Ballymac Bonnie will be looking to emulate Scurlogue Champ, Ericas Equity and Midway Skipper when she seeks her second TV Trophy victory on Wednesday August 3. Liam Dowling’s Irish star will almost certainly start favourite after winning her heat on Saturday night though she will be taking on a rejuvenated Ribble Atom who will renew their rivalry a year on.
Drawn red in the last qualifier Bonnie (Head Bound-Zulu Nikita, Nov 12) produced a similar performance from her last visit to Towcester a year ago. On that occasion, she had trapped moderately and had been in fifth place when clocking a 28.74 sectional with a lap to go. On Saturday, she had also been near the rear of the five-runner field after the first lap (29.22). Up front was track record holder Droopys Cottage, whose 28.49 was three spots slower than her 2015 effort where she eventually finished fourth. Killfane King had followed the leader for a circuit but it was the 2-7f who looked all over the winner going into the seventh bend and she duly got home by five and a half lengths in 56.55 (-40). (Her ’15 final winning time was 55.44 on normal going). The gallant Droopys Cottage failed to hold onto a qualifying place by a head as Pat Doocey’s King snatched second.
The champ will be joined in the Colossus Bets Final by great rival Ribble Atom (Godsend-Swift Erin, Jul 13) who had under-performed in her previous outing but trapped a bit like half sister Domino Storm on Saturday night. There the similarity ended as the 8-13f was given a tour of Towcester by Spa Road Piper who crossed the 480m sectional in 28.38, with Lord Hesketh’s favourite behind and Office Hazard in third spot (28.94). But as they set off along the backstraight for the second time, Kevin Boon’s Piper was sending out distress flares and the Wallis favourite was cruising. She duly went past for a four and a bit length win in 56.58 (-40).
Borna Mindy (Westmead Hawk-Borna Client, Jul 13) was running A2 at Swindon this time last year and only had two marathon races on her card, one victory over 915m and a fifth after leading Roxholme Magic until the ninth bend (by which stage she was presumably dizzy) over Crayford’s 1048m. Towcester punters were nevertheless convinced that Diane Henry’s black in blue was the real deal and sent her to traps as a 2-5f in the opening heat. As the video below will show, Mindy bravely prevailed in a demolition derby of a qualifier after reeling in Lemon Lyric by a head in an almost irrelevant 57.20 (-40).
In a trial before racing, reigning Lowther champ Forest Twilight clocked 28.59 (-10) for the 480m. Barricane Bullet recorded 28.49 (-10) at the same session.
