Four for Hutton at Monmore and three at Hove for Green

Hutton extends away trainers lead in open championship

Four winners on Thursday night at Monmore saw Kevin Hutton adding to his lead at the top of the visitors Open Championship table. Venetian Will got things right at the traps to pick up a second win over 630m. This is as far as he would want to go against proper stayers but his four-bend pace means that he is always going to take plenty of picking up.

Hutton's three winners over 480m were split by less than 10 spots. Signet Nayla followed up her win from a week ago with another rock-solid effort, beating an improving youngster in Cascabel in 28.50.

That was the exact same time that Venetian Jojo had produced in the race prior. That was a puppy contest, the winner getting off the mark in her career at the fourth time of asking. She is from the first litter of an unraced dam who is from the same family as the likes of Sober Glory and Skywalker Barry.

Ollie The Ox rounded out the Hutton winners, picking up win number eight in just his 14th career start. Already a Cat One finalist and semi-finalist, he took up the running past halfway to turn out a two and a half length winner.

Second to Hutton in the away trainers table is Mark Wallis. A double on the night added to his recent winners at the track with Armagh Daithi once more just how well this track suits him, dipping under 28 seconds with his win. That is now four straight wins over track and trip for him.

There was a 630m win for Newinn Cloud to get Wallis started on the evening. Coming off the back of making the Arena Racing Company Grand Prix final for the second straight year, he was made a warm order and justified his position at the head of the market with a comfortable four-length success. 

There is a handy lead at the top of the home trainers standings for Kim Billingham-Hine who grabbed a double of her own. Mon Amie slipped down to A8 to pick up her first win at the track, rising to A4 and D2 wins before taking a sprint open at the first attempt. Two bends certainly looks more her game.

A sprint over the shorter of the two distances was won by Catchem Boyo, perhaps not the Billingham-Hine winner that punters expected in the race with Newinn Bachelor sent off as the favourite. The winner is a smart enough sprinter in his own right, picking up his fourth open race success.

Continuing the string of double winners, Brian Thompson got in on the act, topping and tailing the card with Westway Ruby and Paradise Sky. The first of those was in a puppy contest, adding an open race to a progressive profile having kicked off her career in A5 at the start of the year.

The latter has been struggling a little to find her form this year so far. She was an Oaks semi-finalist last year, so is a classy type when she is on good terms with herself. Hopefully for her connections, she can build on this sprint success and get back to her best again,

There were two other sprints on the card over 264m, the quicker of the pair going to Paddy Curtin's Longacres Danny.  It brought up a hat-trick of wins over the sprint trip for him after a pair of D1 successes.

Chris Fereday won the other with Wanfourtoeknee. He had not been able to get his head in front in D1 races of late but picked up his second open from his last three starts at this level. 

Trio of winners for Belinda Green at Hove

Three winners in three straight races saw Belinda Green make the early part of the Hove card her own.Bombshell Bullet got things started with a very smart 29.15 effort. She had rattled off a six-timer before exiting the Coral Brighton Belle in the opening round. She comfortably got the better of smart yardsticks in Rapido Roisin and Droopys Invent.

A sprint win for Mob Moretti picked up the second leg, showing the best early boot. He only got his head in front once in his first 14 career starts but has now won two of his last three so the penny looks like it is dropping with him now. 

The hat-trick was finished off by Peachy Bullet who got the better of a potentially smart type in Bubbly Sheeran. The prior race experience of the winner got the job done, picking up his first success at the fifth time of asking. The runner-up remains a very smart prospect for the future. 

While Paul Young was out of luck with Bubbly Sheeran, he picked up a pair of winners on the night with Bowmers Wildcat getting Burton Lodge off to a winning start. He is 2/2 since coming back from a near seven-month spell without a race.

Vahbelle picked up a win in the second quickest time of the year over 500m, only third as they crossed the line the first time but she showed the best pace to pick up the lead at the opening bend. She showed some decent form at Romford to start her career but looks to enjoy the bigger track, allowing her to stretch her legs.

Six bends really has been the making of Powerhouse Duke. Seamus Cahill's runner produced a quick 41.69 to pick up his third win in four starts over the 695m distance. Only Mongys Wild has beaten him so far here, with just that Mark Wallis runner and his kennelmate Bombay Nutty producing quicker times over track and trip this year. 

The other six-bend event was nothing like as slick on the clock, won by David Elcock's Slaneyside Ross. It was his final day of holding puppy status, celebrating with an all-the-way win on his six-bend debut. 

Derek Knight got a winner with Candolim Typhoon who was making his race debut for the kennel. He was an A1 winner at Dundalk on his final race in Ireland, stopping the clock in a very smart 29.15 last night, despite not picking up the running until coming around the last bend. 

There was a decent sprint win from Maxine Locke's Beaming Isla. The Silver Salver finalist from last year paced up best to see off a pair of in-form types at very different ends of their careers in Lesleys Buddy and Guzzler.

Carl Gardiner had the winner with the biggest odds on the night in the shape of Jackpot Blue. All of his winning had come from the two box to this point in his career but he broke his maiden in the black jacket. This could be a race that works out pretty well as a form guide.

The final race of the evening went to Burrows Storm and Jason Heath. An open race winer over the sprint trip here back in October, he was getting off the mark in opens over four bends after a pair of A1 victories.