British Breeders opportunity
This year’s BGBF British Breeders Stakes – which gets underway at Nottingham on Monday – might just get a late surge of entries due to ‘who isn’t there’.
Most of the KSS’s Syndicate’s Kings and Queens are at Hove this weekend with Central Park’s Kent Plate in their more distant sights. The other notable absentee is last year’s winner Romeo Command.
Trainer Patrick Janssens said: “He would have been entered but he finished sore in his last trial at Towcester so we will give it a miss. I don’t have anything else in the kennel good enough to win it.”
Kevin Hutton and David Mullins will not have runners with Kevin determining “the few we have are probably a bit too young at the moment.” David expects to have runners in supporting races.
Jimmy Fenwick has entered Coppice Gracie, Kevin Ferguson has always supported the event with ‘Acombs’ contesting each of the last four finals.
But for open race supporters everywhere, there will be a huge support for the amazing Signet Goofy. The Steel City Cup winner will be going to traps for the 85th with a better than 50% strike rate.
Trainer John Mullins said: “Yes, Goofy will be there, along with Smores and Dick Turpin.They all trialled this morning and went well.”
A member of “the iron litter”, Goofy’s brother Signet Otis won the event back in 2022.
*As of 10am this morning there were 13 entries for the 36 runner event which closes at 11am tomorrow (Friday). Worth £12,500 to the winner, the 500m event concludes on Monday March 18
Sheffield’s Sunday Best
Sheffield Racing Manager Andrew Mascarenhas reckons Sunday’s open race card is the best since the track launched their new schedule in January.
He said: “I think we turned the corner last week with a full open race card of 12 races. We didn’t have as many fill this week, but we are seeing the same trainers coming back each week and in terms of overall quality this is the best, headed by the Queen Mother Cup and with the four bend final featuring Links Maverick.”
Is this the best Queen Mother Cup seen at the track in several years?
Andrew said: “I think it probably is. Every runner in it has open race winning form. It was oversubscribed and some of those who didn’t make it, also had decent winning form.”
So how does the RM assess the three heats?
Andrew said: “I think Ela Maestro will probably be favourite and possibly the favourite to lead the whole event. He even did a D1 sprint time on his first look at the track. But it really is a very good race with so much good open race form.
“You’ve got to fancy the old boy (Maximum Security – fourth in last year’s final) in there. He has been such a fabulous performer for such a long period of time. But he is getting on and I gather there are thoughts about retiring him after this year’s ‘Three Steps’.
“The third heat is a bit intriguing given some of Fridays Eske’s recent runs. He has been DQ’d once, but then so has Flying Ada in her first race. I guess there will be some support for Ballymac Archer (runner-up last year) but I like Savana Heross who has some good form around *here and seems to run the track well.”
*Heross clocked 27.55 in the first round (480) of last year’s Three Steps. He finished third, beaten half a length to qualify from the (500m) semi final and then beat Maximum Security in a 660m open next time out. He also has winning form over the 934m course)
Opens
Thursday: Suffolk Downs • Swindon
Saturday: Central Park • Doncaster • Hove • Monmore
