Under a length covers four of the six Northamptonshire Sprint heat winners
A deep field with some of the best sprinters in the country produced some tight racing at Towcester yesterday.
Having last been seen back in October at Central Park when knocked out in the first round of PGR Kent Derby, Cooliogold brushed aside any doubts that he may just need this outing when pinging the lids and soon built up a winning lead. He scored in a time of 15.63 for trainer Maxine Locke, defeating Not So Slow by 3 and a half lengths, the first of a double on the day for Locke. He looks sure to come on for that run and if that’s the case, then he could take plenty of beating in the semis.
As expected for a sprint competition, there wasn’t much to separate the six heat winners on the clock with just 17 spots covering the fastest winner to the slowest. Hove based trainer Belinda Green kicked off proceedings in Heat One when Bombout Bullet justified odds of 6/5F when making all the running to score in 15.67, holding off a strong effort from the Kim Billingham-Hine trained Newinn Souly, when closing the winning distance down to half a length crossing the line.
Those who backed the Mark Wallis trained favourite Pavilion Team at 1/2F in heat two may have had their hearts in their mouth when rounding the opening bends when the locally trained Westfield Bullet built up an early lead. Wallis’s charge showed his class when pouncing strides from the line to score by a neck in 15.80, the slowest of the heats. He extended his winning streak at the track to four in doing so, adding to his tally of eight wins from 10 starts over course and distance.
Patrick Janssens took heat three courtesy of Yahoo Megan, the first leg of a double on the card for Janssens, who made it three winning favourites in the first three heats. He make all the running to secure a comfortable 2 and a half length victory from the Wallis-trained Cat Island in a time of 15.68. She made it six wins from her last eight starts in doing so and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see her adding to that tally again next week.
Another all the way winner was seen in heat five when Fire And Ice, who had last been seen when a beaten finalist in the final of the PGR Classic at Sunderland back in November when trained by Matt Dartnall, scored at 3/1. It was a winning debut for new handler Nathan Hunt, holding off a good effort from the Swindon based Dashing Dude, trained by Frank Bryce by a length. He produced a winning time of 15.66 and looks sure to improve again from that run.
Heat six had already looked on paper to be the weakest of the six, and those claims were strengthened by the withdrawal of Burrow Hyundi and Miami Sapphire leaving just the four runners. It went the way of local trainer Reggie Allder, who landed the first leg of a double when Letitwithme landed the hat-trick on the back of a couple of wins in top grade action previously. Making all the running in a time of 15.77 at odds of 13/8, she led home a locally trained one-two with Vicky Lea’s Gallant Chief who stayed on well at the finish to reduce the winning distance to half a length.
H1 – 1st Bombout Bullet (t4) – 2nd Newinn Souly (t5) – 3rd Werners Me Name (t6)
H2 – 1st Pavilion Team (T5) – 2nd Westfield Bullet (t4) – 3rd He’s Batman (t3)
H3 – 1st Yahoo Megan (t3) – 2nd Cat Island (t2) – 3rd Cutacross Shorty (t4)
H4 – 1st Cooliogold (t3) – 2nd Not So Slow (t4) – 3rd Champagne Zombie (t1)
H5 – 1st Fire And Ice (t1) – 2nd Dashing Dude (t4) – 3rd Beaming Panther (t5)
H6 – 1st Letitwithme (t5) – 2nd Gallant Chief (t3) – 3rd Rekia Rolo (t2)
Ladbrokes Winter Derby semi-final draw
After an opening round on Saturday that favoured the inside runners, the draw for the semis has been made.
Four opens at Nottingham tonight
The sprint contest at 7.44 is the pick of the action at the track.
Time Counts won a recent Cat Three here, in front of Mallogs Calvin in the final. The second-named was only two and a half lengths behind Bramble Linton the week before and has bolted up in a 480m open here since. Cappakeale Rocky has not won since July but has kept stronger company than this in the main since. Starcash Best was in front of Time Counts last time out while Limekiln Foxy is a pup who has a D1 Sheffield win on her card and is capable of stepping up on her recent trial. It’s a real head scratcher!
There are two heats of a stayers content where William Russell has claims in both. He runs Dreamin Sunshine and Magical Bertie in the two heats. The former will take on Billis Wizard who steps back up in trip. He beat Droopys Debonair on his six bend debut before finishing behind Lively Lauren and Droopys Clue in his other two staying races.
The latter takes on BGBF St Leger finalist Wolf Moon and Swindon raider Roomies Girl who showed up well for a long way at her home track last time out having won at Oxford over 650m. The final open is the weakest of the bunch where Slippy Nora has a nice draw, for all that this is tougher than her Monmore graded wins of late.
Plunge advertises his Derby credentials with all the way success
The Patrick Janssens-trained Droopys Plunge showed his class when blasting clear from the traps.
With a record of seven victories from 10 starts over course and distance, the son of Droopys Sydney again advertised his claims to land the English Derby with a superb all the way success. He trapped well and made all the running to score in a time of 28.84, justifying the odds of 1/4F in the final contest of the day. It landed a double on the day for Janssens who had earlier scored with Yahoo Megan.
Other trainers who landed doubles on the day were Maxine Locke, whose May 23 puppy Ballymac Florie ran out a winner by three lengths in a time of 29.28 for the 500m trip, and local handler Reggie Alder courtesy of Mischievouskelly, who landed the Maiden Stayers contest over 712m with an all the way success in a time of 43.68 by a length and a quarter.
However, those three trainers were overshadowed by Mark Wallis who notched up a treble when Armagh Daithi scored over 500m (28.97) and Mongys Wild proved too strong at the finish to score over 712m (42.85) landing the odds of 4/11F and 8/15F respectively.
Other winners on the card went the way of the Craig Morris trained Druids All Go (29.23), Kim Billingham-Hine’s Catchem Flawless (29.75) and Loughgur Pat, trained by Cornelius Condon (29.43), all over the 500m trip.
Felix Makes It Five For Ferguson
Acomb Felix continued his unbeaten start to 2025 when making all the running again.
There was never a moment’s doubt for the runner in the red jacket when the 2/9F led on the run up and landed another all the way success for trainer Kevin Ferguson, stopping the clock in 28.98 for the 500m trip. Ferguson then notched a double later on in the card when Acomb Johnny also made all the running over 280m at odds of 5/1.
The other four 500m Opens on the card were won courtesy of Romeo Missile for Kelly Hodson (28.91), Trickys Matilda for Robert Holt (29.11), Stuart Naylor’s Catunda Maura (29.30) and Ballymac Sargie for Tom Heilbron, also in 29.30.
Superstar sets new quickest of the year over six bends at Star Pelaw
Mark Bulmer’s Emilys Superstar justified short odds of 4/9F when making all the running.
The winning time of 35.85 for the 590m distance is the fastest of the year, beating her own previous best time of 35.93 and is the second fastest time in the last two years. She is three from four since stepping up to six bends and never faced a moment’s worry when making all the running for a five length victory.
Elsewhere on the card, Ben McPhillips landed a four bend open double with Tromora Goal (25.63) and Aero Donishall (26.19) landing the honours. The two sprint Opens were shared between the Ryan Buckton-trained Tickets Outlaw and the Colin Watson-trained Chippy Chase, winning in times of 14.80 and 14.89 respectively.
Morgan’s ‘captain’ double for Streak and Smurf
Two of the four opens at Valley on Sunday were won by the Tony Morgan-trained Good Streak & Blue Smurf.
Streak landed the first of the victories over the 460m distance when making all the running to score by a length in a time of 28.38, while Smurf justified favouritism when repeating those tactics to land a 260m contest in a time of 16.16 at odds of 5/4F.
That time, however, was eclipsed later on the card when the Kate Harrison-trained Millbank Burner made the journey down from Perry Barr worthwhile when recording the second fastest time of the year for that distance. The clock was stopped in 15.82, lowering the colours of the local win machine Different Speed in doing so. Donna Davy and Hawkfield Faith were responsible for landing the other open on the card over 645m, making all the running and landing a first success since November when scoring in 40.92.
Stats
- Ballymac Solas – 3.11 Doncaster – 8/15 from trap one in D2s.
- Ballymac Levi – 5.03 Doncaster – 6/10 in B1 when sporting orange.
- Daleroad Max – 5.14 Oxford – 5/9 in A5 from trap four.
- Tease Me – 5.56 Sunderland – 5/9 in A1s.
Opens
Monday: Nottingham
Tuesday: Swindon
Thursday: Newcastle
Friday: Romford
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