Chicago: Raced well clear to take Leger heat three at Wimbledon
ROXHOLME DREAM is now 9-2 favourite with Hills after she looked a special staying prospect when routing TV Trophy winner King Kane in heat four as she set the standard in the opening round of the William Hill St Leger over 687m at Wimbledon on Saturday.
The pair were close in the market with Roxholme Dream sent off the marginal favourite at 5-4 but there was nothing close about the contest as Hayley Keightley's bitch flashed out of traps en route to a superb 16.09sec sectional and proceeded to keep up the intensity throughout.
King Kane eventually got past Fivestar Clipper but there was no prospect of the leader being threatened as Roxholme Dream went on to score by nearly five lengths in 41.55sec.
Chicago was another impressive front-running winner in heat three with Seamus Cahill's dog in command virtually from the second the traps opened.
Grand Prix champion Farley Rio, who is with Cahill for his Leger campaign, was the closest pursuer but his heart was broken along the back straight for the second time with Chicago galloping on resolutely to beat finisher Droopys Bear by four lengths 41.75sec.
Romantic Rambo, who set a new track record for the 687m distance on Derby final night, made it three wins from three Wimbledon starts with an emphatic victory in heat two.
Kevin Cobbold's dog was led early by Droopys London but always looked ready to have the measure of that rival and went on at the fourth bend, pulling away to score by four and a half lengths from outsider Beatties Wild in 41.74sec.
Touch Tackle, the big mover in the outright market after a superb start to his staying career, survived a real scare to qualify in third, staying on strongly after a troubled early run.
Millwards Teddy was another leading fancy who really had to work hard to progress, the Yorkshire Leger hero eventually taking second behind impressive kennelmate Billys Bullet in heat six.
The winner was slowly away but got into the contest - which had been reduced to five runners following the withdrawal of weight variation Bam Bams Barney - when Great Deal ran off at the first bend and took full advantage as he went to beat Millwards Teddy by over five lengths in 41.61sec.
The competition got under way with victory for Paul Young's Teejayspowerhawk in the opening heat where he led 2013 runner-up Fear Emoski into the first bend and was always in control afterwards.
In a contest where nothing came close to threatening the duo, Teejayspowerhawk kept on well to prove his stamina as he beat Fear Emoski by just over two lengths in 41.83sec
Tony Collett's Racenight Jenny made a winning British debut in heat eight as she collared long-time leader Jet Stream Duke off the final bend to win in 41.94sec with the Irish challenge ending as Ballymac Bonnie got going too late in fourth to follow Barefoot Agent's earlier exit from the competition.
There were a couple of scrappy heats with June Harvey's Fizzypop Magic rallying to take the fifth in 42.07sec, while John Mullins' Borna Champ (42.01sec) came from last to first in heat six where the leaders bunched approaching the fifth.
*Draw for Saturday's quarter-finals, with outright betting from sponsor Hills in brackets - first: 1 Droopys Flash (100-1), 2 Borna Champ (12-1), 3 Chicago (8-1), 4 Racenight Jenny (m) (12-1), 5 Killieford Khali (w) (50-1), 6 Fizzypop Magic (w) (14-1).
Second: 1 Fear Emoski (33-1), 2 Touch Tackle (8-1), 3 Wiki Waki Woo (40-1), 4 Hather George (m) (25-1), 5 Worsboro Phantom (w) (50-1), 6 Farley Chicken (w) (25-1).
Third: 1 Black Francis (66-1), 2 Billys Bullet (10-1), 3 Droopys Bear (m) (28-1), 4 Romantic Rambo (m) (8-1), 5 Millwards Teddy (w) (8-1), 6 Beatties Wild (w) (50-1).
Fourth: 1 Festival Time (33-1), 2 Teejayspowerhawk (14-1), 3 Roxholme Dream (m) (9-2), 4 Farley Rio (m) (33-1), 5 Jet Stream Duke (w) (20-1), 6 King Kane (w) (10-1).
*Droopys Nidge set a new Limerick track record over 550 yards as the Kerry Agribusiness Leger kicked off. Robert Gleeson's star led at half-way to clocl 29.29sec.
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