Do You Believe In Magic?
By Michael D. Frino
The magical ride continues for Derby Lane’s Abernathy Kennel, as the 2014 All-American Husker Magic dominated the Derby Lane oval in March and April. It was less than three months ago that the “blonde” phenom won the National Championship in the BetAmerica Daytona 550. She was ranked second in this year’s initial United Greyhound Racing poll, and now sits atop the latest poll. The 69 lb. female won 11 of 13 races, and recorded five consecutive wins during the ranking period. Those 11 wins were more than any other of the fifty greyhounds that were nominated for this poll. In March, Husker Magic (Rhythmless-Casino Zada) added another accolade to her resume when she won the Derby Lane Sprint Classic. As of May 2nd, she had a 72 career wins. While it is still fairly early in the year, it sure looks like Magic will have the opportunity to defend her National Championship in Daytona Beach on January 23rd 2016. In the meantime, Jim and Kayruth Abernathy, and Husker Magic’s owners Terry and Lisa Haber, can enjoy the ride along the way.
The top three greyhounds in this poll were separated by just .07 points, which is the narrowest margin ever among the top three. Southland Park’s Mega Umberto and Pj Payingthebill secured the No. 2 and No. 3 rankings respectively. The 80 lb. black male Mega Umberto, out of Kiowa Mon Manny and Kiowa Cry Pike, won 7 of 10 races during the two month period. He turned 2 yrs. old in February, and soon after that, the youngster moved into Grade AA at Southland where he has been most impressive. The powerful greyhound has a strong rush to the turn, and usually grabs the lead early in the backstretch. Mega Umberto is owned by Jeff Blair, and runs for the David Blair Kennel.
PJ Payingthebill arguably is the best 3/8 distance dog in the country right now. He had been a steady performer on the backside, but has been red hot recently. After a respectable showing in the Hound Madness sprint stakes, Payingthebill returned to the 660 distance and reeled off a remarkable seven consecutive wins. The 84 lb. son of Craigie Whistler and Dove’s Lorena had 8 wins in 11 starts this period, and was undefeated in the month of April. PJ Payingthebill runs for, and is owned by the Plum Creek Kennel.
Wheeling Island’s AMF Sleekstrangr jumps from No. 24 in the last poll up to No. 4 in this poll. The Strangr has shown he can win on the front, but his forte is definitely a strong stretch run. He won 5 of 8 races in the poll period, and had five consecutive victories in a streak that started in late February. AMF Sleekstrangr’s father is Djays Octane, and his mother is Super C Alexis. Alexis was an excellent Wheeling performer. No wonder Sleekstrangr has met success at Wheeling Island for owner Tom Ferris.
Kiowa Cherry Sal (Kiowa Mon Manny-Kay Cherry Bomb) claims the No 5 ranking, giving Wheeling Island a second greyhound in the top ten. The 68 lb. female recorded 6 wins in 9 starts, and had a three race winning streak during that time. This is another greyhound that can win from on the lead or from behind. She has been extremely consistent, and has not lost two races in a row since January. Kiowa Cherry Sal runs for the Lester Raines Kennel, and owners Smith Greyhounds and Jack Sherck.
A greyhound that loves to go the distance route is Sprite Drive from Naples- Fort Myers. Sprite is ranked No 6 in this poll. The daughter of Soprano Drive and Rodeo Sassy was the undefeated Naples Marathon Stakes champion. She won all five rounds in impressive fashion, setting the season’s best time of 43.29. In the final, Sprite Drive used her lightning early speed to race to the front, and won the championship by a convincing six lengths. Prior to the marathon stakes, she ran in the Naples 3/8 Derby and made the finals. Despite being bumped early in that race, the 59 lb. female closed well and finished third. Sprite Drive won 7 of 11 races in the two month period, and had seven consecutive wins to her credit. She runs for the Oxbow Trow Kennel and owner Jim Rosga.
The No. 7 ranking in this poll goes to Counselor. The much heralded 79 lb. Counselor (Kiowa Mon Many-TNJ Kasa Kid) was purchased by Tom Ferris in the Spring 2014 auction for $43,000. He won 4 of 8 races in March and April, and won the Southland Park Hound Madness competing against some of the top greyhounds in the country. When Counselor avoids trouble, he is awfully tough to beat. He is a greyhound that possesses power and speed, and the innate ability to shift into another gear to drive effortlessly past his opponents. He will get a good shot at the 3/8 distance, as he was entered in the Southland’s 3/8 Derby in May. If he can handle the first turn, you can expect him to be in the mix for the Derby title. Can the marathon distance be up next for Counselor? With room to run on the backstretch, this could possibly be his best distance. Counselor runs for the Mike Harris Kennel.
Bluffs Runs’ KC Caydon, was lightly raced in this poll period, but still won a notable 5 races in his 7 starts. It was enough to garner the 77 lb. male standout the No. 8 ranking in this poll. He also won four consecutive races, in a streak that began in February. Caydon usually makes his move on the backstretch, and can close with a rush in his stretch drive. KC Caydon is out of the very popular sire, KC and All, and the dam KC Future. He races for the Bean & Stout Kennel, and is owned by Pat Hamilton and Jimmy King.
Rarely does the poll have three distance performers grace the top ten, but that is exactly the case in this poll. Mega Nerfetta, from Derby Lane, won the $80,000 Distance Classic, and is ranked No. 9. She won the Classic decisively, going box-to-wire in a fast 36.84 clocking. Nerfetta won two of the three preliminary rounds in the Classic, and finished second in the other round. What makes the black female so tough to beat, is that she breaks well, and therefore can win from any box. Her record in March and April showed 7 wins in 12 starts. Mega Nerfetta (Trent Lee-Starz Arcadia) is owned by Jeff Blair, and races for the Burk Greyhounds Kennel.
Irvin of Ruckus-at No. 10- gives Southland Park four greyhounds in the top ten. He is also the second offspring of the late Soprano Drive to appear in the top ten of this poll. Irvin is out of the dam, Tracy of Ruckus. He won 6 of 10 races on the West Memphis oval this poll period, and recorded five consecutive wins. He was also a semi-finalist in the Hound Madness. The versatile Irvin of Ruckus can win from off the pace or on the lead. He races for the Darren Henry Kennel, and is owned by Billie Jo Smart.
A look at the sires for the top ten greyhounds in the poll, finds Kiowa Mon Manny with three offspring and Soprano Drive with two. The popular sires Djays Octane and Kc And All again each place a son in the top ten.
One thing that stands out when looking at these greyhounds is the size of each. Two females-Husker Magic (69 lbs.) and Kiowa Chery Sal (68 lbs.) - are as big as many of the males they race against. Four of the males in the top eight of this poll weigh in at 80 lbs., 84 lbs., 79 lbs., and 77 lbs. Is bigger better? You can decide…but the 59 lb. marathon champ Sprite Drive says otherwise.
Five greyhounds have appeared in both the polls this year. Husker Magic has actually appeared in four straight polls, and Boc’s Hank Jr. (No 16) has appeared in three straight. Boc’s Hank Jr only had five starts this poll period, and the limited starts gave him little chance to obtain his usual top ten ranking. AMF Sleekstrangr was mentioned earlier, and the remaining two greyhounds to have back-to-back appearances are Need My Moneynow (No.11) and GS Flipper (No. 15). Another greyhound worth mentioning is RWC November (No 17). This is the third year that the 4 yr. old RWC November has been ranked in at least one of the UGR polls.
The purpose of the United Greyhound Racing Top 25 Poll is to recognize some of the top performing greyhounds at the various tracks around the country. Additionally, it hopes to create interest, discussion, and debate within the greyhound community.
How the Poll Works.
The UGR Top 25 Poll utilizes two score components plus bonus points/adjustments in three other categories to give each greyhound a final point total or score.
One score is derived from the greyhound’s individual ranking at their home track. It constitutes approximately two-thirds of the final point total. The rankings are done by poll members representing each of the tracks. The poll members rank the greyhounds they chose as the top five greyhounds presently running at their track. The greyhounds receive points depending on their ranking. The points are weighted according to Track’s Power Rating (TPR) designated by UGR. The TPR will be adjusted when necessary, as the competition level may change at some of the tracks during the year.
The second major component is derived from the UGR Rating Formula based on top grade win percentage, stakes race performance (first and second place), and consecutive wins. Points are again weighted depending on the track’s TPR, and also adjusted for the greyhounds that had limited starts. UGR understands the subjective components of the poll, and plans to tweak the ranking system when necessary to make the poll as fair as possible.
Ten major tracks were included in this poll, resulting in approximately fifty greyhounds receiving a final score. The greyhounds were evaluated based on their performances from March 1st through May 1st, 2015. Greyhounds not racing in the month of April were not eligible. Any accolades or records from a prior period were not considered in this poll.
