Pat Rosney may have ruled last year’s All England Cup winner Newinn Yolo out of this year’s renewal, but Swift Hoffman has shown that the Leyland trainer intends holding on to the trophy for another year.
He sent Select Stakes and Monmore Gold Cup up to the North East on Thursday for a trial before racing and the dog showed that he was more than ready for any challenge that might be thrown at him by covering the 480 metres in 28.24, the best of the year for the trip.
Jimmy Wright’s Droopys Buick also threw his hat into the mix for the prestigious Category One contest with a 28.31 run, while Blackhouse Heidi went well for Harry Williams, clocking a 28.49 and the George Power-trained Ballymac Cathal flashed round in 16.70 in a 290-metre sprint.
