The latest GBGB Category One competition at the Cowley venue, eight heats of the £10,000 event took centre-stage over 650m, with the star turn once again being the Diane Henry-trained newly crowned Gold Collar champion after her brilliant effort at Crayford six days previously.

Pacing up well to lead in heat six off the back of a 15.25sec split, Savana Ruinart was soon in control and drew right away, the March 2019 daughter of Kinloch Brae and Redzer Ruby scoring by nine and a quarter lengths from Mustang Diva (Richard Yeates) and Cyclone Sydney (David Jeans).

The winning time was 39.84sec (normal) which clipped five spots off Havana Lover’s previous best for the six-bend distance the week before.

Liz McNair’s St Leger champion suffered a surprise defeat in her Challenge Cup heat but safely progressed through to next week’s second round.

Lining up a 1-6 chance in heat five, the favourite was soon under pressure after a slow start before finding trouble at the second bend.

Thereafter she was always playing catch-up behind Kevin Hutton’s all-the-way winner Forest Roanna (Dorotas Wildcat-Droopys Elite, July 20) as she crossed the line a length and a half clear of Havana Lover in 40.02sec (normal), with Russmur Queen (Matt Dartnall) qualifying in third.

Miss Big Pants was an impressive winner of heat seven. John Mullins’s June 2020 daughter of Candlelight King and Swift Magnetic was quickly away and was never headed as a 15.18sec sectional set up a three-length victory over Work The Head (Richard Yeates) and kennelmate Silverspring Ria in 39.86sec (normal).

The other Bet365 Challenge Cup heats were won by Maxine Locke’s Droopys Garden (39.94sec), Mark Wallis’s pair of Antigua Sugar (40.11sec) and Muxton Lottie (40.09sec), Matt Dartnall’s Fifty Nine (39.90sec) and Tom Levers’ Free Style Sue (40.07sec).

Oxford racing manager Simon Pearson said: “Overall it was a cracking night’s racing and to have the winning times for all eight heats covered by just 27 spots shows you how competitive an event the Bet365 Challenge Cup is.

“Savana Ruinart’s track record was the standout run and she’s clearly looking to land another major victory. She won the Select Stayers at Nottingham when first arriving at Diane’s (Henry) kennel and then, of course, was pretty exceptional in the Gold Collar final last week. She’s taken to Oxford quickly – and well!

“I’d also likely to mention the performances of Fifty Nine, Miss Big Pants and Free Style Sue. They were having their first six-bend races but all won their heats and can only get stronger. They’d have pleased connections am sure.”

Results: https://www.gbgb.org.uk/meeting/?meetingId=391731&raceId=894668