Eye Onthe Storm blows them away in Eclipse

EYE ONTHE STORM pocketed a cool £8,000 for connectins with another impressive front-running performance in the Betfred Eclipse Final at Nottingham on Thursday night.

Mark Wallis’ dog, who was makingit twelve wins from his last thirteen starts, showed superior early pace to clear his field at the first bend and from thereonin the result was never in doubt. For once, on the big occasion, Charlie Lister’s well-supported Fear Zafonic failed to ping the lids and his chance was lessened when kennelmate Jordansoilutions was cutting across him at the turn. Both of Lister’s runners ran well in defeat  as did Romeo Maldini who stayed on to take third spot close home.

 The first of three finals on the programme was the Betfred The Bonus King Sprint over the 305-metre course (8.00) and Jimmy Lollie, a leading nominee for the Sprinter Of The Year title, justified odds of 11-8 with a comfortable success.

Amazingly Seamus Cahill’s ace is next due to run on Saturday’s Bags programme from Monmore over 264 metres.

 The Betfred It’s Goals Galore Puppy Trophy Final at 8.50, the sixth race on the card, saw Kim Marlow’s Ardmayle Haulage (3-1) get first run on red-hot favourite Runemragged - a result that seemed to confirm that railers might be at a slight disadvantage.

 The live televised coverage had kicked off with the Betfred Casino 480mTrophy and it was a contest that saw Pat Rosney’s Uncle Ollie (7-2) show superior trackcraft around the third and fourth bends to get the better of Charlie Lister’s trailblazer Yahoo Jamie.   That was Lister’s second reveral of the night as the well-supported Bandicoot Mafi had failed to deliver in the pre-TV contest which was won by Lynn Cook’s 4-1 chance Farncome Bomber.

The all bitches contest (500m) at 8.15 saw Andrew Clarke’s Milly Marina (9-2) show superior early pace and then avoid first bend trouble to open up a winning lead down the far side - an advantage that was reduced to one length at the line by the strong-running Icemaid Lilley.

 A fascinating Stayers Trophy race over the stiff 680-metre course saw Carbarns Tom (5-1), runner-up in the Yorkshire St Leger at Doncaster just seven days ago, pick up compensation with a workmanlike front-running performance to get the Lister camp off the mark for the night.

 The Standard Trophy (500m) contest at 9.10 went to Mark Wallis’ Eye Eye Pickle (7-2) who took full advantage of early crowding between wide runners Wise Thought and Farloe Lee to set up a substantial lead off the second bend - an advantage he never looked likely to relinquish.

The Eclipse itself was preceded by a 905-metre Marathon and here Henry Chalkley’s Midway Skipper, significantly a railer, was allowed to drift to odds of 1-2. She was far from impressive in beating Greedy Bridie and the eyecatching Supreme Pace who had been supported at the death. But she got the job done and surely banked the Marathon performer of the Year title in the process.