What it takes to win the Oaks

We head down memory lane and look at the tremendous duels between Forest Twilight and Domino Storm, who only crossed paths three times during their illustrious careers, but served up two of the most memorable races in recent greyhound history.

Only five months separated the pair at birth and they both kicked off their careers in graded company, yet that is where the similarities ended as the pair would take largely different paths.

Domino Storm was quick to make her mark during her opening year in 2014, from an 18 -month old pup she was quick to rise up the graded ladder at Yarmouth and confirm herself an open racer of some merit, her versatility evident with victories on home soil, as well as at Romford, Monmore & Towcester.

In stark contrast, Forest Twilight was only just embarking on her race career come the end of that same year. Following aluckless third on her competitive debut in A2 class at Swindon, she made no mistake second time up when readily outpointing her rivals at odds of 5/4, the last time the daughter of Ace Hi Rumble would line up in graded company, connections’ clearly having their sights set on bigger targets ahead.

In truth, 2015 would be the year the pair announced themselves as two of the leading bitches of their generation. Forest Twilight made an immediate impact up at open class level, again lightly campaigned, Hayley Keightley’s charge rattled off a tremendous seven-timer, culminating in success in the Lowther Stakes at Towcester, lowering Domino Storm’s track record in the process.

Operating from a plot draw on the rails, she made no mistake with Domino Storm, who was admittedly ill-served by the draw and unable to lay a glove on the former.

However, it wouldn’t be long before Domino Storm gained valuable compensation, Mark Wallis’ charge coming to the boil at just the right time to land the Oaks at Belle Vue in December from high-class Kennel-mate Evanta Evita. Forest Twilight taking an early exit from the competition.

Both bitches would follow a similar race pattern in 2016, Domino Storm enhancing her already glowing reputation, lowering Sheffield’s 500-metre clock and even more meritoriously defeating the boys in Nottingham’s Select Stakes on the back of respectable efforts in the early rounds of the English Derby.

Sparsely campaigned once more, on account of seasonal rest and injuries, Forest Twilight was enduring a much less prosperous spell, a semi-finalist in the Arc during the spring, her form unable to scale the same heights on return during early autumn as she met with three consecutive defeats.

In the background Greyhound racing was facing up to an uncertain future, the imminent closure of Wimbledon (home of the Derby) and lack of sponsorship for the Oaks that year only enhanced the gloom. The timely intervention of RPGTV to save the competition that year was understandably well received.               

Domino Storm and Forest Twilight both making their way to the business end of the oldest bitches’ classic with the minimum of fuss and, in truth, the semi-final draw was something of an anti-climax for connections who ideally would have wanted to have taken each other on in just the one cup final.

Of the pair, Domino Storm had run to higher Timeform ratings in her two previous qualifying rounds (posting figures of 111 & 118 respectively), yet what ensued was nothing short of sensational, the pair breaking virtually on terms and going hell for leather from the get go, both nosing in front at various points only for the other to come roaring back, a short head in favour of Domino Storm the difference at the line, the pair posting Timeform figures of 109 each.

It was evident the form book was struggling to split the pair and the draw would likely be the deciding factor between them in the final, as our analysis highlighted at the time:

It’s feasible to think Domino Storm was assisted by holding her pitch inside Forest Twilight in the semi, so it was unsurprising to see connections of FOREST TWILIGHT (TF 116) buoyed to hear they were drawn inside that rival for the decider, and given the fine margins involved 6 days ago the draw reversal is fancied to prove crucial. However, it would be unfair to automatically assume that it would be the undoing of Domino Storm (TF 118) who has a Select Stakes victory and track record breaking success from the black jacket to boast about earlier in the year. Either way this promises to be a race to savour, and let’s just hope both arrive in the same form as last time. 

Neither would disappoint in the decider, Domino Storm trapped marginally the better but Forest Twilight quickly paced up to draw level, crucially holding the inside line and as the pair came together approaching the first bend, Twilight managed to nip around the opening corner in front.

From that point her rival was always half a beat behind her operating that little bit wider. Attempting to challenge up the inside at the ¾ point there was no room at the inn and she ultimately went down by 1 ½ lengths at the line. The draw swinging the pendulum in Forest Twilight’s favour.

The pair took different paths and met on limited occasions but still served up some of the highest quality and most memorable races in recent greyhound history, and fittingly the English Oaks Final of 2016 would be the last we would see of the pair on the track.