SHADOW STORM lines up one of the hottest favourites in the event’s long history when Richard Rees’s star sprinter goes in the final of the Arena Racing Company Kent Silver Salver at Central Park on Saturday.

Having come through his semi-final last weekend, the Scurry Gold Cup and National Sprint winner lines up as the only unbeaten finalist in the event and is odds-on to take the £12,500-to-the-winner Category One and bounce back from defeat at Towcester on English Derby final night.

Reacting after Shadow Storm impressively made all in the second Silver Salver semi-final at the chief expense of Pavilion Team (Mark Wallis) in 15.96sec (normal), Charlie Rees, kennelhand to his father Richard, said: “It was good to see him get back on track after Towcester which was just one of those nights.

“Weather-wise it was miserable and giving a good dog like Bockos Buster a start in those conditions was always going to be difficult. Storm just missed his break which can happen, but it can be difficult then to recover in sprints – which makes his record even more impressive given there’s no margin for effort.

“And Towcester was just one of those nights for us. Scooby The Lady lost out narrowly but ran great and she’ll head to Hove now for the (Coral) Sussex Cup and Uncle Freddie also went close in his final. As I say, it was just one of those nights for us.

“But Storm’s in good heart and we’re happy enough where he is. He’s up against some good sprinters as you’d expect in a Cat One but did the fastest clock in both heats and semi. He’s just got to do it again, but we take nothing for granted.”

Ballinakill Liam will join kennelmate Pavilion Team in Saturday’s final after last year’s Silver Salver runner-up completed a superb return from injury in the third semi-final.

Always handy after a fast start, the Mark Wallis-trained Ballinakill Liam came home strongly to edge out Nightingale Crew (Craig Morris) after the pair battled up the home straight, the former edging out his rival by half a length in 16.17sec (normal).

Hackney Toast landed a 28-1 surprise in the first semi-final as Afzal Ali’s runner pounced on scrimmaging up front to burst through off the second bend and cross the line a neck clear of Headford Cian (Maxine Locke) in 16.43sec to give the former his first Category One finalist.

Trap draw for Saturday’s Arc Kent Silver Salver Final: 1 Nightingale Crew, 2 Hackney Toast, 3 Shadow Storm, 4 Pavilion Team (m), 5 Headford Cian (m), 6 Ballinakill Liam (w).