Westmead Maldini goes fastest in the Coral Sussex Cup Semi-finals at Hove
Westmead Maldini, Nick Savva’s charge, recorded the fastest time of 29.91 seconds in the semi-final round of the Coral Sussex Cup, when outsmarting the 4-5 favourite, Loughteen Blanco, by three quarters of a length in the opening encounter at Hove.
Despite a bit of hesitation at the third bend, the blue dog managed to attain a handsome lead, which he retained until the end. The 7-2 chance ran so well that, it was impossible for the rest of the crew to catch him.
On the other hand, S. Cahill’s favourite runner picked up an early pace to lead soon after the beginning. However, the blue hound completely failed to keep himself in front and as a result, ended up second by ¾ of a length.
The second semi-final saw Holloway Road producing a huge upset, as he beat the 2-1 favourite, Mark My Words, by a head’s distance. It was a nail-biting clash between the two maverick runners and, after some breathtaking moments, J. Mullins' trainee managed to grab the first prize.
The 4-1 chance achieved a handsome lead early on, and subsequently established his dominance by running well on the inside rail of the track. Mark My Words, on the other hand, was slowly away. Despite getting blocked in the middle, he gave a lot of hard time to the winning hound. Holloway Road wrapped up the proceedings in 30.23 seconds.
Airlie Impact lived up to the expectations, and clinched a comprehensive win in the third and last semi-final. Despite not getting an impressive start, the black dog, trained by P. Young, succeeded in getting a decent lead at the third bend.
Following a splendid effort, Royal Impact’s son ensured the top rank by 4 1/4 lengths, stopping the clock in 30.11 seconds.
Offshore Rebel was unable to challenge the triumphant hound, but did well to seal the runner-up spot. The blue dog, who was carrying the lowest odds of 33 to 1, shocked everyone by cruising to the big finale.
Although, Westmead Maldini was the most impressive runner in the semis, Airlie Impact has been installed as the 6/4 favourite for Tuesday's £10,000 final.
Draw for the Sussex Cup final (with Coral betting): 1. Loughteen Blanco (9-4) 2. Mark My Words (7-1) 3. Westmead Maldini (3-1) 4. Holloway Road (12-1) 5. Offshore Rebel (50-1) 6. Airlie Impact (6-4)
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