OXFORD is preparing to stage its first semi-finals of the bet365 Puppy Oaks this weekend after Sunday’s heats kicked off the Category One event at the Cowley track – with Belinda Green’s young team in tip-top form, landing a double as four of them qualified.

Staged in recent years at Towcester, the 450m event has now switched to Oxford and the £10,000-to-the-winner competition began with what proved to be the fastest time of the six heats when Green’s Bonus Bullet raced away from lid-rise to justify favouritism in the opening heat and initiate a double for the Hove trainer.

Soon clear, the May 2024 whelp won by two and a quarter lengths from The Other Winx (Maxine Locke) in a standard-setting 26.70sec (-30).

The victory would later be followed by success for kennelmate Bikini Bullet in heat six. The June 2024 whelp also landed a trap-to-line success by two and a half lengths from Sams Magic (Nathan Hunt) in 26.88sec (-20).

Other bet365 Puppy Oaks heats were won by Kevin Hutton’s Baroness Velvet (27.00sec – 30), Debbie Calvert’s Soapy Suds (26.95sec -30), Maxine Locke’s Headford Lily (27.14sec -30) and Ricky Holloway’s Droopys Tiffany (27.54sec -30).

Paul Johnson, Oxford joint-racing manager, said: “Obviously it’s great for Oxford to have a competition as prestigious as the bet365 Puppy Oaks and we saw some excellent heats on Sunday – as part of a fantastic card really.”

In addition to the six bet365 Puppy Oaks heats, Oxford also staged the finals of the bet365 Challenge Cup and BetGoodwin Series Maiden.

“It’s was great racing throughout with classy winners of the finals in Vhagar (bet365 Challenge Cup) and Rebel Alaska (BetGoodwin Series Maiden) – and then some nice performances from the bitches.

“It’s difficult to single out a particular performance above and beyond Bonus Bullet clocking the fastest time.

“It’s just ironic the semi-final draw has put her against her kennelmate Bikini Bullet and against another heat winner Soapy Suds.

“In fact, there’s speed across the board in that semi with Scooby Diamond also in there. She showed lots of pace in the heat won by Headford Lily. 

“It just makes the event even more competitive than it is, with just the first two making it through to the final a week on Sunday.”