Kestrel and Tarquin are the toast of Essex in Vase heats

THE best was certainly saved for last at Romford on Friday night as Antigua Kestrel and Tiffield Tarquin ran riot in the final two heats of the Category One Coral Essex Vase for trainers Glenn Foot and Roy Peckham respectively.

The talented duo were the only runners to duck under the 35-second mark for the sharp six-bend course.

Durham-based Foot’s Antigua Kestrel, having his first start for new connections after being bought out of Kevin Hutton’s Burford kennels, stopped the clock at 34.99sec (normal going) in beating Belinda Green’s track-record holder Gary The Arb by four and a half lengths – a time only eclipsed by Peckham’s impressive Tiffield Tarquin some 20 minutes later with a 34.94sec romp.

However, for Foot, who was out of luck with his runners in the supporting Coral Silver Maiden heats, that seemingly perfect ending was not entirely the end of the story after a nightmare journey home to his Pelaw base saw him still a few miles short at 9am yesterday.

He said: “The van blew up on the way back home. I’d only just got the new one as the engine went in my old one and we’ve broken down again. I managed to get to services just the other side of Wakefield and it’s been a long wait for a rescue truck given the state of the roads.

“The dogs are all fine and we’ve had them out and made sure all are okay, but I’ll be glad to get them back to the kennels that’s for sure.”

Antigua Kestrel was not only having his first run for Foot but also his first look at Romford as he cracked out from trap one and made all, with his trainer delighted with the run.

He said: “He came up for sale and Scott Gardiner, who has dogs with me, managed to get him. He’s a proper fast dog and has made Category One finals for Kevin and I just thought the 575m trip would be ideal for him.

“He’s been over 630m at Monmore and 650m at Oxford in the past so is not going to be stopping over this distance. He’s drawn trap one again in the semis which is great, although he’s got three of Mark Wallis’s dogs in there including New Destiny, so we need him to come away again.

“We had a good year in 2025, making the top 20 in the open-race standings, and of course we’d like to win a Category One. I was with Harry Burton when we won the Classic at Sunderland with Jonny Whiskers in 2023, and it’s a great feeling to win a big final.”

Tiffield Tarquin, who was sent off favourite for last year’s Champion Stakes final at Romford when a missed break proved costly, was at his best again on Friday night as he took charge early in heat six and came home six and a half lengths clear of Wallis’s Table Toppers.

Peckham said: “We’d not done much with him at all since his last race on December 19, just a free gallop at home, and I thought that showed in the last 30 metres or so.

“He has done 34.74sec off the front at Romford in the past, so I’d hope he’ll come forward for Friday’s run as he would have needed it.

“We’ve learned with him that you need to keep him stimulated between races and keep him fresh. I’m not a massive one for galloping my dogs in general, but with him you need to put that work in.

“He has a good draw in the semis again, with a vacant trap on his inside. So he needs another good break and he’s in with a chance of making the final.

“He is a wide runner but is not extravagant at the bends, he actually tucks inside, and that makes him very hard to beat if he gets in front. He loves it at Romford as well.

“It is tough to compete with the big kennels in these competitions, but we know our dog is capable. He made the Derby quarters last year and that could be an option again, although we have toyed with stepping him up to a sharp proper six-bend trip.”

Wallis, who has five of Friday’s 17 remaining hopefuls, did get on the scoresheet with Newinn Deejay in heat three, who picked up Jamie Kingsley-trained reserve Keylogues Runner in 35.69sec. A dead-heat for third here saw Maxine Locke’s Racenight Mikey through over Craig Morris’s Chelms Charmer after a drawing of lots.

That win came after defeats for two of Wallis’s Romford stalwarts as competition favourite New Destiny had to settle for second behind Jason Heath’s game Burrows Charm (35.48sec) in a scrappy first heat and then Fabulous Sonique occupied the same position when picked up by Paul Burr’s Bacon Frazzles (35.40sec) in the second qualifier – with the unfortunate winner subsequently withdrawn lame from the Category One competition.

Locke’s Out The Blue went off the front in heat four, making all in 35.30sec.

Hove man Heath was the only trainer to double up on the night as he had earlier taken a heat of the £5,000 Coral Silver Maiden with Seomra Hachi (24.12sec, -10 for all).

Other 400m winners being Debbie Hurlock’s Rebel Elizabeth (24.47sec), Katie O’Flaherty’s Dinner Charlie (24.30sec), Dave Lee’s Laughil Dave (24.32sec), Kingsley’s Breffni Una (24.45sec) and Dave Mullins’ Zenith Legend (24.05sec, fastest).

Trap draws
Coral Silver Maiden - 1st semi-final: 1 Obi Kenoby, 2 Travel Safe, 3 Laughil Dave (m), 4 Funky Adz (m), 5 Stormy Pat (w), 6 Piemans Fletch (w).
2nd semi-final: 1 Rebel Elizabeth, 2 King Floyd, 3 Westway Dancer (m), 4 Mob Moretti (m), 5 Dinner Charlie (m), 6 Seomra Hachi (w).
3rd semi-final: 1 Zenith Kindy, 2 Two Sterling, 3 Breffni Una (m), 4 Zenith Legend (m), 5 Sharben Invictus (m), 6 Our Bob (w).

Coral Essex Vase - 1st semi-final: 1 Antigua Kestrel, 2 Table Toppers, 3 Fabulous Sonique, 4 New Destiny, 5 Keylogues Runner (m), 6 Racenight Mikey (w).
2nd semi-final: 1 Bacardi Bullet, 2 Silverhill Adam, 3 Lilys Bullet, 4 Ballyhimkin Ben (m), 5 Out The Blue (m), 6 Rolo Rosie (w).
3rd semi-final: 1 Underground Fizz, 2 Burrows Charm, 3 Gary The Arb, 4 Newinn Deejay (m), 5 Vacant, 6 Tiffield Tarquin (w).

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