On Sunday afternoon, Flashing Willow put forward his claim to be the top sprinter in the British Isles with an impressive victory in the ARC Kent Silver Salver. He could hardly have been more impressive . . .
With Britain’s reigning Sprinter of the Year Gougane Jet well beaten into second place, could the Pat Buckley trained black hold the claim as the no.1 sprinter in the British Isles?
Most Irish fans would reckon his greatest danger on Eirean soil is the Keeley McGee trained Gizmo Cash.
Their first head-to-head was at Dundalk in December 2021 with Cash beating the 19 month old Willow. They clashed again in the Supersprint at Cork where Willow gained his revenge in the heats, but Cash landed the final. Willow made it 2:2 on Irish Derby Final night, then 3:2 at Limerick. The ‘equaliser’ came at Shelbourne just last month.
They’ve appeared in races when both were beaten, notably by Serene Ace and in the Islandbridge Sprint by Gallant Knight.
The latter provides a particularly interesting insight. Knight’s winning time in the final was 18.91 for the Shelbourne 350 yards. In the heats, a week earlier, Willow’s winning time was 18.65, with Cash successful just minutes later in 18.59.
Willow holds the sprint clocks at Tralee and Towcester. Cash is the Shelbourne 350 yard record holder and jointly holds the Mullingar 400 clock.
Salver Final – Flashing Willow (T5) leads off the second bend with Gougane Jet (T3) chasing him home
