Behind the headline story of a near 105-1 open race treble for David Mullins, there are three very different and exciting tales.

The starting point must be the 16.16 (joint fastest) win in the Colossus Bets Silver Salver first round for the puppy Shrewd Call.

Ultimate victory for Shrewd Call in the Salver would be particularly sweet for the kennel after bad luck robbed Troy Bella of his chance a year ago. The Sprinter of the Year in waiting had been unbeaten going into the final and was withdrawn.

David said: “He had been bitten while out walking a couple of days earlier and there was nothing we could do about it. It is a big step for Shrewd Call who is still very young so it is a bit early to compare the two. I knew he had ability which is why I brought him here for a sprint maiden – which he won – when he was still A6 at Romford.

“He has since been running against much better dogs without quite staying on. He isn’t a catapult breaker but he has very good pace to the bend and the long straights at Central Park definitely suit him. It is hard to be too confident about winning races, but I really can’t complain about the draw for the semi finals. He is a middle seed and I really couldn’t have asked for any better.”

The Mullins runner share joint quickest time with last year’s Bresmed winner and ante post favourite Coolavanny Dylan.

Some of the prices current: 6-1 Grays Cup Winner,  7-1 Coolavanny Dylan, Shrewd Call, 9-1 Pull The Trigger, 12-1 King Drake, Ballynabee Lucky, 16-1 Fitenwell, Melodys Jack, Notouttheway, 20-1 Magical Houdini, 25-1 Signature Jack, 33-1 Ballymoney Limit, Druids Brazona, Freedom Carlito, Lemon Express, 50-1 Lightfoot Rio, 66-1 Sues Boy

Form and videos below.

 

The second story was the return to the winning circle for Troy Zico; it was his first open race victory since his Ladbrokes Puppy Derby win in March 2019.

David said: “It was great to see him looking like his old self. We have had so many problems with him. He had a testicle trapped high in the groin, which we thought might have been part of the problem. But we also found a muscle problem in his neck which we saw various people about.

“Hopefully we are now on the right line with him. It is shame to have lost 18 months of his career. He wasn’t a lucky winner at Monmore. He had good draws but was running on strongly. There is even a possibility that we might try him over a soft six bends.”

 

Finally, in a race that included the 2019 LPD runner-up Seaglass Tiger, Troy Firebird showed that his progression from ‘decent Romford 400m dog’ to potential Derby runner was very much on track.

David said: “When we first got him you could see he had ability, but I did wonder whether he was really just a Golden Sprint type. I trialled him over further but he had problems with cramping something that we have since gotten to the bottom of. He is also getting stronger.

“What really impressed me was a 500 metre trial at Hove against a nice bitch called Piemans Noelle. At the second bend I thought she might catch him but he pulled away to beat her by five and a half lengths in 29.24 (-10). I am not someone who takes too much notice of times, but Noelle was the second fastest on the day and she didn’t catch him until the second bend after the line.”

So is he a serious Derby dog?

David says: “I really don’t like to come out with those sort of claims, though I admit I am quite excited about him.”

COLOSSUS BETS SILVER SALVER – FIRST ROUND