BALLYARD SHAWNY set the standard in the heats of the Coral Golden Sprint at Romford on Friday, making the most of the opportunity in winning heat five after Mark Wallis’s runner came into the GBGB Category One event as a reserve.

Having just his third UK start and trapping well from a wider draw in trap four, the  October 2020 son of Droopys Sydney and Distant Lucy, a litter brother of Barrie Draper’s Puppy Classic winner Distant Podge, paced up to lead into the first bend and was never headed as he crossed the line two and three-quarter lengths clear of Coolboy Rusty (John Mullins) and My Vision (Martyn Wiley), clocking 23.67sec (+10) for the 400m.

Just one spot slower was the Paul Burr-trained Supa Nova (Eden The Kid-Swift Henna, Aug 2020) in heat three as Yarmouth’s track champion paced up handily and led off the second bend before streaking clear to win by four and a quarter lengths in 23.68sec (+10), finishing ahead of Phoenix Puma (Darren Whitton) and Hawthorn Best (Jean Liles) – the trio all qualifying for Friday’s semi-finals of the £10,000-to-the-winner competition.

The event kicked off with Annadown King initiating a double for champion trainer Mark Wallis as a fast start and slick 3.66sec sectional set up victory, albeit it was ultimately a close call for the May 2020 son of Pat C Sabbath and Rocken Pearl as Flickofacoin (Marlene Westwood) joined issue down the back and went down by just a short-head in 24.21sec (normal). Ayle Blake (Norah McElllistrim) finished third here.

Well Done Bacon then initiated a double for Yarmouth’s Paul Burr in heat two as a fast start and 3.63sec split set up a length victory for the April 2020 daughter of Ballymac Best and Ballymac Bonnie over the Mark Wallis-trained pair of Slider Mccoy and Early Knight. The winning time was 23.72sec (+10).

Hawkfield Mia posted the fastest split time of the six heats in heat four as a bullet break set up a rapid 3.54sec split time was the Patrick Janssens-trained January 2020 daughter of Laughil Blake and Brownstown Tango impressed with a three and three-quarter lengths success over Gougane Jet (Mark Wallis), the GBGB Sprinter of the Year, and Droopys Good, a kennelmate of the 23.70sec (+10) winner.

Signet Goofy (Magical Bale-Forest Natalee, Jan 2020) proved a strong-running winner of the sixth and final heat as the John Mullins-trained BresBet Steel City Cup winner caught fast-starting Highfield May (Paul Young) at the second bend and held the renewed challenge of that rival to win by half a length in 23.97sec (+10), with Perry Barr raider Noels Fleck (Gerry Ballentine) qualifying in third.

Mark Arkell, Romford racing manager, said: “I thought it was a cracking start to the Coral Golden Sprint. Well done to Mark Wallis and Paul Burr for both scoring doubles – and for Mark it proved a cracking night overall with a double also in the heats of the Coral Coronation Cup – and the fastest heat winner there, too! He’s got a pretty decent record in both events and his runners are looking good again this year.

“Fair play, in particular, to Ballyard Shawny. He didn’t make the original list, albeit only just. He’d not been able to show his pace potentially given tougher draws maybe, but coming in as a reserve in the four-box probably helped his trapping and he showed excellent pace and the time was pretty impressive, albeit well done to Supa Nova for his own fast clock – just one spot slower.

“Nova’s run some great races here at Romford and is very strong-running. However, he’s drawn a tough-looking first semi-final which promises to be cracker given Hawkfield Mia and Gougane Jet do battle again. Mia won well on Friday but you sense there’s more to come from Jet as the Sprinter of the Year. It might be interesting if he can break alongside Mia, then you fancy it really would be race-on.”

Results: https://www.gbgb.org.uk/meeting/?meetingId=394595&raceId=918746

Form and trap draw for Friday’s semi-finals: https://assets.cj1.in/imminent-otter/production/assets/results/Romford/form-guides/Trap-Draw-Proof-3rd-March.pdf