Ballymac holds all the aces in the Laurels semi-finals
Form is temporary, class is permanent.
Very cliché, yes, but following a hound this evening who embodies that statement could prove to be a profitable investment.
Ballymac Ace was majorly disappointing in the Ladbrokes Gold Cup in August, finishing last in the final, but he has seemed to have found his mojo once again. Chris Allsopp would have been beaming in the stands watching his speed merchant destroy his opponents in the heats of the Laurels at Belle View, and Allsopp will be hoping the return to form was no flash in the pan.
Ace lines up in the Stan James Laurels 2nd semi-final tonight and brings to the party the quickest time from the previous round (27.81). The Pall Mall winner also looks to have landed a fantastic position from the traps drawn in between two slow starting runners’ in Reluctant and Judicial Pause, if he breaks anywhere near his best, it could be a case of ‘race over’ inside the first bend.
Allsopp’s hopes of outright success in the competition obviously are at the paws of Ballymac Ace, but Fatboyz Romeo, who runs in the Stan James Laurels 3rd semi-final, could well be an underrated dog who looks to be improving race-by-race. After suffering a hock injury in the bettor.com Peterborough Puppy, Allsopp decided not to rush the son of Westmead Hawk back and it paid dividends as he went on to win a valuable puppy competition at Monmore in August following a three month lay-off. He is still very inexperienced but is without question unexposed against the market leaders in this heat, and could be worth a shot at the current prices.
In the Stan James Laurels 1st semi-final course specialist Sunoak Crystal, who won this prize last year, looks to be one to take on current favourite Magna Buddy with. There could be some early crowding involving the inside traps and the black and white jacket can sneak up unnoticed late on to land the spoils and reach next Tuesday’s final, which is being shown live on Skysports 4.
Tags: