The action at Hove on Saturday offered a plethora of noteworthy performances, making it challenging to pinpoint where to begin. Was it the nearly record-breaking sprint by the seasoned Signet Goofy in race no.85, missing the fastest sprint of the year by just half a length? Or perhaps the remarkable '695' run in six years by Garfiney Blaze (41.12)? Maybe it was the swift 28.91 run by Droopys Pivotel, an August pup, over the 500m course? However, the standout moment undoubtedly belongs to Queen Joni, who set a sensational 500m track record of 28.81, securing her 19th victory in 25 races (76%).
Although the MWD Partnership didn't have much luck on Saturday, they redeemed themselves with a Sunday double, including Coonough Crow's fastest heat victory (45.04) in the Kent St.Leger, who has demonstrated four wins in her last six races over the course and distance, with a personal best of 44.83.
While recent attention at Towcester has been on trap issues, the consistently well-kept surface has flown under the radar. Sunday saw four sub-29 runs, the quickest by Juvenile winner Faypoint Harvey in 28.85. It begs the question: when will the 28.50 barrier be surpassed?
Sister track Suffolk Downs didn't host any opens this week, with the fastest 388m run shared at 23.77. This absence provided an opportunity to highlight Bodell Frankie's impressive sprint performance. At almost five years old, in her 138th career appearance, the homebred dog, initially starting in A9 at Henlow, secured her fourth win in her last seven races, setting a new personal best.
With three Category One finals under her belt, expectations were high for Droopys Eunice on her debut in the six-bend event. She didn't disappoint, dominating with a ten-length victory in a 35.31 run over 575m at Romford on Friday night.
Another standout performer is Droopys Latest, who last week earned the Harlow nomination with an A1 win in 26.44. Stepping up his game, he clocked a 26.11 run, albeit on +40 going, and improved his own FOY clock for the 415m by two spots.
Oxford's selection this week deviates from the usual weekend open race fixtures, thanks to Savana Soda's impressive win by four and a half lengths earlier in the week, clocking 26.70 in A2. This marks three consecutive victories for Nick Deas' greyhound.
Yarmouth saw only one sub-28.00 run this week, with Droopys Prymtime narrowly making the cut. Hence, attention shifted to six bends, where Irene Barnard's Droopys Oaklynn secured victory in the £500 Cat 3 decider. Despite running over different distances, she has remained in the frame in her last five races.
In the North East, Angela Harrison's Droopys Niece claimed the title of the quickest over the Newcastle 480 meters this week. After a brief 'ordinary' spell, the strong-finishing greyhound set a new personal best of 28.57, dominating an A2 field by almost seven lengths.
At Sunderland, Witton Survivor, locally bred with a PB of 26.89, showcased a return to form with two wins in three races, most recently clocking 27.34 in A2.
Completing the North East circuit is youngster Dorotas Diamond, who secured victory at Pelaw Grange with the quickest run for the standard, clocking 26.01.
Kinsley saw Lynnway Touch dominate the A2, marking her fifth win in her last six outings under the training of Illijan Zivkovic.
Acomb Irene, starting her career in D2 graded company at Kinsley, secured her 22nd career win with a 28.52 run for Sheffield's 500m. However, the spotlight shines on Untold Taka, winning in 27.60 for the 480m, as Carol Weatherall's blue is primarily a 'short end' stayer gearing up for the forthcoming Three Steps To Victory.
Nottingham staged three opens, but the spotlight was on the B1 featuring local stars Bitumen and Sambar Kian. However, Peter Holland's Velvet Madrid stole the show with a near four-length success in the fastest time of the year, 28.41.
Swindon's Thursday night card featured several noteworthy performances, including Eze's 27.95 run and Alright Patricia's six-bend win in 41.47. Most significantly, Alright Gordy set a new 896m track record.
Doncaster's lineup included three consecutive A1s on Saturday, with Ballymac Levi (29.73), Brick Baron (29.82), and Agile Annie (29.53) showcasing their prowess.
Monmore impressed with a series of sub-28.40 runs, with Bang On Polly securing the quickest time of 28.34 in the A3 category.
In the Midlands at Perry Barr, Mt Heaton Boyo held the fastest calculated time of the week with a 28.42 run over 480m. However, puppy Ballymac Bingley stole the spotlight with a three-length A2 victory in 28.37, potentially boosting his confidence after consecutive setbacks.
Lastly, Mystical Mango completed last week's 'heat and final' mission at Valley with a 15.97 run, gearing up for the 460.
Atomic Crimes continued to defy expectations, securing his third consecutive win at Sunderland at odds of 5/1, leaving punters scratching their heads. Trainer Collett might just be in line for a bookies' award with Crimes' consistent victories.