Shadow Storm sets the standard again in the Silver Salver

Rees sprinter well on top in Silver Salver

Shadow Storm didn't hit the lids as well as he did in his heat of the Arena Racing Company Silver Salver but his pace to the turn took him to the front  in his semi-final. He was a couple of spots in front of what he produced seven nights back, and 21 ticks in front of any of his rivals. He has sported the red jacket in both wins, moving out to the white jacket of three in the final next week. Pavilion Team chased him home for Mark Wallis.

Wallis picked up a win himself with Ballinakill Liam who is working his way back to full fitness following a broken hock. He was runner-up in the final last year to Rioja Oisin, making his way to the decider again at the main expense of Craig Morris's Nightingale Crew who had paced up to the bend best on the inside. 

The other semi-final saw drama as early leader Bucking Bucks was taken out of the contest by Raha Jaykay. That left the door open for Afzal Ali's Hackney Toast to land the biggest win of his career to this point, showing his versatility after a pair of 500m open race wins at Towcester. Headford Cian grabbed the other qualifying slot for Maxine Locke.

On the undercard there were a couple of wins for the Locke kennel, kicking off with 2024 bet365 English Puppy Oaks winner Yahoo Maizy. She has picked up a pair of top grade sprints since her trainer joined the track but had no issues over the 491m distance.

Ballymac Kobe doubled up for Locke, popping out in front of his field with a 3.03 split. A very strong runner over four bends, he is nigh on impossible to pick up when he has gets on the bunny before the first turn, so credit to Paul Donovan's Westwood Shay who backed up his recent smart efforts with a length defeat here. 

Barry O'Sullivan also picked up a brace on the evening, with Good Rainbow landing one of the two staying contests on the card by a pair of short heads. All of the money had come for Aero Pepinillo who had set his stall out from an early stage. He didn't quite squeak far enough clear, however, with the pack charging home late. 

Harlequin Lizzie had grabbed the opening win for O'Sullivan to score for this sixth time in just 10 starts for the kennel. She impressed with her early pace once more to pick up her third open race success. A little over a length clear at the sectional, she maintained that lead crossing the line on the second occasion. 

The top run on the night on the clock was produced by Bubbly Evie for Tony Dean as she clocked the second fastest 664m ever run at the track. She was visually stunning, giving former track record holder Princess Matilda a nine and a half length drubbing from the front. Runner-up to Droopys Rated in the TV Trophy, she is a perfect 3/3 over this track and trip.

Dave Lee's Donishall Sam got his head in front in a 491m contest. He made the final 24 in the Derby without picking up a win for Graham Holland, which left Lee with a maiden that felt like a formality. It didn't transpire that way on the track though as Clona Crystal almost took the race from the front, just run down late on.

Another ex Graham Holland winner on the card was Rural Pest for Gemma Evans. He had shown the best speed to the bend to win a week ago and repeated the dose in what looked a stronger race. A Time Juvenile Derby finalist at Shelbourne last summer, he should be capable of making his presence felt at a higher level here as well. 

The most emotional winner of the night was Crossbar for Kerry Schimmefennig. It was a first open race winner for her since taking over the licence following the passing of Dave Puddy. December was the last time that the bitch had got her head in front, qualifying for next week's Bitches Trophy final alongside the Yahoo Maizy race.

The evening opened with a win for Blacklabel Power for Debbie Hurlock. The puppy had won an A8 at Romford on his most recent start but the more galloping track saw him improve on that form, getting his head in front late in the day. He was the first of three to run down a Richie Taberner runner in the shadow of the post on a so near yet so far evening for the Monmore handler.

Nick Carter took the other open race on the night with Sportsmans Jet. He was another getting his head in front for the first time in 2026, picking up the running halfway around the final two bends to run out a comfortable three-length winner. 

Morris continues Doncaster domination 

There was a treble at Doncaster for Craig Morris, the third week in a row that he has left the Yorkshire track with at least three winners. 25 runners have been sent there across the last five weeks, the kennel returning with 11 winners at a 40% clip.

Sent off the 1/5 market leader, Bossman Buddy was expected to take his 450m contest with ease, and he did exactly that. Eight lengths was the winning margin, producing the third fastest time of 2026 in the process. The 2025 National Produce Stakes winner at Clonmel, he kept warm company in his time in Ireland and has found Doncaster very much to his liking.

Droopys Assured is still learning his craft, showing smart pace to the opening bend after no more than a fair exit. The feeling after just five career starts (winning four of them) is that there are still lengths to be found with him once he puts a complete run together. There is no sign of the Yorkshire Derby in the calendar just yet but he would look the perfect type for that September staple if it appears.

The Morris treble was brought up by Chelms Charmer who got enough of a lead in the early stages to hold off the late charge of Rose Draper's Clongeel Goody who had been sent off favourite. The winner had lost the winning thread a touch of late but he scored seven times in 10 runs from early February to early April, so could be set for a smart few weeks now he has got his head in front again.

Draper had already had a pair of winners on the night, boasting a strike rate of more than 38% at the track herself in 2026. Both came over 483m with Inca Brook the quicker of the pair. He had finished a length off On The Wall last time he was at the track, that runner flying around in an A2 at the morning meeting at the track. Inca Brook did enough to get around in front and avoid the trouble behind. 

The other winner for Draper was Good Molly. Still a puppy until the end of the month, she found this easier than the opposition that she had been taking on of late at her home track of Sheffield. An A1 winner there, she had shaped well in a trial at this venue last week and built on that knowledge with a fluent display from the front. 

There was a great run to the Derby quarter-final stage for Carl Jackson's Droopys Sort and he landed a 450m contest on the card. He was seven lengths behind Bouncing Monarch on his only other start at this track, getting his head in front for the first time since All England Cup final night at Newcastle back in December.

Two staying races on the night saw wins for Ballintubberstar and Conlig Annie for Barry Denby and David Fradgley resepctively. The former set the third fastest of the year on debut over six bends, sweeping past Doncaster stalwart Rockmount Kate at the third bend. Her grand-dam is Beachgrove Bell who won over as far as 915m at Perry Barr so there is plenty of stamina in the family.

Conlig Annie came away running in her staying race, always in front to go on and score by seven lengths. She had been tried over 890m at this track a couple of times in the past, so connections have no doubts about her stamina. Once she had gone around in front, there was no way back for her opponents. 

Diane Cross has a nice sprinter on her hands in Blow Out. She has been keeping decent company at her home track of Sheffield and looked to enjoy the switch to Doncaster, electric from the boxes to kick off the night as the first of three dogs to set the third quickest time of the year over one of the trips.

The other sprint on the card went to Grovenor Sophie for Nicola Langley, the Kinsley raider making the breakthrough at open race level. Jimmy Gaskin won the other race on the card, a 450m contest with Annual Mason, the ex Hove runner taking advantage of a messy contest. 

Knights with a quickfire Pelaw brace

Ronald Knights picked up a pair of open race winners at Star Pelaw last night, starting with Inclement Queen who made all the running in a 435m maiden. She had shown some smart form over the sprint trip at this track but arrived after a bout of seconditis. She got to the front early which was a clear help to her, holding off the late challenge of Glenn Foot's Slingshot Franky who had been the subject of plenty of support in the ring.

The very next race saw Knights bring up a front-running double with Fabulous Spell. It had been a while since she had shown the very best of her form at this track, making the final of the Untold Racing Stewards Cup over this same 590m trip last autumn. Like her kennelmate, it had been a while since she got on the bunny in a race and that made all the difference. 

While Foot was out of luck with Slingshot Franky, he did manage to grab an open winner later on in the night with Mary Gee. She had flown up the graded ladder earlier on in the year, winning A6, A4, A3 and A2 within a spell of six graded starts but this was her breakthrough at open race level. 

Over the sticks, Mickeys Tribute made it 5/5 at the track and on a quick surface, he dipped below his own track record, stopping the clock at 25.78. He only had his own kennelmates to beat this week but he did it in style by three and a half lengths. 

Neil Chapman had another successful raid of the opens with Brinkleys Louis. It's only eight weeks since Chapman had his first Star Pelaw runner in an open, with this his ninth success, a career high as we hit the halfway point of the year. It was just win number four in 50 starts for Louis, with two of them in opens at this track.

There was a speedy sprint win from Colin Dibb's Burgess Siun who had picked up a string of graded wins in recent weeks. She was the first to show from the lids and that was enough on a night when it was hard to reel those who turned in front back in.

A six-bend maiden went to Hello Me Man for David Alcorn. In contrast to most, he was helped by a steadier start as it meant that he avoided the early trouble, slipping around the second bend into the lead.