Birmingham Cup Aftermath: Fear Zafonic emerges as a serious Derby contender

Sky Night Reaction / Jonathan Hobbs / 23 January 2009 / Leave a Comment

The Racing Post's Jonathan Hobbs is highly impressed by the performance of Lister's speedster.

Two meetings into the Sky schedule for 2009, and we're flying already!

It was top-notch action all the way at Perry Barr for the Birmingham Cup final, which produced an outstanding winner in the shape of Fear Zafonic. He blew them away and stamped himself a Derby contender for sure.

Is he fast enough to win the Derby? The answer is an emphatic yes. He really is one of the fastest we have seen since Barnfield On Air, the 27.17sec 460m trial at Wimbledon proof of that.

His preference for the rails is a concern in competition. But he ran from trap three in the heats and twice from trap two at Perry Barr.

You read it here first, but he could just be the greyhound to end the trap one hoodoo in a Wimbledon Derby final.

If he gets to the final, and draws red, he would line up as the fastest dog ever from the red jacket in the Classic decider. Should he lose - well perhaps we should consider five-dog racing at Plough Lane!

But that is a long way off, although it remains the target of the flying two-year-old. In early betting on the 2009 Derby, Fear Zafonic can be backed at [15.0].

I cannot wait to see him roar to the turn at Wimbledon, and hug those rails. My only reservation, as it is every time Fear Zafonic lines up in a competition, is how would he cope with trap four of five? Hopefully, with so many middle sees around these days that might never happen.

So to hard luck stories in the final, the unfortunate Affleck Elite apart.

Shaneboy Luke fluffed his lines at the start and never really got competitive, but Mark Wallis's pair of Goldcrest King and Mountjoy Gold ran solid races and, with no Fear Zafonic in opposition, should rack up the wins in 2009.

Onto the undercard, and Kinda Ready starred again.

He got full marks here last week and that confidence was well and truly vindicated in the puppy race and the Wallis camp has another cracker on its hands.

But keep tabs also with Droopys Conquest. He did them for early pace before blowing up, but will come on for the run.

Miss Lee confirmed her standing as the country's leading sprinter with a hard-fought defeat of course specialist Farloe Ferdinand, a mantle she will hold comfortably until the return of litter brother Frosty Lee and Boherbradda Mac. Tipp The Breeze looked very much a Golden Jacket contender again as she took her chance in the 710m race.

There is no question that Lorrys Options and Capel Wilson did each other no favours in this race, but the bitch her took a chance well. Give the other two a second chance mind.

Steady Scholes and Killough Belles had a grand old battle in the bitches race and both remain in good form, while into the notebook from the other races goes Windy Millar, who outclassed his rivals in the four-bend race and is so lightly-raced that more improvement is likely.

The marathon was fantastic for three reasons. First, the return of Flying Winner was superb, she really is unstoppable; second the game effort of Midway Skipper, who connections know can be a TV Trophy bitch again; thirdly Vatican Iona's late gains were almost unnatural.

Does any track do a 1,000m-plus race these days?!