Memphis is the British Bred king of Towcester

Memphis gives British Bred rivals the blues

Queen Sinead opened up 2025 with a Category One triumph for Liz McNair in the third competition of the year and King Memphis closed things out with his BGBF British Bred Derby win, the third to last Category One winner of 2025. A fair time between drinks for a powerful team but they have closed out the year on a high with King Memphis roaring right back to his best.

A split of 4.00 set him on his way to a foot perfect win, none of his rivals remotely close to being able to lay a glove on him. It was this level of form that saw him sent off favourite in the 2024 Derby decider and the newly turned veteran still has plenty in the legs to run his rivals ragged.

Romeo Ability chased him home for Patrick Janssens, three lengths adrift, with trouble causing the others to be a further 10+ lengths back again. It was Venetian Will who would claim third for Kevin Hutton with Aero Borris, Coppice Lottie and Spiridon Zelus the other finalists for Richie Taberner, Hutton again and Heather Dimmock respectively. 

Janssens had better luck on the undercard with a hat-trick of winners. Slick Sentinel was the pick of them, his 28.88 just 10 spots off the time that King Memphis produced in the final. Runner-up in the Blue Riband to kick off his year, he also made the deciders of both the Sussex Cup and Gold Collar at Hove at the top level. 

Slick Skylark gave owner Keith Allsop a double on the afternoon, breaking the beam in 29.01. She is now the winner of four of her nine career starts, those four all coming in her last five runs, two at Central Park and one at Hove.

It was Fabulous Aria who closed out the treble in a race where half of the field had time on the front end. She got to the lead off the third bend and powered clear by six lengths. 

There was a double for Carol Weatherall with Born Racer adding to a quick sprint time last week with another. Connections have found a track that suits him well with both of those wins sub 15.60 which puts them both into the top 12 times of the year over 270m. Tre Cool was the other winner for the kennel.

Heather Dimmock was out of luck in the big final but Coffee Time Guys was an impressive all-the-way winner in a staying contest. Bombay Nutty gave chase but he was never able to get past, finishing third in the end with Alright Irene picking him up late for the runner-up spot.

Graded watchers at Towcester will have noted Romeo Hanyu climbing the ladder in the autumn, taking A5 and A4 contests before a pair of close seconds in A3. He got off the mark at the first time of asking in open company. Paul Philpott had the other winner on the card with Toomevara Sheera who landed a sprint.

Soapy Suds is quickest in the Puppy Oaks

The three semi-finals of the bet365 Puppy Oaks headlined the Oxford action in the afternoon where Soapy Suds took the plaudits for Debbie Calvert. She is from a nice family that includes a number of open race stayers and she suggested herself that 450m around Oxford is going to be as short as she wants. Scooby Diamond had set the pace for Nathan Hunt, making the decider and adding to a record that has seen her in the first two in 11 of her 13 career starts.

Beaming Carly broke her open race duck for Belinda Green, the second quickest of the semi winners. She has had more than her fair share of bad luck so far in her short career, so this will have been a very welcome first success. Droopys Tiffany chased her home to grab a spot in the final for Ricky Holloway.

The other semi went the way of Maxine Locke's Headford Lily. She had been the one to pick up Scooby Diamond in the opening round which makes her the other unbeaten runner in the competition ahead of the final next week. She won from the orange jacket last week which she will sport again in the final. Rapido Spy chased her home for Shaun Gresham.

Locke and Gresham were both on target on the undercard as well, the former with Droopys Will in the opening contest and the latter with Ballymac Madgie who was making her first start over eight bends, blitzing her rivals in style from the front.

Kevin Hutton was on the scoresheet with Coppice Ferry. It has taken connections a while to get him to the track but he is 2/2 now that he has. Their patience is starting to be rewarded, with a classy winning time of 26.70.

Aero Pumpkin was a smart scorer on his UK debut last week at Towcester when making every yard of the running. His win yesterday could not have been any different, having to come from out the back to run down Adam Sear's Mr Flashy in the shadow of the post. That suggests that he is one to follow next year for Richie Taberner.

Sear would have a winner with My Lennie in a sprint contest. It was the first race at the track for him since April, returning in style to see off Hutton's smart Union Piper. 

Janssens raids Sheffield for a double

Romeo Steel didn't make the BGBF British Bred Derby final for Patrick Janssens but he made quite the impression back at Sheffield, clocking 28.50 in a near 10-length demolition. He is responsible for four of the eight fastest times over the 500m distance in 2025, clocking up win 22 in the process, just one off the leader King Presley.

The Janssens double was started off in a sprint by Yahoo Megan. Her 15.85 put her into the top 10 times of the year, with two wins and a second from three track starts. Punters would've expected another Janssens winner with Romeo Empire but he found trouble in a six-bend contest which saw Sean Davy's Very Elegant get her head in front late on.

Ted Soppitt had the runner for the notebook on the day with a winning debut from Ballymac Buddy. A litter brother to Jimmy Fenwick's Woltemade who has made quite the impression himself in his early races, it was a 28.66 win from the pup, just two lengths off Romeo Steel.

There was a winner for David Fradgely as Tiermana Lucky added a second success from his last three starts over the 480m trip. Gwyneth Rees closed out the card with a win for Easy Maximus, Rose Draper landed a sprint with Crokers Harry and Colin Handford's Chart Topper also got his head in front again. 

Star Pelaw treble for Heilbron

The Tom Heilbron kennel are finishing the year with a flourish. Three runners in the All England Cup final at the end of the week to look forward to and three winners at Star Pelaw last night. It took the kennel up to 120 open race winners for the year after a career year in 2024.

Romeo Alonso gave his rivals a running lesson when stepping up to eight bends for the first time. His 48.42 was the third quickest of the year over the 780m distance, beating Savana Clowns and Intrepidity who have the two fastest of the year in the process.

There was a promising UK debut last week from Vegas Kemosabe and he stepped up on that to get off the mark at the second time of asking. His dam is a litter sister to 2023 Oaks first past the post No Rush, so there is plenty of speed in the family.

It was a sprint where Heilbron's third winner came with Little Pretender. A July 24 whelp, he was breaking his duck at the fourth time of asking, clocking a more than respectable 14.76 in the process. 

Quickest over four bends in the opens was Popper Joe for Henry Young, though Here Comes Bob went faster in an A4 which is a name that warrants remembering for John Watson. Hillside Lily added to her excellent 2025 haul with another success for Martin Stout to close out the evening. It was a 12th open win from 24 starts this year.

Marymount Joy was a quick sprint winner for Scott Storrie. She has only finished out of the first two once in her last 14 starts now, capable from four, five and six, a super consistent performer. A 590m contest went the way of Port West Storm for Dean Blackbird, getting his head in front late on to run down long time leader Acomb Irene who had given a bold sight out in front.