BetGoodwin Steel City Cup glory for Adelinesfirstdog

Picture Rob Crawford

Taberner lands the Steel City Cup as part of a four-timer

There were three chances for Richie Taberner to take home the BetGoodwin Steel City Cup on Sunday afternoon and it was with the outsider of the field that he did so in the shape of Adelinesfirstdog. He has been a rapid improver over the last couple of months with plenty of winning form at this track and at Monmore, and it was his early pace that won the race for him. 

He had smashed out in the semis last week only to be picked up by his kennelmate Moanteen Hatton but he reversed the places when it mattered most, with his kennelmate chasing him home but three lengths in arrears. The runner-up ran another huge race and has just 14 starts under his belt.

Woltemade had helped set the early fractions for Jimmy Fenwick but had been unable to clear the winner around the opening couple of bends, though he was far from disgraced, just picked up in the closing stages by Diane Henry's Grouchos Cossie for third. Both Magical Keith and Holding Blaze picked poor times to miss their breaks for Gary Griffiths and Taberner respectively. 

There was a second win over the 480m trip at this venue from Aero Noduff who led up comfortably form the boxes to eventually run riot by almost six lengths. She has progressed well up the grades at her home track of Monmore and her early gears will help her further. 

Five lengths was the winning margin for Aero Replace who put more than a length and a half into her nearest pursuer by the time they got to the winning line the first time around. A March 25 pup, she has already had 12 starts, greeting the judge in front in five of them, with this a clear career best from her. 

It was a treble for the Aero prefix with Aero Hope rounding out the winners. She looked to be in pretty deep with some smart types in a bitches race, but once more for the kennel, she showed the best pace to the bend and that allowed her to get far enough clear to always be holding the closers. 

Those who waited around for the final race on the card were given a treat with what was a very strong field, led home by Annadown Shadow. He had missed out on a spot in the big final last week but gained a small token of consolation for Sean Parker and connections, chased home by a pair of fellow Category One finalists in Betgoodwin Eddy and Zenith Pasha in second and third with another in the shape of Hasselbomb in fifth.  

Droopys Sami produced a successful debut over six bends, needing most of the 660m to get her head in front for Colin Handford. A half-sister to Droopys Plunge, Droopys Bookem, Callaway Knegare et al, she has a pedigree to die for and clearly ability to go with it, adding to her 500m invitational success at this venue last month.

The other surprise for punters on the card was the success of Colin Watson's Pothole Bob. He is a smart performer at his home track of Star Pelaw where he is an open race winner over both two and four bends. Without a prior look at the track, he got himself to the front late on over the 480m distance. 

One who made all of the running was Robbiethepostie for Kelly Hodson. This was only his seventh start for the kennel, picking up a pair of graded contests here prior to this win, getting off the mark at this level at the third time of asking. His three wins have all come when he has timed his break to lead them up. 

There were two sprints on the afternoon with the quicker of the times coming from David Fradgley's Knotmor Ace. He was a bit of a surprise winner himself at 7/1 but having got to the lead early on, he was always just doing enough to hold off the runner-up.

Hold A Dream took the other sprint which started the card, scoring for Stephen Naylor. He was another to make the best of his way home from an early stage having picked up the lead in the early strides. 

Green with a four-timer at Hove

There was also a four-timer on the card at Hove as Belinda Green enjoyed an excellent afternoon. Bikini Bullet was the pick of the winners for the kennel, her 28.85 taking half a length off Annadown Warrior's quickest of the year over 500m. The Coral Coronation Cup winner had only made the second round of the Oaks after almost three months off but roared back to her very best here. 

The first race on the card went to Consolidation who was only six spots slower than Bikini Bullet. He has picked up a trio of wins at Dundalk, making his debut for the Green kennel here and immediately making a huge impression. A January 25 whelp, he joined Coral Sussex Cup winner Smokestack Saxon on the list as the joint third fastest of 2026.

It was great to see Teddie back to winning ways over the 695m distance. She fell in the final of the Coral Regency at the start of August and then in her comeback run in the opening round of the Coral 100 Champion Stakes, she suffered another very rough ride around. Quickly to the fore yesterday, she was impressive in her attitude and on the clock. 

Green's final winner was Raebella Bullet who dead-heated with Paul Young's Bowmers Wildcat in the final contest of the afternoon. The latter had led the race up but his had been passed down the back by Green's runner only to get back upsides at the three-quarters mark with the pair duelling from that point. 

It was the second half of a double for Young which had been started by Phoebes Buddy. She had got a nice confidence boost earlier on in the month when winning over this 500m distance from behind, keeping things easier here out in front early on to claim another win. 

One of the most improved stayers at the track of late has been Derek Knight's Candolim Typhoon. He tried 740m for the first time ahead of the George Curtis and Ballyregan Bob which starts at the track next Sunday afternoon. It was the first race run over the trip in 2026 but only six times (and four dogs) went quicker in 2025.

There was also a double on the day for Knight with Clonkeen Jim providing the other success. That was in a 695m contest and a messy one at that. The winner had picked up the running at the opening bend in the striped jacket and having got to the lead out wide, he avoided all of the trouble later on in the contest. 

Jason Heath was on target with Burrows Aries who had to ride bump between two rivals at the opening bend before he was able to wriggle clear and take off down the back. It was only his sixth start for Heath and his second success, shaping as if there is more to come from him. 

There was a strong-running success from Gingers Ada who grabbed the lead late on to score over 500m. It was Maxine Locke's Grouchos Simon who had set the early fractions, a Central Park winner last month in a solid 29.11. Patrick Browne's winner was just a little more street smart than her rival, running the final bend better to overcome an almost three length deficit at the three-quarters mark. 

Another to get to the lead later on in the contest was Paul Donovan's Westwood Bill. He had to ride a bump at the opening bend as well as getting chopped off at the second but he got to the lead at about the three-quarters mark before having to hold off a closer on his inside to land the victory.

At odds of 1/12 in a sprint The Other Tank was no get rich quick scheme for the Richard Rees kennel but he made a winning race debut at the track. His only prior start for Rees had come at Monmore in mid-August when showing bundles of early before running out of stamina. The drop back to two bends helped, scoring by six and three-quarter lengths. 

The other sprint on the card went to Cloheena Boyce for Seamus Cahill. A top grade winner over both two and four bends at the track, he was picking up his first open success since last December. He won three times over 500m in opens last October so this is a month that has treated him well. 

Towcester doubles for Hutton and Gray

Kevin Hutton led the way at Towcester with a pair of winners, including Jazzy Dancer who came from last to first to land the money. She had made the second round of the Oaks but had drawn a heat won by Slingshot Poppy which gave her little chance of competing. Things fell better for her here. 

Jazzy Velvet was the other winner for Hutton, backing up a promising win from last week. Early pace is his weapon of choice and in a race where even a level break from him was going to control the inside, he took his opportunity with both hands, holding off the strong-running Bombay Nutty in second. 

Frank Gray also picked up a double on the card with Makeit Again the pick of his pair. She had picked up the heats and a final of a 400m maiden competition at Romford last month but showed here that she is more than capable over an extra 60m with early pace to burn. 

Gray's double was started by Zenith Bullet, another to make all of the running, this time over 500m. It was the first time that he had been seen over this trip with his prior three runs for Gray all coming 460m. The longer run to the bend was no issue for him, allowing himself time to get organised.  

There was a winner for Mark Wallis as Forgottotellya found his trapping boots on his way to a three-length success. The 460m track record holder at this track stays the 500m well, with his 28.80 comfortably the best of the winning times over that trip during the afternoon. 

Heather Dimmock added a winner with Jacktavern Zeus who won on his debut for her, having arrived from fellow Towcester trainer Andrew Linnell. He had shown smart form over two and four bends at the track but without having the consistency. If he can put it together on a regular basis, there are plenty more opens to be won with him. 

Fabulous Jura scored over six bends for Laurence Tuffin, leading up from an early stage with her rivals unable to get anywhere near her. Her kennelmate Fabulous Ellen had been sent off as the favourite but she got into a bit of trouble around the early bends and could never close the gap.

There other open on the card was won by Johnie Oh who was quickly in control of things for Tony Welch. All four of his prior wins at this venue have come over the sprint trip and it was that early pace that he used to get well ahead of things over 460m. 

Davy and Marston with Valley doubles

Just four opens at the Valley where Donna Davy and Craig Marston split the pair between them. Both of Davy's came in sprints, led by the very speedy Fastlane George whose 15.88 left him a single spot outside of the top 10 times on the year. He had won both his heat and semi of the Star Sports Welsh Derby but a missed break in the final had cost him any chance. 

Riverside Ada was the other winner for Davy, getting up on the run-in to clinch the prize and deny Marston a treble on the day. She was a multiple A3 winner at Hove when in the care of Jamie Kingsley, making her debut for Davy yesterday and impressing to get straight off the mark. 

There was also a sprint open race winner for Marston with Alone All Alone sweeping into the lead late in the day. She was last in the very early strides but made rapid progress, winning going away in the end by a length and three-quarters.

Just one open race was run over 460m and it was Marston's Dubliners Flyer who came out on top, battling for the lead when his rival for that position cramped at the third bend, leaving him clear. It was a fourth straight win for him after a pair of graded contests at Monmore and a sprint open at Nottingham.