Unfavourable seeding preferences make two of next Thursday’s Coral Sussex Cup supporting finals particularly difficult to call.
The Coral Sprint decider is the first of these with the final sextet comprised of one railer and five wide seeds. Quickest on the clock was Romford record holder Walk The Talk who was ‘rewarded’ for a 16.18 run with trap three in the final. That might have suited the other semi winner Blackstone Levi, who as the only middle seed was handed the red jacket. He has never started closer to the rail than trap three previously. On those two occasions, he was badly baulked in one, and KO’d in the other.
The Coral Puppy Trophy is slightly less complex but still features three railers and three middle seeds. Paul Young will be responsible for half the field including both heat winners.
Quickest of the two was Droopys Opah, a litter brother to Droopys Gold, with a 30.05 win. Bubbly Bluebird’s half brother Young Lord won the other qualifier in 30.24 with all six finalists clocked within five lengths.
The Coral Ladies Trophy already looked quite tight even before the draw for the final which features two middles and four wide seeds.
The hosts would have fancied their chances of a large presence in the final but saw Ballinakil Biddy and Banabane both eliminated from the first qualifier which was won by Carol Weatherall’s Greenhill Gem.
The same trainer had the favourite for the second heat though Calico Tiny was short headed out of second place in a race won by the locally trained Inislosky Mull in 30.43.
Marginally quickest in the three qualifiers was the 22.89 Crayford (380m) winner Droopys Jester who narrowly turned over the third of Seamus Cahill’s three stars, Crossfield Molly, by a short head in 30.15
