Romeo Crusade is set to chase his second Category One win in Thursday’s 78th BGBF Two-Year-Old British Bred Produce Stakes Final at Swindon, after posting the fastest time in last week's semi-finals of this prestigious event.
Now under the care of trainer Tom Heilbron, the former Coral Romford Puppy Cup champion led from the start in the second semi-final, securing a commanding three-and-a-quarter length victory over the 11-10 favourite Union Rebel and Southfield Petal. Both of these runners are trained by Kevin Hutton, who will have three contenders in this week’s £10,000 final.
Romeo Crusade, a February 2022 son of Droopys Sydney and Fabulous Skylar, completed the race in 28.06 seconds (+10), surpassing the performance of Southfield Poppy, another of Hutton’s runners, in the first semi-final. Southfield Poppy delivered an all-the-way win after a sharp 3.96-second sectional, clocking a time of 28.26 seconds (+10).
The upcoming final will see an intriguing family battle, as two sisters, Southfield Poppy and Southfield Petal, face off against two brothers, Romeo Crusade and Romeo Cypher. They’ll be joined by Keefill Goose and Union Rebel, completing the line-up for this 476m decider. Kevin Hutton will field three contenders, while Tom Heilbron brings two, and Phil Milner adds one.
Tom Heilbron, thrilled to have his first-ever Produce Stakes entries, acknowledged his fellow trainers, noting how special it must be for Hutton and Milner, who bred their own finalists. He expressed gratitude to breeders Dave and Nicola Firmager, who are behind both Crusade and Cypher.
Reflecting on his kennel's strong performance in 2024, Heilbron shared his hopes for the final: "It’s great to have the Romeos in the kennel, and winning a major competition for them would be fantastic. With both Crusade and Cypher drawn side by side in traps two and three, it's not the best situation, but with so much early speed in this race, whoever breaks first will have the best chance. Both are capable of doing just that."
Trap Draw for Thursday’s Final:
1. Keefill Goose
2. Romeo Cypher
3. Romeo Crusade
4. Southfield Poppy
5. Union Rebel (m)
6. Southfield Petal (m)
With so much at stake and an exciting line-up of talented greyhounds, this final is set to deliver an unforgettable showdown!