Ready! Set! Go! This weekend at the Orange Park Kennel Club we’ve got top grade races over all 3 distances for your viewing and wagering pleasure. That’s right, 550, 660 and 770 yard events all at the top level of competition.

Friday evening might be a DQ Williams fest as he has 3 winners last time out competing in the 4 top grade events on the card. Oh and did I mention that he has the one box in the other race? Things look good for them but they still have to win the races.

On Saturday evening, speed is the key to success as some of the top greyhounds over 550 and 660 yards will be competing on the front end for the wins. Big names are here, let’s see how they response once again.

Off and going in the 7th race Hallo Triple A is back. This greyhound took a month off and the rest has done him well. He was a talent before and with fresh legs he is even a bigger threat here at the Orange Park Kennel Club. This race won’t be a cakewalk for him though as there are several good early speed greyhounds to contend with. His advantage is that he has a bit more in the tank coming home. Winning a thriller in his return, you might even get him at a bit of a price. La’s Kennedy was the slowest of the 3 brothers that broke in but you couldn’t tell that in his last effort. He hit the lid and was off to the races. He held tough throughout on top and maintained at the wire for his first ever grade A win. What a time to run your career best effort! Tonight it’s another good inside post and if he breaks it might just be a repeat performance. Topaz Hanna is all about the early speed tonight and with the one box this little girl has an outside shot at the victory too. Everything is going good for her in this effort. She is posted well in the 1 box; she has the early speed to get the lead and might get some help behind her as everyone is going to be there at the turn. All she needs to do is get out to the lead in this race and she should be a factor at the finish line. Drawback? She is the shortest of the competitors vying for the win tonight. If they get to her before the stretch, she will have a hard time posting up a win. Ctw Rhinestone is a good closer that will be coming on strong in the second half of this effort. Granted she has not won a race over her last 6 efforts, but she has been a threat in each and every one of them. She has not missed the superfecta in 6 races in a row and those efforts have come from a wide variety of post positions. All she needs is a clean trip and she might just surprise them all at the finish line tonight.

On to race ten where La’s Anthony is making daddy proud. This greyhound out of Dustin The Way is running just like dear old dad as of late. His late effort was his career best and it came in a near box to wire romp. He has really matured well and has finished in the trifecta in 5 of his last 6 races, including 3 winning efforts. This greyhound has a bright future ahead of him and the upcoming JGR Puppy Stakes too. Veteran Kiowa Wild Boy must be considered a threat too in this effort, but the one box might just be his demise. This greyhound is wide, wide and then wide and breaking from the one, he is going to have to get out in a hurry. He did finish second to Anthony in his last effort from this same post. History could repeat itself again tonight. Sugar Shadow has been the model of consistency as of late. How about 6 efforts in a row in the quinieal? Yep, that’s right, and she even won two of those races from the outside part of the racetrack. In this effort she returns outside and it should get her right back into the thick of things again. Maybe not the winner here, but she should be a good play in the money in this race tonight. Casual Country might just be getting back to grade A but he has the talent to compete at this level of competition. With him it’s all about the break. If he is going to be effective he is going to have to get out of the starting box in a hurry tonight. Working for him is the post position. He will be away from the crowd here in the 8 box and that might just get him loose on the lead. If he does make the front he has the talent to take it to the house. Can’t forget about him in this effort.

In the 11th race the best greyhound at the track, well arguably the best, Kiowa Wish Frank will take on all comers. If Frank wants to run, this is his race to win and trust me from the 3 box he is going to want to go. He has early and late gears and can win any race from any position on the racetrack. This greyhound is multi-talented and just keeps getting better with each and every start. Since returning from the World Classic, Frank has not missed the board. More of that tonight as he returns to the winner circle in this effort. Making the case of the DQ Williams Kennel is the cagey veteran, Mindless. This greyhound knows how to win race and from the one box, everyone better watch out. She has won over 90 races in her career and has plenty of run left in those 4 year old legs. She has a great rush to the turn and can come from off the pace on occasion. If she steals a lead tonight, she might just upset them all at the finish line. Another speed demon here is Where’s Soft Cry. The break will be critical for her in this effort. She doesn’t run too well from behind and will need to be in the hunt for the lead early on if she is going to factor in the outcome of this race. She has been in the quinieal in 4 of her last 6 races, including a pair of winning efforts. Look for her early and often, as she hangs around to the stretch for a spot in the money at the wire. Sol Gal is a big time closer and will be picking them up and putting them down in a hurry in the stretch. She would most likely be better suited for the inside post positions, but will do her best from the outside in this effort. She has all the skills to win away this race in the stretch, but she is going to have to want it early on. More realistically she should be running down the also rans in the stretch for a spot under on your tickets at the finish line.

Capping off the evening is a big time match up over the 770 yard course. This race just might be a highlight for what is to come in the $30,000 James J Patton Marathon Stakes which starts in June. Talk about a loaded field of greyhounds. How about some name dropping? Let’s start out with Penny Candy this little girl can do it all and has taken to the longer, longer course like peanut butter to jelly. She has only run one race at 770 but she just won that effort and beat out the track record holder in the process. Tonight if she wants to win again, she will have to do the same thing. You see Gil’s Cuero is also in this field and even though his 660 races don’t look that great as of late, this is not a 660 yard race. This greyhound is a machine at 770 yards and will show up again in this effort. I don’t care about the post, I don’t care about the lines, all I care about is the record. In 18 career races he has only missed the money ONCE! Oh and did I mention that he has won 12 of those efforts? I did now! Beaten by a nose last time out, revenge might be on his mind tonight. Kiowa Pretence was made to run this distance. This greyhound is the best closer at the racetrack and all he does is keep coming and coming and coming and coming and coming after the leaders late in race. It doesn’t matter how far the race is, his style remains the same. If there is anyone in this field that might have a chance to ruin the solid quinieal tonight, then Kiowa Pretence is his name. Uss Contender was just off in third in his last race at 770 to the dynamic duo and if he can get around cleanly he too could have a shot at the money tonight. He has good closing speed and that translates well to the added, added distance course. Granted he would much rather be outside tonight, but will have to make the most of the 2 box in this effort. Look for him to factor again in this effort tonight.

Now on to Saturday where Ask Jaime has everything going for her in the 7th race on the card. Even though she likes to race on the rail and draws the 8 box, she will get a clean run to the turn and a shot at the rail as she moves toward the inside. All she has to do is be clear in this race and it is hers to lose. She has tremendous gears and can shift them at will. She can beat you on the lead or from off the pace and that alone should be a worrying point for the rest of this field tonight. With a bit of a cheaper race that she has been competing against, she shines brightest in this effort. Hanks Thinker is the only other solid grade A greyhound in this field and he looks to keep the mojo going strong in this effort. He is hot a big time flashy guy like his brother, Take It Over, but he is a greyhound that keeps on making money for his kennel. He has performed well from the outside and the inside posts and should be right at home here in the 7 box. Here he might be a bit hard pressed to win this effort, but expect for him to factor throughout in the top 4 positions. Mrl Runner is moving back to grade A just recently but don’t let that fool you. This greyhound can go toe to toe with the big boys and girls and will do so once again in this effort. He has not aversion to the middle boxes as he has draw them in his last 3 races in a row and has finished in the trifecta in all three trips. His last time out from the 4 box was a near box to wire win! More of the same tonight? Could be, maybe, just might be! Head Coach gets the post advantage that will take him far at the finish line tonight. He loves to race outside and the 6 box is close enough for him to be effective. Don’t let that grade D race showing fool you, this greyhound can run with the elite and tonight he will prove it again. Besides you have to at least respect the litter. His sister Sign And Drive just won the $30,000 Jacksonville Sprint Classic. With 3 wins and 5 superfecta finishes in his last 6 races, he must be considered a threat tonight in this race.

Speaking of Sign And Drive, she shows up here in the 11th race on the card and looks to keep the metal to the medal. This greyhound has just exploded onto the scene and is showing no signs of slowing down at all. Since winning the stakes race, she has posted up 4 wins in 6 efforts, including her last 2 races in a row. She is all about speed from the box and to the turn, so the break will play another big role in the outcome of this race tonight. All she has to do is get to the turn on top! No problem for her in this effort. She is the best speed and will prove tenacious on top again for the hat trick. Flying King was trying to chase down Drive in their last race, but it was just a little too late for him to get to her before the finish line. This young greyhound has really improved over the last month and is starting to show signs of becoming a great greyhound on our circuit. He has learned to run without the lead and has used his late speed to get back into contention in races that he had been out of previously. With 5 races in a row in the trifecta and 2 wins, including a career best 10 length romp in 30.33 seconds, he is making a case for the upset tonight. Gs Dallas has been riding high as of late too. He hasn’t missed the superfecta in 6 races in a row and he too has won a couple of efforts in the process. What is even more impressive is that he has won those races from the same boxes that he has in this effort, the middle ones. He has a solid rush to the turn and has enough left late to get up near the wire to contend. I know he is moving up in class in this effort, so we will have to see if he is ready for the big time pressure. Kiowa Wish Grant might not be FRANK, but he has enough skills of his own to win grade A races on the Jacksonville Racing Circuit. Plus tonight he gets the one box! All the greyhounds in his little like running from the rail and the red blanket is definitely a plus in this race. Grant can run hot and cold at time and runs much better when he is close to the leaders in the early stages. To insure a big effort here he is going to have to break with the big names if he wants his piece of the pie at the finish line.

Now on to our 660 yard affair over the weekend. The 15th and final race on the card for Saturday features one of the rising starts over this distance. Hobo Dan has really taken to the longer courses and even though he can be short on occasion, he has been running strong with the lead as of late. He has won 3 of his last 6 races and has been in the superfecta in 14 races in a row. The only drawback for him here is the post position. He would rather be inside, but can give it a strong go from the outside too. If he breaks likes he is suppose to, the post really won’t matter that much to him as he will be in the lead and able to get to where he wants to be on the racetrack. Clearly he is the one to beat in this effort. Ptl Leona is surging back into the top grade after a run of very competitive races in the lower two grades. Forget what you see. When this greyhound is on, she has competed in and won races at the grade A level of competition. This is no new thing for her and she should jump right back into the mix with no problems in this race, especially from the 2 box. She loves the rail and might just find a way to win back to back races tonight. Kelsos Top Dog is a huge closer that can come from last and gobble up everyone before the finish line in any race that he is entered into. His drawback is his consistency. If he wants to run, watch out, but if he doesn’t then he will just find a spot in the money before the line. Who knows what he is going to do in this effort from the tough 5 box, but you can never forget about him just in case he wants to outrun everyone in the stretch for the win. Uss Argentina has been competitive as of late over 660 yards and even though she is a bit short at the end of the race, she has been holding on for some money at the finish line. Tonight she is posted well on the inside and should be able to hang with the leaders long enough to find the cash positions once again at the finish line. It’s going to be all about the break in this effort for her. If she comes out fast, she has a shot, if not, well you know the rest.