SPACE JET followed up her track record in the heats in the best possible style when landing the £15,000 Coral TV Trophy at Hove on Saturday – establishing herself as one of the modern-day greats in the process.

Trained by Matt Dartnall for Kurn Rushen and already winner of last year’s St Leger at Perry Barr, Space Jet ended the TV Trophy sequence of Aayamza Royale who was aiming for a historic third TV Trophy title in what was the final race of her own illustrious career.

However, it was Blueberry Bullet, her kennelmate at Mark Wallis’s Imperial Kennels, who ultimately gave Space Jet the most to do with a fine show from the George Ing St Leger champion who led from the boxes and to the back straight second time.

It was approaching the seventh turn when Space Jet, who had been crowded on the run to the bend, hit the front and went on to score readily by three and three-quarter lengths from Blueberry Bullet and Droopy Senorita (Claude Gardiner).

The winning time for the February 2019 daughter of Droopys Jet and Volcano was 58.86sec (-30) for the 955m trip.

“She’s a phenomenal bitch,” winning trainer Dartnall told RPGTV afterwards. “She came out of the heats so well, absolutely gleaming, and it’s just great credit to the team – dad (Terry Dartnall), Mark (Sealey) and the weekend guys.

“We’ve only got a small team and needed something like her – she’s come along at the right time!”

Dartnall explained a bout of kennel sickness had been a concern.

“We had it about two or three weeks ago,” he revealed. “We isolated her in the paddock, but it meant I trialled her a few days before I really wanted to just in case she got it. We planned this six months ago when she won the St Leger and then the 1st Containers Marathon (Towcester) and it’s nice to win here at Hove.” 

Daniel Rankin, senior racing manager for Hove and Romford, said: “Space Jet was certainly a very worthy winner of the Coral TV Trophy and what a fantastic bitch Matt Dartnall has in his kennel.

“If she stays injury-free and continues to run as well as she does you are struggling to see anything out there who can beat her over the marathon trip or an extended six bends. Hopefully, we get to see her back at Hove for the Regency and the George Curtis & Ballyregan Bob Memorial.

“It was obviously sad to see Aayamza Royale retire on the night but all good things must come to an end, as they say, and she’s been such a brilliant bitch. She had such a great record round Hove in winning one of her TV Trophys here and also a top-class Regency.

“She’s been a credit to her connections.”

Result: https://www.gbgb.org.uk/meeting/?meetingId=383842&raceId=830018