King reigns at Sunderland and Draper lands a Sheffield double
Cunnigar King was an impressive winner of one of the finals at Sunderland, while there was a double for Rose Draper at Sheffield.
Cunnigar is King at Sunderland
There were eight opens on the menu at Sunderland on Friday evening, including two finals.
Cunnigar King made the most of a dream run on the inside to turn in front and run out a comfortable winner of the Arena Racing Company Maiden Standard final.
Mark Bulmer’s 4/6 favourite stopped the clock at 26.98 over 450m and crossed the line two and a quarter lengths ahead of Ballymac Aki.
In the Arena Racing Company Winner Of One Sprint final over 261m, Ballymac Deboss made a race-winning move at the first bend as he chopped off his rivals in cutting in from trap six.
It was plain sailing for the 10/11 favourite thereafter and Carl Jackson’s inmate scored by five lengths in 15.78.
Stonepark Hoffa (1/6fav) was by far the fastest in the heats of the Arena Racing Company Dual Distance Stakes over 261m as he beat Bramble Nickeen by three and a half lengths in 15.42.
Whitehills Titan (10/11fav) touched off Winscale Wonder to land the second heat in 15.65, while Borneo Bucks (5/2) took the other heat by a length and three-quarters from Bramble Idris in 15.76 .
Arena Racing Company Dual Distance Stakes final
There were also two heats of the Arena Racing Company Stayers at the Wearside track, with the first instalment going to 10/11 favourite Bramble Elvis in 39.68 and Tom Heilbron’s Romeo Alonso (4/11fav) went quicker when hacking up 39.53.
Arena Racing Company Stayers final
The Arena Racing Company Puppy 450 saw Falling Star pop out and make all in fine style as Paul Miller’s charge crossed the line in 27.17.
Draper at the double
Rose Draper landed two of the four opens at Sheffield, including Slippy Keith’s gutsy victory over 500m.
Colliers Brynner put the pace to the race and was passed by Catunda Ciaran at the fourth bend but it was Slippy Keith who finished best and got up to score by a short head at 5/1 in 28.84 (+20).
His kennelmate Inca Brook (15/8fav) also stayed on strongly to score over the same trip and deny the trailblazing Easy Maximus in 29.21 (+10).
Ted Soppitt won the first of the opens courtesy of Sunnyside Jayden, who was an easy victor over 280m in 15.83 (+5), while Keady Touch (13/8fav)
landed the other sprint in 16.07 (+5) for Paul Prior.
