TOWCESTER racing manager Danny Rayment welcomed the start of the BGBF 80th Two Year Old Produce Stakes with eight heats on Sunday, the first time the Northamptonshire track has hosted the longstanding British-bred showcase.

Taking on the event from Swindon, Rayment oversaw Harton Whirlwind clock the fastest time of the afternoon in the very first heat as Rose Draper’s runner narrowly led home Ireland’s Singalong Cherry (Pat Buckley) when posting 29.02sec (-10) for the 500m trip in heat one, with local Romeo Elio (Laurence Tuffin) crossing the line in third.

All three will now head back to Towcester for Sunday’s second round of a rare four-round event in the sport given the 45-strong entry – and Rayment highlighted not just Harton Whirlwind’s standard-setting win, but also the performance of Phil Milner’s team for the now 500m annual, with the Doncaster handler landing a hat-trick.

Milner weighed in with littermates Keefill Mo and Keefill Walker in 29.36sec (-10) and 29.55sec (normal) respectively, plus Keefill Teak in 29.25sec (-10) and takes a strong hand into the second round and onwards of the £15,000-to-the-winner event.

“Phil took the training honours narrowly from Laurence (Tuffin) with some cracking efforts and decent times, plus you sense there’s more to come, certainly where the younger litter brothers, the Keefills Mo and Walker, are concerned. All three are pretty lightly raced.

“Most attention was focused beforehand on Singalong Cherry’s entry and it’s certainly unusual to see an Irish-trained runner in the Produce Stakes, but she was bred by Gilbert Anderson here so absolutely qualifies and ran well behind Harton Whirlwind in the heats. She’s got a really good Irish card so you also sense she’ll improve.

“I think the Produce Stakes is nicely set heading into the second round and Sunday should see a good card, too, given we are also kicking off the Elite Southern Supplies Northamptonshire Sprint, a Category Two. It will be run across the last three Sundays of the Produce Stakes, with finals afternoon on Sunday, September 20.”

Sunday’s other Produce Stakes first round heats were won by Patrick Janssens’ Romeo Arran in 29.26sec (-10), Laurence Tuffin’s pair of Fabulous Rakiya in 29.69sec (-10) and Romeo Leon in 29.61sec (-10), plus Carol Weatherall’s Tre Cool in 29.17sec (normal).