)
3 SHERRIES BOY (A M P COLLETT, STGBRN)
4 STARDOME GIRL (M) (J T FOSTER, WDON)
5 SPARE THE AIR (W) (H J DIMMOCK, PBRGH)
6 BALLYCAHANE FOX (W) (M GRADY, STGBRN)

21.23 714M THE 2008 LADBROKES GOLDEN JACKET - HEAT 6

1 CHARLIES DREAM (O D KUERES, BVUE)
2 KEALLONS PRIDE (P A THOMPSON, CRYFD)
3 SWIFT JADE (D D PORTER, SWNDN)
4 FLYING FUSILIER (W) (H CHALKLEY, HNLOW)
5 GENESIS SISTER (W) (M A WALLIS, WSTOW)
6 MEENALA GEORGE (W) (G WEST (JNR), PORTS)

The Ladbrokes Arc kicks off on Tuesday night at the 'Stow and it looks a wide open renewal with the bookies going 12/1 the field.

One thing that leaps out when looking back at the history of this race is that all the winners over the last decade have been with trainers attached to the Chingford Road circuit. I don't have the stats on the entries for previous years but this time around the 'home' trained dogs make up less than half the field.

I'm going to hope that this particular trend continues and side with Mark Wallis' promising youngster Seanis Strike. This son of Australian superstar Go Wild Teddy was third in a hot race won by Derby favourite Ballymac Under when last seen just before Christmas. That was only his third UK start (he'd previously had three runs in Ireland) and he has bags of scope for improvement. He's not particularly well drawn in trap 5 for his heat but it looks a relatively weak affair and he can get his campaign off to a winning start.

Of the outsiders another Imperial Kennels inmate that warrants a mention is in form bitch Treacle Rose. She has plenty of decent form round Walthamstow and is at the top of her game after a seasonal rest, the 66/1 available looks a big price.

Bet - 7 points each way Seanis Strike at 12/1 (VC Bet, Hills)

The Ladbrokes Arc gets underway on Tuesday from Walthamstow. It looks a wide open contest but I'll be doing my best to find some ante-post value before the off.

The trap draw for the first round is as below -

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 12
WALTHAMSTOW

20.11 475M THE LADBROKES.COM ARC - 1ST ROUND - HEAT 1

1 LEGAL MAJOR (E A GASKIN, ROMFD)
2 SLICK SPIRIT (K R ALLSOP, UNATT)
3 MUSTANG GARCIA (M) (S POOTS, UNATT)
4 NOIRS TED (W) (S A CAHILL, WSTOW)
5 CENTAUR DECREE (W) (M A WALLIS, WSTOW)
6 DISCREET CAT (W) (M A WALLIS, WSTOW)

20.24 475M THE LADBROKES.COM ARC - 1ST ROUND - HEAT 2

1 BROADACRES ROB (E A GASKIN, ROMFD)
2 BLONDE JEANNIE (J G MULLINS, UNATT)
3 BOWER TURBO (R F YEATES, READG)
4 KILKENNY LONJACK (M) (S A CAHILL, WSTOW)
5 ROOSTER NOSEY (W) (S A CAHILL, WSTOW)
6 EYE ONTHE FORCE (W) (M A WALLIS, WSTOW)

20.36 475M THE LADBROKES.COM ARC - 1ST ROUND - HEAT 3

1 BLACK ICE BOSS (J W REYNOLDS, ROMFD)
2 SWHIMASDYLAN (E A GASKIN, ROMFD)
3 VIPAR TOTTI (M) (A J INGRAM, ROMFD)
4 MYSTICAL HAKA (M) (P R GARLAND, WSTOW)
5 SEANIS STRIKE (M) (M A WALLIS, WSTOW)
6 ISLAND STORM (W) (D MULLINS, ROMFD)

20.49 475M THE LADBROKES.COM ARC - 1ST ROUND - HEAT 4

1 WHERES YER MAN (P J RICH, WSTOW)
2 FEAR BECKS (S C WILLEY, UNATT)
3 JULIES PROTEGE (G L SHARP, WSTOW)
4 TONETTA BALBOA (R F YEATES, READG)
5 BARAN PEDRO (M) (S BAGGS, WSTOW)
6 ROMEO MARCO (M) (D P FIRMAGER, COVEN)

21.03 475M THE LADBROKES.COM ARC - 1ST ROUND - HEAT 5

1 DIRECTORS CHOICE (S A CAHILL, WSTOW)
2 RONNIES HUSTLE (K A MARLOW, HARLOW)
3 MILLDEAN BUSTER (M) (S A CAHILL, WSTOW)
4 ERINACEOUS RAPID (M) (E A GASKIN, ROMFD)
5 NOIRS DENIS (W) (S A CAHILL, WSTOW)
6 COBRA STRIKING (W) (E A GASKIN, ROMFD)

21.16 475M THE LADBROKES.COM ARC - 1ST ROUND - HEAT 6

1 PAGODA TARBERT (A J PEACOCK, WDON)
2 LIVELY ARTHUR (E MCNAIR, UNATT)
3 MILLDEAN FLASH (S A CAHILL, WSTOW)
4 ARTHURS JOY (M) (D CHILDS, UNATT)
5 BARNFIELD WOODY (M) (S POOTS, UNATT)
6 OPENING ARTIST (W) (B DOYLE, WDON)

21.29 475M THE LADBROKES.COM ARC - 1ST ROUND - HEAT 7

1 RONNIES EARNER (E A GASKIN, ROMFD)
2 HYPATIA BLUE (P R GARLAND, WSTOW)
3 BALLYMAC RITA (S BAGGS, WSTOW)
4 TOOSEY BLUE (W) (J G MULLINS, UNATT)
5 KINDRED SPARKY (W) (M PUZEY, WSTOW)
6 ROMEO MALDINI (W) (D P FIRMAGER, COVEN)

21.42 475M THE LADBROKES.COM ARC - 1ST ROUND - HEAT 8

1 WESTMEAD PRINCE (N SAVVA, HNLOW)
2 TREACLE ROSE (M A WALLIS, WSTOW)
3 STONE MOLE SPARK (M PUZEY, WSTOW)
4 SLICK STRIKER (K R ALLSOP, UNATT)
5 NIGHTSHADE (W) (C N CRONIN, UNATT)
6 FLYING JACK (W) (F W J GALLANT, MLDHL)

Ballymac Under continued his unbeaten run, he's now nine from nine, when winning the Racing Post Juvenile at Wimbledon on Tuesday.

Matt Dartnall's charge missed the break but he showed excellent back straight speed to chase down the early leaders Farloe Hurricane and Farloe Reason. The latter two are a pair of very decent hounds and 'Under' must be pretty special to pick them up.

Whether he warrants quotes of 6/1 for the Derby with sponsors Blue Square is another matter. I hope the dog goes on to be a superstar but if he does its likely he'll be doing so without any of my cash burdening him.

The draw for the semi finals of the Springbok has been made as below -

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 8
WIMBLEDON

1ST SEMI

1 LILYWHITE PADDY
2 HOTDOG JACK
3 BALLYGUIRY JOE (W)
4 RUSHEEN BOSS (W)
5 MOANING PACEY (W)
6 BEARDYS HARRY (W)

2ND SEMI

1 BE ALL
2 STRIDING EDGE
3 CEROC LAMBADA (M)
4 MAX OF ZORRO (M)
5 TULLLYMURRY ZULU (W)
6 QUIVERS PUNCH (W)

3RD SEMI

1 RAZLDAZL SHREK
2 MAYFIELD DAZ
3 ROANCARRIG VIEW
4 SWIFT TONY (M)
5 BILLSDAD BILL (M)
6 ALL CLUED UP (W)

The latest betting is available here.

There's a nice and rather poignant series of articles by Darrell Williams on the Betfair greyhound site about some of the tracks from days gone by, click here for a trip down memory lane.

The ante-post selection, Hotdog Jack, is safely through to the semi finals of the Springbok winning his heat in the fastest time of the night.

The bookies now have him at a best priced 7/4 ahead of his clash on Friday with deposed favourite for the event, Beardys Harry.

The Stan James Springbok, an event for novice hurdlers, gets underway with six first rounds heats at Wimbledon tonight.

With this being a novices event most of the dogs have little experience over the jumps but thankfully Wimbledon put on a series of trail stakes which gives us some course and distance form to go on.

Most impressive in the trails for me was Seamus Cahill's Hotdog Jack. This black son of Droopys Vieri ran an impressive 28.16 which was the quickest of the trials by some way and his early paced running style will be well suited to Wimbledon. At a best priced 6/1 with Corals he's the one they all have to beat. A couple of dogs at longer prices worth a second look are Razldazl Shrek (20/1 Bet365) and All Clued Up (20/1 generally available).

There is one other hound in the field I have to mention and that’s Reagrove Rooster. This ex Irish dog is now in the care of hurdles specialist Jason Foster and while he showed little when finishing fifth in his trail stakes a look back at his form over the water reveals a different story. His last run over hurdles in Ireland was in July last year at Kilkenny where he was a fast finishing second to Comans Joe. Comans Joe went on to win the Irish Grand National beating the likes of Kildare Lark and Tommy Bahama. Reagrove Rooster is widely available at 100/1 and based on his sole run over here that probably sums up his chances but if he recaptures his old Irish form he's a fair bit better than his price suggests and he has to be worth a small fun bet.

Bet - 12 points each way Hotdog Jack at 6/1

Profit and loss account for January 2008 -