Dunham Merlin’s magic is not enough to win at Nottingham
A little bit of magic can go a long way in a 500m greyhound race. There are often times when a racer who is at the rear of the pack somehow takes the lead and goes on to win the race;
it’s almost as if the dog had cast a spell on the competition. But sometimes the opposite happens, and the magic either doesn’t happen at all, or backfires miserably. That’s what happened in the A7 race that began an exciting day of racing at Nottingham Greyhound
Stadium.
Dunham Merlin, the 5-4 favourite, was supposed to be the wizard of first place, but was bested by Salacres Lesolle, one of four dogs who carried 9-2 odds into this race. Salacres Lesolle
always led from trap five, and cruised to a big victory in 31.60 seconds.
Pennys Scorpio (9-2) was running a decent race until he crowded halfway. This resulted in him finishing eight lengths out of the top spot in 32.24 to place second. Favourite Dunham Merlin
baulked second en route to a third-place finish. He checked in with a time of 32.40 that was two lengths behind Pennys Scorpio.
Missing out on a top-three finish by 1½ lengths was Blue China Mike (9-2), who crowded first to finish the race in 32.52. Fifth place went to Beechwood Pirate (3-1), who also crowded first.
His 32.58 finish placed him ¾ lengths behind fourth place. Gentstown Pepper (9-2) finished last in 32.68 after she crowded first. She was 1¼ lengths behind Beechwood Pirate.
Next on the card was an A3 race that featured joint 5-2 favourites in La Barola and The Other Nikki. Neither dog lived up to their billing, though, as they both finished outside the top
three. Hanley Return (3-1) was this race’s winner, leading near the line to complete the race in 31.39.
Single Ladys, the 9-2 long shot, was only a ½ length behind Hanley Return with her 31.43 finish to lock up second place. Third place was claimed by Satnav (4-1), who led from fourth to
finish in 31.53. He was 1 ¼ lengths out of second place.
La Barola, one of the pre-race favourites, missed out on third place by only a head’s length. He led to fourth, and ran to a 31.54 finish. The fifth spot went to Gowlane Bluebell (5-1),
who crowded second to finish in 31.60, ¾ lengths behind La Barola. The Other Nikki finished in last place, despite a clear run. Her 31.64 finish was a ½ length behind fifth place.
Dunham Merlin’s magic may not have worked today, but he will have a chance to redeem himself on Friday 24 September, when the racing resumes at Nottingham Greyhound Stadium. The first
race of the evening is slated to begin at 18:28.
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