No matter what distance you are running, you have to respect Eds Budby. Ok, so I know that he is a better 660 yard greyhound that he is in sprints, but trust me when I say that over either distance, he is special.
Eds Budby is having a great year here at the Orange Park Kennel Club and it all started out with this impressive run thru this year's Orange Park Derby.
Winning three of the four qualifying rounds, and finishing second in another, Budby was the leader in points for the Derby heading into the finals , but still was not the favorite at post time. Boy did he get his point across in the finals though. There he broke close to the lead and then proceeded to drive off the lure from the field as he crossed the finish line nine lengths clear of the competition in a speedy 37.38 second clocking.
He won a couple more races at the distance before moving to sprints right before the Jacksonville Sprint Classic. In his warm up race at 550 he demolished a field and posted up a quick 30.39 second run in his 4 length victory. The cards were not in his favor in the stakes though as he closed well late, but was too far behind early on to make it past the quarter finals.
No issues for him though as he jumped right back to 660, and right back to winning. Putting on a show and proving that his stakes title was no fluke, Budby ran sixteen races in a row in the trifecta, including ten victories, with win streaks of five and four races in a row.
Next he took a much deserved rest over the month of July and came back on a mission. This time around he was ready for the sprint stakes and was going to leave his mark on it.
Winning the first round in box to wire fashion, Budby had come to run and with a pair seconds and a third place finish in his next three rounds, he easily found a spot into the finals. Against this talented field, Budby had a ton of hurdles to overcome to be effective. He loves the rail, he drew the 8 box. He has good late speed, he was in with some big time breakers and rushers. So most counted him out, but Budby believed in himself. From the outside he broke well, rushed to the rail and gave a came chase all the way to the wire for a second place effort just one length off of the winner.
Finally he had proven that he can be a threat at either distance and with that being said, he moved right back to his best distance at the racetrack, 660 yards, and since he has been undefeated.
In four starts over the route, Budby has been untouched and unchallenged. He has rushed close early and really has raced off alone to win those starts. During this span he has won by an average margin of six lengths.
His biggest statement came two races back where he had to run against Kiowa Trent Tam , who was riding high on a four race win streak, and he not only won, he won by eight and a half lengths.
No more stakes opportunities left for the big dog this year at either distance but I'm sure he is going to keep on trucking over the added course and preparing himself for the 2011 Orange Park Derby which starts in late January.
For the year he has a record of 49/24-8-5-3, and has only finished out of the money on nine occasions. His stakes starts are even better with a record of 12/5-4-1-1. Against the best the racetrack had to offer up, he has finished out of the money only once.
So join with me and congratulate kennel owner, greyhound owner, and trainer, Mike Crowe for all of his efforts and the continued success of this tremendous greyhound.
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