Princess rules in Regency Trial Stakes at Hove

Paul Young: His Swabys Princess wins well at Hove

  PICTURE: STEVE NASH  

THE highlights of an all open-race programme at Hove on Thursday night were a brace of Coral Regency Trial Stakes - a competition that gets under way proper in seven days time.

Blonde Fletch, 2011 Stayer of the Year and winner of last year's Regency, was all the rage to take the first of the 695m slogs.
However, despite sprinting into a six-length lead, the distress signals were there on the final two bends and he was oustayed by Dave Mullins' Balmi Blue (7-1) who scored by three-quarters in 41.34sec.
Wallis, who was guesting on RPGTV, said "I'm not disappointed. He showed plenty of early sparkle which you need to win a Regency. We'retraining him to be at his peak in three or four weeks time".
The second of the Trials' was, on paper, arguably the more competitive with Matt Dartnall's Arc champ Ballymac Cryan heading the market at 4-6.
However, he also blew a handsome early lead and was picked up in the closing stages by Paul Young's Swabys Princess who clocked 41.58sec.