Santiago is slickest in the heats of Labrokes Arc

Jazz Apollo: Ladbrokes Mobile Arc ante-post favourite wins his first round heat in style. 

  PICTURE: STEVE NASH  

SLICK SANTIAGO was the star of the show in the first round heats of the Ladbrokes Mobile Arc over 480m at Swindon on Monday afternoon with Keith Allsop's dog setting a new track record in heat five.

Led early by 2010 Arc winner Farloe Titan, Slick Santiago turned in the veteran's slipstream and was in front by halfway as he ultimately beat staying on Mark My Words by nearly four lengths.
The winning time was announced as 28.21sec, five spots better than the previous record set last year, ironically, by Mark My Words.

“We all know he’s a very fast dog when he gets a run, he’s got so much power,” said Allsop afterwards, “what he’s got to do now is prove that he can do it again because he hasn’t always backed a big run up.

“I just want him to get a sight of the hare and then he’ll show what he can do, like he did today.”
Earlier Jazz Apollo had justified his position at the head of the ante-post market with a powerful victory in heat four.
Mark Wallis's dog had to work hard to force himself round behind early leader Guinness Magic, but was always travelling best afterwards and strode to the front at the penultimate turn.
The race was quickly over as a contest and Jazz Apollo went away to win by neary four lengths from Guinness Magic in 28.36sec.
Dean Childs was on the mark whenDroopys Lorenzo made all to beat Longwood Days by nearly five lengths in heat three as he clocked 28.31sec although the runner-up deserves praise for keeping on to good effect after a first bend bump.
The same two trainers were involved in the finish to heat six, but this time it was Colin Callow who came out on top as his Longwood Fantasy outstayed Childs's Droopys Loner to win in 28.51sec.
There was a shock in the opening heat when Sawpit Sensation, backed to the exclusion of almost all others, could never get competitive after a first bend bump and was eliminated.
Victory went in impressive style to the John Mullins-trained Coom Bullet who challenged early leader Jaytee Hawk between the first two bends and forged clear from halfway to beat that rival by nearly five lengths in 28.39sec.
Heat two saw a good tussle between King Jaffa and Sids Dream, who looked to be travelling best when looming up to challenge the long-time leader between the last two bends.
However, King Jaffa took his rival's ground and regained what proved to be a decisive advantage in so doing as he went on to score by three-parts of a length in clocking 28.49sec.
The winner is trained by Liz McNair, whose husband Rab said: "We thought this track would suit him better than Donny [Premier League] so were here to take our chance. The track is in perfect condition, the lads have done great."
John Gammon's Spinkys Nod made full use of her inside draw to take heat seven in 28.62sec, while the finale went to Stuart Mason’s Granard Bound who collared Ballymac Eugenie right on the line to win in 28.51sec.

**Draw for Friday’s quarter-finals – first: 1 Hey Gringo, 2 Farloe Titan, 3 Jazz Apollo, 4 Jaytee Tiger, 5 Longwood Days (m), 6 Sids Dream (w).

Second: 1 Ballymac Eugenie, 2 Ding Hero, 3 Droopys Loner, 4 Granard Bound (m), 5 Droopys Lorenzo (w), 6) Mays Gold (w).

Third: 1 Bowtime Joey, 2 Boherna Bridge, 3 King Jaffa, 4 Longwood Fantasy (m), 5 Coom Bullet (m), 6 Guiness Magic (m).

Fourth: 1 Mark My Words, 2 Ballymac Cryan, 3 Spinkys Nod, 4 Lenson Mac, 5 Bit View Micko (m), 6 Slick Santiago (m).