Race fumbles cause trouble at the Coral Brighton Belle in Hove
Hove saw an exciting £2,500 Coral Brighton Belle final last night as Swift Ribena wasted a good start and a strong lead only to give up the win to Paradise Alexus. Unlikely Mover lost his lead late in the Belle Hurdle to Handy Magic, and the day’s first race, the Belle Maiden (Division Z), saw the closest finish of the day with Rathglass Charm placing first.
Paradise Alexus won the Coral Brighton Belle final by 1 1/3 lengths over Boherna Blackie. Swift Ribena was quick out of the traps and lead for most of the race, but Alexus surged ahead after the fourth bend. The 5-4 race favorite, Spinkys Nod, went ahead to claim the third spot. Blackie and Nod were able to get ahead of Ribena, but trailed Alexus for the entire race. Droopys Start, who was expected to finish higher than fifth, ran the race for the first half, but baulked near the halfway mark, finishing a shoulder behind Ribena. 20-1 longshot, Tidy Clover, placed last in the final.
Handy Magic won the Belle Hurdle after Unlikely Mover hit the fourth hurdle and gave up the lead. Magic was quick out of the traps, but Mover’s fumble gave him the win. Mover hung on to second, losing by only a head to Magic. Secret Dreams, at 10-1, took third. Dreams ran well and only lost ground later in the race, but stayed ahead of the rest of the pack, who were having trouble with the hurdles. Lindwood Dazzler finished fourth after losing ground on the first bend and the third hurdle. 2-1 race favourite Tyronne Flyer stumbled on the third hurdle and finished fifth, while Pretty Maldini, at 3-1, stumbled on the first hurdle and never recovered.
The Belle Maiden saw a close finish between three hounds. 6-4 race favourite, Rathglass Charm, took the top spot over Mandela House by a head, and Knockderk View finished a neck behind House. Charm ended with a time of 30.29, House a mere .01 seconds behind, with View another .03 seconds behind House. Charm led the race early, and managed to keep it despite a late challenge from House. View lost some ground after the first bend, but was able to keep up the pace for a close finish. Fenland Swift was close behind but kept wide, but wasn’t able to close the gap. Swift took fourth ahead of Henlenas Impact, who, 2-1, barely kept ahead of 10-1 longshot Ballytag Dec.
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