Dunstall Park racing manager Martin Seal is looking forward to Good Friday’s semi-finals of both the Arena Racing Company Laurels and Arena Racing Company Dunstall Dash – and believes both events are wide open.

And while greyhound racing’s newest venue is breaking new ground again by becoming the new home of the Laurels, Seal himself oversaw many years of the famous event at its former home at Perry Barr, where he was also in the RM’s hotseat, and says this year’s event is shaping up as well as its predecessors.

“We had some cracking efforts and obviously Droopys Aladdin took most of the plaudits, even though I suppose he rode his luck somewhat early on,” said Seal in respect of a crunch heat in which Mike Burton’s Winter Derby runner-up came through a clash with one of his main rivals for ante-post favouritism in Romeo Steel despite just missing the kick before pacing up superbly to lead off the second bend.

“That looked – and was – a real tough first round heat on paper,” said Seal, “and, while you had to feel sorry for the others to have drawn that heat, the purists will have been happy to see both Droopys Aladdin and Romeo Steel progress and they have missed each other in the semi-finals.”

Saturday’s heats of the Arena Racing Laurels were won respectively by Jimmy Fenwick’s Elusivenomore (28.39sec -10), Kevin Hutton’s Droopys Doris (28.27sec -20), Craig Morris’s Droopys Trade (28.46sec -20), Nathan Hunt’s Sams Magic (28.66sec -20), Droopys Aladdin (28.27sec -20) and Maxine Locke’s Ballymac Blanco (28.37sec -20).

And, of those, Seal added: “Your eye is drawn to Aladdin, but there were some good other wins. Droopys Doris caught my eye for Kevin (Hutton). She was unlucky to go out of the (Premier Greyhound Racing) Oaks at the second round stage but came back on final night and won in a fast time. Elusivenomore also looked to be coming back to his best for Jimmy (Fenwick).”

Six Arc Laurels heats were staged alongside six heats of the Arc Dunstall Dash, a brand new Category Two event, in which Michelle Brown’s Roanna Mamba posted the fastest clock with a 15.72sec (-10) return for the 270m trip.

Three semi-finals of the Dunstall Dash will now take place alongside three semi-finals of the Arc Laurels this Good Friday at Wolverhampton Racecourse. The finals of both take place on Saturday, April 11.

Trap draw for the Arena Racing Laurels semis:-

First semi: 1 Droopys Aladdin, 2 Ballymac Blanco, 3 Droopys Doris, 4 Elusivenomore, 5 Droopys Dettori (w), 6 Longacres Daddy (w).

Second semi: 1 Romeo Steel, 2 Ollie The Ox, 3 Droopys Trade, 4 Slingshot Gazza (m), 5 Rolo Rosie (w), 6 Ballymac Dave (w).

Third semi: 1 Sams Magic, 2 Signet Bucko, 3 No Better Feelin, 3 Toddys Wolf (m), 4 Laughil Larry (w), 6 Gothic Joshua (w).