McNair clean sweep in Kent Plate semis as Memphis stars again

Liz McNair will send out four of the six finalists in Saturday’s Arena Racing Company Kent Plate at Central Park - including three littermates - after landing a clean sweep in the weekend’s semi-finals at the Sittingbourne venue.

King Memphis kicked off the kennel’s domination of the 491m competition with a fluent victory in the first semi after a bullet break - he posted a slick 3.19sec sectional - set up a near-four lengths success over Maxine Locke’s Droopys Reserve in a fastest-of-the-night 29.05sec winning time.

Memphis’s brother King Capaldi was later himself foot-perfect from lid-rise in the third semi-final as he clocked a 3.13sec split on his way to a near-three lengths win in 29.13sec - leading home litter sister Queen Shakira, who just held the fast-finishing Newinn Deejay to secure her place as part of the McNair team in next week’s £12,500 final.

In between, kennelmate Queen Joni proved a gutsy winner of the second semi-final, her early pace and bravery at the first bend seeing the British Bred Derby and Produce Stakes champion edge her rivals at the turn before always dominating to score by just a over a length from the keeping-on Mark Wallis-trained Whyaye Man in 29.28sec.

Saturday’s final will be an all-railer affair.

Trap draw for Saturday’s Arena Racing Company Kent Plate Final - Central Park, 491m: 1 Queen Shakira (Liz McNair), 2 Queen Joini (Liz McNair), 3 Droopys Reserve (Maxine Locke), 4 King Memphis (Liz McNair), 5 King Capaldi (Liz McNair), 6 Whyaye Man (Mark Wallis).