Brighton Belle trial stakes highlight Saturday night at Hove

Hove treble for Green

It was a packed out open race card at Hove where Belinda Green got off to a flying start taking the opening two races with Bombshell Bullet and Guzzler. The first of those was in one of the Coral Brighton Belle trial stakes on the evening which gave us early clues for that upcoming Category One. 

The latter picked up a sprint contest which contained some smart types. He out trapped them, and keeping himself wide in front meant that he avoided all of the problems back in the field that plagued the favourite Avarua Lake. He's four and a half now but in the form of his life, making it five wins on the bounce. 

The treble came from Behemoth who backed up his flying win from just over a week ago. Things did not go all his own way early on, a stumble setting him back on the run to the bend but he showed the best middle gears to poke his head in front at the third bend. It was the most mature performance he has produced, being able to overcome adversity and come from behind.

Seamus Cahill picked up a double led by Blackstone Opera who produced the quickest win in a Brighton Belle trial stake. She has now won five of her last seven starts at the track and is still a puppy until the end of the month. 

Hello Maggie had got the double started, making all of the running in a 500m contest earlier on in the night. It was only her seventh career race, improving leaps and bounds every time she sets her paws on the sand. A5 and A3 wins preceded an A1 defeat for Cahill but she quickly got back on the right path trying open company for the first time.

It has been an outstanding few weeks for Paul Young and he picked up a double on the night. Droopys Rated is a stayer with plenty of promise for all that he has had plenty of misfortune in a short career. There was no disgrace in finding Princess Matilda too strong at Towcester last week but he quickly got back to winning ways with a sub 42-second win last night.

The closest finish of the night saw Young's Droopys Sometime grab Patrick Browne's Kick On Archie right on the line. The winner had led up but the runner-up ran a magnificent opening two bends to kick a couple of lengths clear down the back. The line didn't quite come in time for him but time will probably show he was beaten by a very smart one.

One of the biggest stars on show last night was Roy Peckham's Tiffield Tarquin. He continues to carry all before him in 2026, now the winner of eight straight starts to kick off the year. Here's hoping that a fairytale run of Hollywood proportions through the Derby is upcoming so we can paraphrase the Kevin Keegan memes, "I will love it if he beats them..."

On the clock, the top performance of the night probably came from Maxine Locke's Ballymac Axel who produced a 29.16 run over 500m. Droopys Alldeway was electric out the traps and with the winner getting a bump at the opening bend, Paul Young's front runner looked home off the second turn. Locke's power-packed chaser quickly closed the gap and would've won easier but for running wide up the home straight.

Poly Styrene won a Brighton Belle trial stake for Carol Weatherall, another to get herself away and gone in front on the card. She has seen limited action since breaking her maiden tag at Towcester just after Christmas, with her 30.24 a solid effort here. 

Two other trial stakes went to Fabulous Sonique and Swift Megan. It has been a fair time between drinks for Mark Wallis's veteran, December 19 the last time that she crossed the line in front. That was in a spell of seven wins and a runner-up effort in an eight race span. She held her position well up the inside of Raebella Bullet on the run to the bend and that won her the race.

David Elcock's charge won the closing race on the card, slipping up the inside around the opening two bends. She is much better known as a stayer so once she hit the front, it was all over bar the shouting for her rivals, running over four bends for just the second time in her last 27 starts.

597/1 Central Park double for Pattinson

I mentioned in yesterday's report that Headford Sirl was Bob Pattinson's first open race runner (and winner) of the year at Romford on Friday night. The kennel are now 3/3 in 2026 after the 25/1 and 22/1 wins of Cold Blow Lane and Silver Trumpet at Central Park. 

When Catford closed and Sonja Spiers and my dogs moved to Sittingbourne (apologies for the off tangent walk down memory lane) Bob was often the man to beat. A few years later the likes of Ravestock Rockit and Ravestock Raveit were regular thorns in our side in the top grades, so seeing the kennel back winning opens again has put a smile on my face. Hopefully the kennel was on the double!

Anyway, back to business! 

Cold Blow Lane was a consistent type for Jason Heath at Hove, making her debut for Pattinson, and producing the best run of her career so far. Silver Trumpet has really hit form in 2026, kicking off the year win an A5 win in January, she has won six of her last 13 starts, making a belated six-bend debut a very successful one. 

Dave Lee and Julie Luckhurst also picked up doubles on the night. Lee's Brunch Pal produced another very smart time, winning the nightcap in 29.02. He has won eight of his 13 starts for Lee and stopped the clock in a solid 28.93 in a recent Towcester trial. Early Storm had kicked off the double, getting off the mark for the first time for Lee.

Snowdon Mel was the star of Luckhurst's double, down at an easier level than when making the semis of the recent Kent Plate. She assumed control from trap rise, bolting clear to win by more than five lengths. 

Earls Joker was the other winner for Luckhurst, winning for the sixth time in eight starts for the kennel. It was a thoroughly messy contest but he is only an August 24 whelp and could end up as a dark horse for the Silver Salver at the track in June.

The return to Central Park was fruitful for Princess Matilda, bolting up over the 664m trip to rattle off a five-timer. She found her Towcester winning form from last time franked an hour later at Hove. Perhaps a 712m Towcester run at Derby time will suit her as it's a long wait now until the Regency. 

It was good to see Distant Hiker picking up a well-deserved win for Dean Childs in a solid 29.15. He has been keeping strong company in recent weeks, meeting the likes of Romeo Tomcat, Droopys Graph, Cinderella Tell and others, taking advantage of the opportunity given to him.

Dave Puddy was on the mark with Hasty Lottie who picked up the opening heat of a bitches contest. She went nine spots quicker than Devonshire Lady who landed the second heat for Dan Brabon, beating her kennelmate Bumble Belles in the process. 

Three for Draper at Doncaster

2025 saw 44 open race winners for Rose Draper. A treble at Doncaster last night took her to 18 in 2026 just a quarter of the way through the year. More impressive was the fact that they were the only three runners on the card for the kennel!

Rockmount Lucy led the charge once more over six bends, making it four on the bounce over the 661m distance and seven of her last 10 starts overall. This was the pick of her efforts, her best sectional and finish time even before the -15 going allowance came off. 

Audience backed up his breakthrough open race win from last week with another. He rode a bump at the opening bend well, kicking it up a gear down the back to run away by three and a half lengths. 

The treble was completed by Grouchos Champ, into stride quicker from the curve-fronted traps than has normally been the case from the Sheffield lids. He showed the best pace to the bend and was not going to be for catching. 

Beverly Heaton grabbed a double with Grosvenor Mona in a sprint and Ballymac Dalton over 450m. The former has been running well over track and trip of late, picking up a well-deserved success. The latter was over four bends for the first time since July, using his sprinters pace to get to the front early on.

One of the more interesting races on the card was the 450m contest won by Sean Parker's Charming Delight. She had worked her way through the grades at Sheffield winning from A6 up to A3 before breaking her open maiden at Dunstall Park. It looked a decent field that she saw off, including the well-regarded Hasselbomb in second. 

Although Kelli Windebank was out of luck with Hasselbomb, she closed the card out with the surprise of the night with 12/1 scorer Braydens Buddy. Despite only being a four-runner affair, Sole Focus and Brigadir Brindle were strong opponents, the winner picking up the former in the shadow of the post. 

John Spolander provided the other surprise of the evening with Up the Game. He had only been seen once in the last four months when knocked over in a Sheffield D2 in the middle of March. He got to the front at the halfway mark to add to his sole prior open race success which had also come over 450m at Doncaster. 

The evening opened up with a win for Jimmy Gaskin's Redbrick Asp. A winner of five of his last eight starts, they have included victories over three different distances here, getting up late on in the day. He is still only a puppy to boot. 

Late Lola was the other winner on the card, scoring over 450m for Craig Williams. The veteran has been in flying form of late, with this her fourth win in a row and the third over the trip after a sprint win.