TIFFIELD TARQUIN heads into Friday’s Coral Essex Vase Final at Romford looking to maintain an unbeaten record through the 575m event having followed up an impressive heat victory with another fastest-of-the-night win in the semis.

Bidding to land his trainer Roy Peckham a first Category One title, the December 2022 son of Broadstrand Bono and Swift Acoustic secured his place in another major Romford final having made October’s Premier Greyhound Champion Stakes Final, behind New Destiny, when racing away in the third semi-final at the London Road venue.

Stopping the clock in 34.74sec (normal) off the back of a super-slick 13.26sec sectional, Tarfield Tarquin made all the running and crossed the line three lengths clear of always-second Gary The Arb, the pair making it through to this week’s £10,000 final.

The latter headed into the Coral Essex Vase as the new track record holder for the six bends at the venue having clocked a lightning 34.40sec for the trip in a Coral Essex Vase Trial Stakes and his Sussex-based trainer Belinda Green is hopeful he can save the best for last when it comes to this three-round competition.

“It’s a classy final and, as always at Romford, the key is from the traps to the opening turn,” said the Hove handler. “Tiffield Tarquin has been flawless in the opening rounds and, in my opinion, he’s as quick as anything round there so when he comes out lengths in front he’s hard to pull back.

“However, to win big finals you need to be as close to foot-perfect as possible, and there are some very strong dogs in this field. Gary’s in superb form and, looking for that first title, he’ll need to come away well and clear the opening turn and get himself into a position.”

Mark Wallis is the winningmost Essex Vase trainer with six wins to his name and will have three chances of claiming a seventh title after Table Toppers led home kennelmate New Destiny for a kennel one-two in the first semi-final before Silverhill Adam chased home local hope Out The Blue in the second semi.

Table Toppers broke quickly in the first semi as the July 2022 son of Droopys Sydney and Dolce Vita crucially led favourite Antigua Kestrel (Glenn Foot) into the bend before effectively sealing the deal when clear off the second turn for a length victory over staying-on New Destiny, the latter making another major competition final.

The winning time was 35.42sec (normal) and paved the way for another kennelmate Silverhill Adam to join the Wallis pair in Friday’s decider as he also finished well to grab second behind Maxine Locke’s all-the-way winner Out The Blue in 35.38sec (normal).

The latter, a July 2023 daughter of Ballymac Bolger and Kiwi Kaye, now has a chance of landing back-to-back wins in the famous race – and a third in all – for Romford handler Locke after success 12 months ago for Droopys Eunice and Adoremus back in 2014.

 

Trap draw for Friday’s final: 1 New Destiny, 2 Table Toppers, 3 Gary The Arb, 4 Silverhill Adam, 5 Out The Blue (m), 6 Tiffield Tarquin (w).