Perfection from Butlers Lane once more at Dunstall
There was open class action on Friday night from Dunstall Park where Butlers Lane kept her unbeaten record intact as well as at Romford where Fabulous Sonique starred.
Butlers Lane makes it 8/8 at Dunstall Park
Barry Denby's Oaks heroine just keeps on trucking at Dunstall Park, last night from an unfamiliar draw in the white jacket. She had not started from trap three since her UK debut at Nottingham back in September 2024 but it made no difference. In fact, a 2.93 split is the quickest that she has recorded at the track so far.
It was a performance that just makes you smile, and hopefully there will be many more to come for her veteran trainer. Her early gears are an asset that most could only ever dream of and as long as she has that weapon to go to war with, it's going to take a very good one to lower her colours.
There was a double for Kim Billingham-Hine on the evening, though perhaps not the one that she would have been expecting. Newinn Souly was sent off a warm order for the sprint and duly obliged from what had looked an ace draw on the rails. The winner of both of his starts at the track now, he could be another who ends up being a win machine at the venue.
The surprise for Billingham-Hine came with Pain Barrier being turned over by his kennelmate Droopys Poker. Take nothing away from the strong-running winner, adding to prior open race success at Monmore, Towcester and Nottingham but Pain Barrier is the track record holder, arriving with two of the seven sub 28-second times run at the track to his credit.
There was an exceptional run in the race from Jab And Run who has already proven himself to be one of the top graders at the track, and showed enough pace to beat Pain Barrier to the bend despite a 2.98 split from that rival.
A single spot separated the heat wins of Da Don and Laughil Larry last week in a maiden competition but the pair had to give best to the winner of the third heat Brickhill Lewis in the final last night. Robert Hall's charge has only had those two runs after coming over from Galway where he was 2/3, including in a solid 28.81. He looks a nice type for the team to go to war with in 2026.
Two heats of a maiden stayers were the other open contests on the night with Toomuchchat the quicker of the heat winners for Simon Deakin. He had looked a talented (though rather frustrating) type for Kevin Boon but the change of kennel has quickly doubled his career win tally.
According to the betting, it should've been a Deakin double in the heats but Nathan Hunt's Bogger Una had other ideas in a race that completely changed complexion at the fifth bend. Expect Deakin's Now And Then to still go off favourite for the final next week as she looks to avenge her defeat,
Sonique keeps piling on the wins
It was a little harder work last night for Fabulous Sonique than has sometimes been the case, having to battle to wrest the lead off Aayamza Legend before holding off the late charge of Bacon Frazzles. We ran out of superlatives for Mark Wallis's veteran a long time ago, these days just enjoying her while she is still in action and picking up wins like they are going out of fashion.
Rolo Rosie made a winning start to life over eight bends for Sally Johnson. For those who had seen her at odds on earlier in the day, the 7/4 starting price will have been something of a surprise, getting on top late on to pick up the long time leader Crossfield Roger.
The shock of the evening came in the standard final where Katie O'Flaherty's Silver Bucks came out on top at 14/1. His early pace and great attitude have seen him one of the most consistent types at the track for a couple of years now, picking up win number 20 from 55 starts. Up against the likes of Vermithor and Yahoo Mareike, he forced his head in front late in a three-way photo.
A slightly lesser surprise was the win of On the Payroll at the 13th time of asking. Chaddy Boy had been the one for money all day but Gemma Evans's charge got to the front and set a relentless gallop to get the job done, looking much better suited to the step up in trip of late than he was by 400m.
There was an invitational race on the card run in the memory of Yvonne Gaskin which went the way of Paul Burr's Tally Ho Socks. The sole unseeded runner in the contest, he was too strong from the third bend for his rivals.
