Steel lands first Category One title in Yarmouth romp

Steel lands first Category One title in Yarmouth romp

Romeo Steel lands his first Category One success with an all the way success in The Click Communications East Anglian Derby at Yarmouth 

Having won the Category Two BGBF Truframe Champion Stakes at Towcester on Derby final night back in June and reached the final of last year’s Category One Premier Greyhound Racing Eclipse at Nottingham, Romeo Steel produced a front running display to make all the running in the final of The Click Communications East Anglian Derby at Yarmouth last night and in doing so, landed that first Category One title and the £15,000 winners prize

Punters who took the 6/4 Ante Post odds, or even those who went in at the 2/5 available earlier in the day never had a moments worry in the final, or even throughout the competition as the Patrick Janssens runner made all the running to go unbeaten through the competition

Without showing an electric burst of early pace, Romeo Steel managed to lead up to the first bend but had company on his outside as Kevin Boon’s Bockos Buster had also broken well, and there was nothing between them at the first bend.

However, the presence of Romeo Steel (30/100F) on his inside just gave Bockos Buster a barrier rounding the first bend and lost a tiny bit of momentum, but it was enough to see Romeo Steel building up a lead of a couple of lengths, which then extended down the back. At that point it was game over, as he strode clear to record a five and a quarter length victory in 27.17 from Jason Heath’s 20/1 shot Burrows Charm, who put in some good late work to nab the runner up spot on the run for home with the Dave Mullins Brindle Bully back in third.

That landed a double on the night for Janssens as he had earlier been on target with Not So Steady (EvsF), who made all the running in a decent looking contest to record a three length victory in 27.50 (-10) (below)

Rarely does a finals night pass without a Mark Wallis winner, and it was Newinn Cloud (11/8F) who obliged for the kennel as he battled well to land the MWD Partnership Derby Purse and the £2,000 prize over the six bend distance 

Having led when the traps opened, he just drifted off rounding the first bends as he did last week, enabling the John Mullins runner Wrighty to hit the front to build up a lead of just over a length. Down the back, Cartoonist joined the party alongside Newinn Cloud and it looked as the Craig Morris’s runner could have a say, but Newinn Cloud (below) got up the inside of Wrighty heading into the fifth bend to hit the front and was able to draw clear for a five and a half length victory from Wrighty back in second in 40.27 (-15)

The other big race on the card, the £1,500 to the winner MWD Partnership Sprint, went the way of the locals as the John Mullins trained outsider of the field Acejukeboxpopper (12/1) caused a surprise when beating the Patrick Janssens trained odds on 4/7F favourite Yahoo Megan by two and a half lengths in 16.09 (-5).

Yahoo Megan was an impressive winner last week and had time in hand on the field, but had a tricky draw to overcome out in trap five. It was Acejukeboxpopper who trapped best off and hit the front in the early stages to build up a lead of a length and a half into the first bend, though Yahoo Megan, who hadn’t broken as well as she can, gave chase, but when trying to pass on the inside rounding the bends, just had the door closed on her, enabling Acejukeboxpopper to keep up the momentum in front, crossing the line two and a half lengths clear of Yahoo Megan.

Elsewhere on the card, the MWD Partnership East Anglia Derby Marathon over 843m was won by the Anthony Gifkins trained Capel Rose ( 4/1). Heading into the final bends, Ballymac Nova had a lead of four lengths and it looked as though the Pamela Cross local may hold on, but Capel Rose was making up ground with each stride, hitting the front close home to score by a length and a quarter in 54.22 (-40)

There were also a couple of other six bend contests at either end of the card. Tis Tough (4/1) trapped well and made all the running in the Maiden by four and a quarter lengths in 41.12 (-40) for trainer Richard Fitch, while Erica Samuels took the finale as her Outdoor Cracker (2/1) picked up Jason Heath’s front running 2/5F Burrows Eclipse on the run for home for a length and a half success in 40.75.

That victory also landed the double on the night for Samuels, who had struck earlier on the card when Kereight Fraud (3/1) drew clear off the last bend for a three and three quarter length victory in a time of 28.03 (-20) over the 462m distance

Other winners over the four bend distance were Kevin Cobbold’s Worth The Risk (EvsF), who got proceedings underway when fending off the unwanted attentions of Backing It Up to gain a narrow victory by a head in 28.44 (-30), Alfies Lad (7/2) who led round the opening bends to win well in a time of 27.82 (-10) for Craig Morris, and, the strong running Strathrannoch (7/4JF), who came from off the pace for a short head victory to give Irene Barnard a winner in 27.60

Linda Brown was responsible for the other winner on the card over the 277m distance as her Good Twilight (10/1) caused a bit of an upset when making all the running for a three length success in a time of 16.22

Future Opens:

Friday: Romford  , Sunderland

Saturday: Doncaster, 

Sunday:Sheffield