East Anglia dominated the Blue Riband semi-finals on Monday, with four of the six qualifiers for next Sunday's final hailing from Suffolk. Romeo Command and Chelms Sonny will represent Norfolk after three competitive semi-finals that largely followed expectations. Unfortunately, Swift Iconic had tough luck on the day, dead-heating with Fabulous Sonique and missing out on the toss.
The standout performer was Romeo Command, securing another emphatic sub-29.00 victory. Notably, he holds a UK record of 21 wins in 30 races. Furthermore, he boasts an impressive record on the Towcester 500m course, winning 21 out of 24 races and finishing second three times, including in the Racing Post Juvenile, a Derby semi-final, and a Derby final.
A noteworthy detail from the semi-finals is the lineup of three British-bred greyhounds: Romeo Command and Fabulous Sonique (bred by Dave Firmager), joined by Signet Goofy (bred by Kevin Hutton). Signet Goofy, appearing in his sixth Category One final, has one win and two Cat Two wins on his resume so far.
In addition to Romeo Command's success on Sunday, Patrick Janssens had reason to celebrate the pre-meeting trial session. Despite not racing since October, Coolavanny Shado, the record holder at Oxford and Perry Barr, demonstrated his form with a solo trial, clocking 15.47 for the Towcester sprint, just five spots short of Flashing Willow's 270m track record. Kennelmate Slick Sabo (Glenvale Bill) also impressed with a 15.67 run. Quarteira claimed the day’s sprint open in 15.75.