Wimbledon Racing / Darrell Williams / 31 July 2008 / Leave a comment

After an exciting win last weekend the 15-month-old will relish this weekend's semi-finals, says Darrell Williams.

Few debut performances can ever have been as exciting as the one Droopys Quinta produced to win her first round Puppy Derby heat at Wimbledon last weekend. Running flashy times in trials is one thing, but to go even quicker first time under race conditions, particularly for such a young runner - she's only just 15-months old - suggests she could be very special indeed.

Friday's semi-final gives Seamus Cahill's bitch the chance to run another fast race - her heat time of 2745 was less than two lengths outside the track record - with the new favourite again drawn in trap six. If she traps in the same manner, it should be all over, although local runner Swift Result could prove a nuisance if he comes out in his usual equally fast manner.

Having resisted the temptation to put up Droopys Quinta before the first round on the basis her outright price was too short, I can hardly jump on the bandwagon now, and to be honest she still can't be said to represent value, although if she really is the business even the current price could look decent come next Tuesday's final. Instead I'll stick with Deanridge Fury in the same heat (9.0) - put forward both outright and successfully as a first round tip - who still looks overpriced in the outright betting, and could be ready to pounce should the two outright runners come together. At worst, I expect him to at least gain the second qualifying place.

The middle heat (8.45) is undoubtedly the toughest by some way, with four of the top seven ante post battling for the two final places up for grabs. Main ante post pick Shadayid has to go down as disappointing after last weekend's defeat, and it may be that he just doesn't run Wimbledon as well as he does other tracks. Yet another change in trainer - the move to Pat Rosney will be his third handler in just over a week - hardly helps and you certainly couldn't put him up with confidence. That said I'm still hopeful that he might at least qualify, although I definitely won't be going in again!

London Walter, the third of my ante post picks, won his heat, and he must come into the reckoning again, but it's anyone's guess who will get the breaks amongst the three wide runners, with the Cahill pair Droopys Marcus and Cool Cashin also front runners. It's probably a race at best to treat with caution, and I'd rather play in the first semi at 8.30, which by comparison is a very weak affair, but one which gives Bank on Black a golden opportunity to shine.

Matt Dartnall's runner looks ideally berthed in trap one with neighbour Droopys Abruzzi's card littered with middle and wide comments, and while he has little chance, at this stage, of winning the competition, he can take this heat ahead of Caz Ruffian.

Tags: Bank on Black, Caz Ruffian, Cool Cashin, Deanridge Fury, Droopys Abruzzi’s, Droopys Marcus, Droopys Quinta, London walter, Shadayid