Reigning champ Millwards Teddy will start favourite to win Friday’s Summer Stayers Stakes Final, though his great rival Touch Tackle broke a hock in the same qualifier.
Jim Daly’s Regency winner Tackle had seemed well placed to land the qualifier when laying handy behind Jaytee Osprey. But he checked badly on the second circuit and came off on three legs.
Daly said: “We are still to het it clarified but it appears to be a break of the central tarsal bone in the right hock. I suppose the only bright side is, it doesn’t appear to be a bad break. He is in a splint at the moment and fingers crossed, he may yet race again.”
Meanwhile Millwards Teddy, who had been in third place at the time, surged clear to win his qualifier by eight lengths in 37.75 for the 630 metres – a personal best.
All-the-way leader Bubbly Gold was nine spots quicker when beating Blakefield Jack while Westmead Lola found 65 spots on her first look at the track when clocking 37.95.
There are less than three lengths between the six Summer Cup finalists with Kevin Hutton’s Face The Blade (28.04) holding a narrow advantage on the clock for the £5,000 final.
Sole wide seed Swift Whirlwind (28.17) should start as favourite for the £2,000 puppy decider while Cape Impact and Tyrur Vettel were inseparable on the clock in the ‘Festival 416’ – both clocking 24.29.
