IT was all change at the top of the betting for the Coral Sussex Cup at Hove after the favourites in each of the three semi-finals were beaten and eliminated on Thursday.

Fastest over the 515m trip was the Seamus Cahill-trained Sporting Dave pictured centre) as the Derby Plate runner-up was soon handy in the third semi and powered home to pick up Trade Fudge (Daniel Brabon) and win by half a length and the same from that rival and hot favourite Brinkleys Poet in 29.86sec (-10).

Ower Boy Bullet was a beaten favourite in the first semi, crowded when looking to lead at the bend in a race won by the Charlie Lister-trained Bit View Knight who caught the Wayne Wrighting-trained Dusko Popov to win by a neck in 30.34sec. The latter, a 33-1 outsider, had led from the first bend to close home, delighting his trainer.

Wrighting said: “He’ll be the oldest runner in the final, but it’s a great achievement and I’m delighted for his owners Mick and Terry Smith and Deb Ping. They had his mother (Westmead Diva) with Nick Savva, and this one came to me as a pup from Gerry Barber in Ireland. He went through the grades – up to A1 – before the owners took him to Henlow.

“He spent some time with Nick (Savva) there before coming back to us in early 2017 and went on a good run that year – at one point he won six on the bounce over 285m and 475m. He’s a terrifically consistent and honest little dog and runs good races in hot company, and probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves.

“I put him in the Sussex Cup just to ‘have a go’ really – and now he’s made the final. I heard some say last night he was lucky to get through – well, believe me, I’ve had plenty that have been unlucky not to get through in my time!

“Hand on heart we know we probably won’t be winning, but I’m just very proud of this lovely little dog – a backbone-of-the-kennel type. It’s great to be a part of it – the Sussex Cup is a great competition with a terrific history. Along with Seamus’s Sporting Dave, it gives the locals two chances of keeping the trophy here!”

The second semi of the £10,000-to-the-winner event saw Derby heat winner Deanridge Boffin strike gold for Alison Kelly-Pilgrim, the two-year-old coming through to lead at the fourth bend before crossing the line three-quarters a length clear of Karlow Scolar (Tony Collett) in 30.15sec.

Draw for Thursday’s final: 1 Sporting Dave, 2 Dusko Popov, 3 Bit View Knight, 4 Karlow Scolar, 5 Deanridge Boffin (m), 6 Trade Fudge (w).