Distance Greyhounds Prep for $50,000 Naples Ft. Myers Derby

Some of the best routers in Florida are gearing up for the $50,000 Naples Derby, to be held at Naples-Ft. Myers Greyhound Track in Bonita Springs, Florida. The likes of Derby Lane's Flying Bridgeport, Hallo Arouser, and Flying Midnite, Tri-State's Magic Penny Ante, Jacksonville's Gil's Lampasas, and hometown hero Greys Swing Gate are on the grounds right now and doing battle as they prep for the Naples Derby. However, with all these stars in the mix, vying for the Naples Derby crown which will be decided after elimination rounds pare the field down to the 8 finalists for the February 23rd championship, there is one dog perhaps being overlooked. That would be a greyhound with just a handful of outings under her belt- a blue streak of lightning named BT' Kruzin By U.

This puppy, born in May of 2006 out of Aimin By Design and Maegan's Gotgame, broke in at Naples in late December and right away showed a propensity for finishing strong over the 550 yard sprints. Kruzin By U drove up the Naples-Ft. Myers grading ladder to Grade A by coming from far back at the first turn and flying home down the stretch, advancing in 8 contests to the top level. She has yet to run a 660 yard 3/8ths of a mile race, but she has been entered in one and how she does will determine if her handlers enter her in the Naples Derby. If her late foot translates well into the longer yardage route, she could betrouble for the more established dogs competing for the top money.

Of those veterans, Flying Bridgeport, who hails from Derby Lane up the coast in St. Petersburg, is the biggest star. Expected to be named the winner of the 2007 Flashy Sir Award, the honor bestowed on the nation's best distance greyhound each year, he has been kenneled at Naples and getting used to the racing surface for a couple of weeks now, with a trio of dominating wins and a closing second in 4 tries. The soon-to-be All-American has run the fastest 3/8ths clocking of the young season at Naples, a 37.93 in a 10 length clobbering of his peers.

Flying Midnite, another Derby Lane stalwart, has been at Naples for 6 starts, garnering 3 wins in those efforts. Magic Penny Ante, the West Virginia oval's standout racer, is 4 for 5 at Naples, her only defeat at the paws of Midnite on January 16th, and that was by just a neck. Gil's Lampasas, a light brindle male that has called Orange Park in Jacksonville his home for the vast majority of his career, has arrived on the southwest Florida coast and after an easy 550 yard victory ran into trouble in his first 660 yard affair. His last place finish was most likely due to inexperience coming out of the 3/8ths box, as this can be a problem for even the most grizzled greyhounds their first time on the backside. Lampasas has the speed to be a factor in the Naples- Ft. Myers Derby hunt, as does Hallo Arouser, a WW Apple Jax prodigy that is not yet 2.

Of the dogs stationed at Naples, Greys Swing Gate is the most fearsome on the longer distances. This 3 year old female is in the midst of a 16 for 17 run, with 10 straight wins as of this writing, most of those over the 770 yard marathon. Swing Gate has the ability to go to the front or come from off the pace, and in her Naples-Ft. Myers career she has been triumphant in 46 of her 64 attempts. Swing Gate will be cheered on by the local railbirds as she tries to beat the invaders from the other venues, as will Pat C Shes Right. This greyhound comes out of the box like toothpaste from the tube but explodes down the backstretch and comes on late, although spotting that many lengths to the caliber of greyhound that will be trying for the winner's share of the $50,000 Naples Derby isn't the best strategy advisable.

Source:
http://www.naplesfortmyersdogs.com/home.cfm