Friday Night Open report- Mullins lands hat-trick at Romford while Soppitt takes both £500 finals at Sunderland

Friday Night Open report- Mullins lands hat-trick at Romford while Soppitt takes both £500 finals at Sunderland

Friday Night saw open racing at three tracks, Romford, Sunderland and at Nottingham, which saw Dave Mullins landing a hat-trick at Romford while Ted Soppitt enjoyed success at Sunderland, taking home both of the £500 finals on offer

It proved to be a good night for front runners at Romford as nine of the ten opens were won by greyhounds who had hit the front coming out of the second bend. 

Dave Mullins got off the mark in the first open race contest of the evening, taking heat one of the Romford Friday Night 500 Standard as Brindle Bully (5/2) turned the opening bend in a handy position before taking up the lead down the back, going on to record a three and a half length victory in a fast time of 23.64, the sixth fastest time recorded at the Essex track this year, with Yahoo Mareike and Bombay Buck also qualifying for next week’s final.

Mullins bookended the card by taking the finale as Calypso Moon (5/1) trapped well and made all the running for a length and a half victory from favourite Le Pur Sang in 23.91 (+10) to secure the hat-trick for the evening.

Inbetween both victories, Ten Fold (7/1) was able to trap well and make all the running in one of the two £500 finals on the card, running out a comfortable three and three quarter length victory in the Romford Friday Night 500 Maiden Final having overcome some crowding round the opening bend to do so.

The other £500 final on the card, the Romford Friday Night 500 Maiden Stayers went the way of the Paul Young trained Airtech Amigo (5/4F) who blasted clear of the field when recording a quick 13.34 sectional and was able to build up a winning lead, stopping the clock in 35.40 (+20) for a length and a half victory over the 575m distance.

 That victory was part of a double for the Young kennel who had earlier been on target with another favourite as Funky Ryan (5/6F) took up the lead from Crokers Bluebell rounding the opening bends before going on to record a comfortable three and a half length victory in 24.03 (+10)

The second heat of the Romford Friday Night 500 Standard went the way of Dave Lee’s New Era Baby (7/2), who hit the front rounding the opening bend and went on to score in good fashion, running out a two length winner from Piemans Goalie and Racenight Mikey in 23.94. The trap draw for the final can be found below

There were also two heats of the Doug Tyler Summer Cup over 575m, with the first heat going the way of the Mark Wallis trained Fabulous Sonique (1/5F). The recent Coral Coronation Cup winner made it eight wins from her last ten starts over course and distance, pinging the lids from the boxes to make all the running from the staying on Jades Rocket for a length and a half victory in 35.16, with Snoozing Jimmy taking the final qualifying spot back in third.

The second heat saw another all the way victory, this time for Nathan Hunt’s Untold Paanga (15/8) who produced a similar performance to Fabulous Sonique, leading from the traps within strides before going on to record a two length success in 35.20, just half a length slower set by the previous heat winner, setting up an interesting final next week. They will be joined by Pin All In and Bacon Frazzles, finishing second and third respectively. The trap draw can be found below

Hunt also landed a double on the card in the following race, the sole sprint contest over 225m of the evening when his Teaboy Brownie (2/1) hit the front round the opening bends for a two length victory over Katsumoto in 13.56, with the hat-trick seeking favourite Daring Hoffa finishing down the field after a moderate break for Martyn Wiley. 

Wiley landed some compensation later on in the card though when his Oioi Savaloy (7/4F) led round the first bend to land a first open race success in 24.13 (+10) for a three quarter length success.

Soppitt lands Sunnyside double in both £500 finals at Sunderland

Six open races formed part of Sunderland’s twelve race card, including two £500 finals, both of which went the way of Ted Soppitt’s Sunnyside Gurkha and Sunnyside Jayden.

Sunnyside Gurkha (6/4F) was a wide margin winner of The Arena Racing Company Maiden Final over 450m. Having recovered from an early bump with Amber Dollar after turning right out of the traps, Soppitt’s runner showed good pace to lead on the run to the bend, and with some more trouble occurring behind, Sunnyside Gurkha was never in any trouble, going on to record a seven length victory in 26.85 (+10), landing a first success. 

Soppitt was also on target in the following contest, The Arena Racing Company Sprint Trophy Final over 261m as his Sunnyside Jayden (5/6F) was another comfortable winner as the short priced favourite recorded a trap to line success for a four length victory in 15.51 (+5). Getup Me Lad paced up to the bend with the winner, but the result was never in doubt when Sunnyside Jayden cut across that rival at the first bend.

There were three heats of The Arena Racing Company Dual Distance Maiden over 261m, with the first two qualifying for the final over 450m next Friday

Fastest of the three heat winners was Carrick Rooney (11/8) in the first heat, leading at the first bend for Chantelle McNicholas, who went on to record a three and a quarter length victory in 15.67, with Dean Blackbird’s Tullymurry Shine back in second.

The second heat saw Blackbird again finishing runner up, this time his Eden Dolly finished a length and a half behind the Star Pelaw trained Jaydee Baby (5/2) with David Wilkinson’s runner breaking well for an all the way success in the marginally slower time of 15.69.

Blackbird landed the hat-trick of runner up finishes in the third heat as his La Princesa overcame some early crowding but stayed on well to finish runner up behind Mark Bulmer’s Capel Bubbles (5/2), who led at the first bend for a three quarter of a length victory in 16.00. The trap draw for next week's final over 450m can be found below

The final open on the card, another two bend sprint contest, went the way of Yvonne Bell’s Tullymurry Day (7/4), who made all the running for a half length victory in 15.74 (+5) with Bulmer’s Hazelhill Percy back in second

Meanwhile, Nottingham staged a couple of sprint opens over the 305m distance.

Of the two races, Jill Llewellin’s Leelad (5/2J) recorded the fastest time when leading home a kennel one-two, defeating kennelmate Time Counts for a comfortable three and three quarter length victory in 17.83 (+10), landing the four-timer in doing so having landed the hat-trick on Monday night. 

Llewellin was narrowly denied in the other contest as her Platinumheatwave was picked up close home by Jim Daly’s Jaymir Monica (15/8F) for favourite backers, getting the verdict in a photo finish with a short head victory in 18.20 (+20)