ROMFORD racing manager Mark Arkell was delighted to see a number of the major players make it through to Friday’s semi-finals of the Coral Essex Vase – especially after one or two near misses and just the solitary favourite obliging.

Of Friday’s six heats of the £10,000-to-the-winner Category One – the first major competition of 2026 – Arkell said: “Despite just one favourite winning, the majority of the fancied runners did enough to qualify from the Coral Essex Vase and what a great night we now have in store on Friday this week with the semi-finals of two cracking competitions, the Essex Vase and the Coral Silver Maiden.

“But it did look as if New Destiny was in trouble in her Essex Vase heat before she rallied and made it through and, while Fabulous Sonique was beaten, it was a solid enough effort, of which Mark (Wallis) will be more than happy with I’m sure.

“We were all gutted for Bacon Frazzles’s owners and trainer Paul Burr after she suffered a split web during her heat win over Fabulous Sonique. Best wishes for a speedy recovery and we hope to see her back on track soon.

“So while we had a number of surprise winners, Tiffield Tarquin was hopefully worth the wait for favourite backers given he won well and clocked the fastest time of the night. He just about produced the best performance to the eye, albeit Antigua Kestrel pushed him close!”

Lining up in the concluding heat six, the Roy Peckham-trained Tiffield Tarquin was soon in charge as he justified odds of 5-4 favourite when racing clear and coming over six and a half lengths clear of Table Toppers (Mark Wallis) in 34.94sec (normal) for the 575m trip.

Next quickest was Antigua Kestrel as he made a winning start for new trainer Glenn Foot when racing to a comfortably fastest-of-the-night 13.32sec sectional on his way to a superb all-the-way four and a half lengths win over Gary The Arb, the new track record holder for the trip, in 34.99sec (normal).

Burrows Charm kicked off the Essex Vase with a 7-1 surprise but deserved victory in heat one as Jason Heath’s September 22 son on Vulturi finished best in a race in which ante-post favourite New Destiny (Mark Wallis) came home in second after looking in an unpromising position to qualify at one stage.

The winning time for Burrows Charm was 35.48sec (normal).

The subsequently withdrawn Bacon Frazzles finished well to deny longtime leader Fabulous Sonique (Mark Wallis) in heat two with Paul Burr’s winner clocking 35.40sec, while the other heats were won by Mark Wallis’s Newinn Deejay, who clocked 35.69sec in heat three, and Maxine Locke’s Out The Blue who made all to score in heat four in 35.30sec.

 

Trap draw for the Coral Essex Vase semi-finals:-

First semi: 1 Antigua Kestrel, 2 Table Toppers, 3 Fabulous Sonique, 4 New Destiny, 5 Keylogues Runner (m), 6 Racenight Mikey (w).

Second second: 1 Bacardi Bullet, 2 Silverhill Adam, 3 Lilys Bullet, 4 Ballyhimikin Ben (m), 5 Out The Blue (m), 6 Rolo Rosie (w).

Third semi: 1 Underground Fizz, 2 Burrows Charm, 3 Gary The Arb, 4 Newinn Deejay (m), 5 Vacant, 6 Tiffield Tarquin (w).

 

Photos: © Steve Nash