Farloe Warhawk takes Barrie Draper to victory in Williamhill.com Puppy Derby at Wimbledon
Barrie Draper’s speedy dog, Farloe Warhawk, held off his kennel-mate, Ballymac Eske, to earn a close victory in the grand finale of Williamhill.com Puppy Derby, taken place at Wimbledon on Tuesday, August 7th.
It was certainly a nail-biting contest between Draper’s pair. Farloe Warhawk succeeded in gaining a decent lead at the first bend, but Ballymac Eske did not allow him to stretch his advantage, and kept getting closer with every stride.
After a few breathtaking moments, Farloe Warhawk, the even-money favourite, managed to secure the top rank only by a head’s distance, stopping the clock in 28.32 seconds.
Ballymac Eske, who was given the odds of 2 to 1, took a wonderful start to lead in the beginning. However, he could retain his advantage only for a while, and let the favourite runner take the game away from him.
Whittle Murtagh, who was considered to be the main danger to Draper’s duo, was completely unable to come up with a serious challenge. Despite having a clear run, the 5-1 chance could not make an impact and as a result, ended up third by three and a quarter
lengths.
The bookmakers quickly reacted to Farloe Warhawk’s magnificently triumph, as William Hill shortened him to 16-1 for next year’s Derby. By clinching the top prize, the son of Ace Hi Rumble proved his ability to excel consistently at Wimbledon.
Despite failing to make a decent start, the black dog did well to keep himself prominent. He unleashed a spectacular effort to put Whittle Murtagh and Ballymac Eske under plenty of pressure. The latter kept disturbing his kennel-mate right through the meeting,
but failed to do anything special.
On seizing the top two places, Draper stated: "It was a great race. Farloe Warhawk missed his break, and then showed great pace up. Ballymac Eske ran a blinder, too. His future is more likely to lie over stiffer four-bend trips, but Wimbledon is tailor-made
for Farloe Warhawk and it showed tonight."
It was Draper’s second consecutive win in the Puppy Derby. The veteran trainer earned this glory 12 months ago, when Eden Star took him to a comprehensive victory. He will be represented by Eden Star, Farloe Warhawk and Ballymac Eske in next year’s Classic.
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