The semi finals of the Bet365 Empress Stakes with a winners prize of £10,000 take centre stage on a card consisting of 9 supporting opens this afternoon at Towcester racecourse.  The remaining 12 bitches in a high-class competition will all be aiming to secure a place in next weekends prestigious final and in what looks still to be a very open competition it would be folly to dismiss the chances of any of them doing so.
Eric Cantillon’s BLACKROSE PIPPA has been competing over six bends more often than not in recent times and has well-advertised her ability over the more demanding trips with good winning efforts on the card at both Sheffield and Crayford.  Pippa was also a beaten semi-finalist in two big category one events in the shape of the Golden Jacket at Crayford and the George Ing St Leger at Yarmouth.  A versatile bitch she’d been off the card since that George Ing St Leger semi but was steadily brought back to form by her astute trainer with a number of decent trial runs and a sharpener at Yarmouth before being entered for this event.  Stunning heat and second round victories in all the way fashion have seen Pippa establish herself as one of the leading contenders for outright glory.  The move to trap 1 today isn’t sure to be ideal but she can trap well enough to hold her position to the first turn and if just about getting around then she should be gone beyond recall with the majority of her rivals also seeking that prized rails position in behind.  Frank Gray’s Makeit Beauty stays on well and looks well drawn on the wide outside to come through and fill the forecast spot for those looking to add a little bit more juice into their returns.
The second semi final looks to be between Frank Gray’s super bitch Makeit For Waz and Patrick Janssens Fabulous Azzurra who recently ran out an impressive winner of the BGBF Oaks Final at Henlow.  I took on Azzurra last week in the belief she was drawn to far out to secure a run and given that she’s a trap further out today that task is made even more difficult.  If Waz traps in her best style I doubt that Azzurra would clear her by the turn in which case the gap in likely odds between the pair would look very wide indeed.  Especially given so that Trumpers Lola trained by Mark Wallis is far from devoid early either and is likely to give Azzurra something to think about also.  I’m sticking with Waz to make the bend in front and land the spoils for the Gray team with Eric Cantillon’s Droopys Optimal just about managing to skip round the bend unscathed in order to come through and claim second.