PAT COONEY of sponsors Bet365 is looking forward to Sunday’s semi-finals of the Empress Stakes at Towcester after an eventful afternoon last weekend of the bitches-only Category One competition.

“Sunday seemed to have everything,” said Cooney as he reflected on the six heats of the 500m showpiece which saw a mix of top-class performances and surprises as ante-post favourite New Destiny was among those eliminated when crowded out of contention the afternoon after the kennel’s Proper Heiress had starred in the third round of the Irish Derby on Saturday night.

“Mark (Wallis) had a mixed weekend, for sure. Proper Heiress was brilliant at Shelbourne Park but then luck deserted both New Destiny and Fabulous Sonique. The pair have great records at Towcester and were high up in the ante-post betting, but had no luck at all and both were knocked out in fourth in their heats.

“However, there was still some joy for the Wallis team given Strike It Skye continues to impress. She’s now four from five in the UK and looks a really nice puppy for Imperial Kennels – and given she’s a January 24 bitch she might just be aimed at our own Bet365 Puppy Oaks back at Towcester in December.

“She’ll likely be favourite for it, particularly if winning the Empress!”

Singalong Molly kicked off the afternoon with a strong-running performance for Dean Blackbird.

A Derby quarter-finalist for Pat Buckley earlier this year, the daughter of Dorotas Wildcat made a successful return to the Northamptonshire circuit when finishing well in heat one to lead home Makeit Lorraine (Frank Gray) in 29.49sec (normal).

Irish interest in this year’s Empress Stakes is provided by Graham Holland’s duo of Silverhill Freya and Bockos Sapphire and the pair finished first and second in heat two as the former, the Cork Oaks winner, made all in 28.71sec (normal) for the 500m trip – the fastest time of the heats.

Heather Dimmock’s British-bred Signet Morgan made all in heat three, racing away for a comfortable success in 29.21sec (normal), before Mark Wallis’s youngster Strike It Skye notched another win with a show of all-round speed in heat four, reeling in Yahoo Mareike (Paul Young) before going on to score in heat four in 29.18sec (normal).

The final two heats were won by the Kevin Hutton-trained Baroness Velvet who came through a duel with Chakra (Richie Taberner) before winning by a length in 29.52sec, and Belinda Green’s six-bend winner Lilys Bullet who proved too strong for her rivals in heat six when winning in 29.59sec (normal).

The semi-finals of the Bet365 Empress Stakes take place at Towcester on Sunday.