Bikini Bullet registers quickest Coral Coronation Cup heat win

Picture from Romford dogs X feed

Green dominates opening round of the Coronation Cup

Bikini Bullet emerged from the delayed first round of the Coral Coronation Cup at Romford with the quickest winning time. Belinda Green's daughter of Ballymac Kingdom has some very smart runs to her credit, including a win at Towcester on Derby final night where she blitzed her rivals. She produced similar here, instantly in control of her rivals on her way to a 35.04 winning time on a track subsequently marked -30.

Green produced three of the heat winners, with Teddie next in with a 35.13 run where she beat Tiffield Tarquin. The difference here was in the trapping with the winner smartly away and the runner-up unusually slow to stride by his normal standards. He made up most of the ground heading into the back for the second time but that effort took its toll, with Teddie pulling away again late on.

Raebella Bullet stepped back up to six bends for the first time since September with great aplomb to land the opening heat and kickstart Green's treble. She got to the front at the third bend and kept digging from there. An Oaks finalist last year, she has plenty of four-bend class to bring to this competition. 

The closing heat went to Burrows Charm and Jason Heath who was slow to stride but found his way through the trouble at the opening bend to get into a challenging position down the back the second time, to go on and win by almost two lengths. He is going to have to trap smarter in the semis but he is a powerful performer over this trip.

The most 'controversial' heat was the third won by Izzys Tenpin for David Mullins. The traps looked to be late to open to the naked eye but the result was given. The winner has now won five of his last 11 over this track and trip, taking up the running off the second bend. 

Heat two had been declared void with the hare stopped in the interests of safety with Underground Jim, Newinn Aero and Untold Ariary the three going through upon the drawing of lots.

It was also the opening round of the Coral Guys & Dolls where Scooby Diamond produced the top time in the first heat for Nathan Hunt. The Romford Puppy Cup winner is well suited to this track and trip, with an electric break setting her on her way and giving the kennel something to cheer about on a day where other results were unwanted.

There was a four-length gap to the second quickest heat winner who was Maxine Locke's Headford Sarah. She produced the best split out of all of the qualifiers with a 3.65, comfortable turning around her neck defeat from Bretons Girl when last in action. The red jacket in the Dolls final next week will ask her a different question, however. 

The third Dolls heat went to Gallant Star for Philip Short who shrugged off a couple of early rubs from opponents to fly clear off the second bend. She has a 15.63 trial at Towcester on her card so there is clearly a huge amount of pace in the locker for her.

Locke grabbed a second heat with Droopys Will, this time on the Guys side of the draw. He was brave to get up the inside of one of his rivals at the opening bend before sliding into the lead up the inside at the third bend. A finalist in the Time Sprint at Towcester on Derby night, he has a trickier draw to overcome on Friday night. 

Duffin Dermy is the youngest of the Guys finalists by a fair way, making it 2/2 for Roy Peckham with a solid front-running effort. He stopped the clock at 13.48 in his only other race in. sprint at this track 10 days prior, looking to have speed to burn once more to see off the consistent Bubbly Crusader. 

The other heat went to Craig Morris's Flashing Fender. He had just two prior starts at this track in his career, making a winning start in a heat of the Coral Golden Sprint back in March. He went quicker than day than he did in his heat win here, and with that in his locker, he must have a live chance of making the final.