Towcester hosted the first round of the Genco Group Juvenile Classic on Sunday, where Irish contender Syd Zafiro set an impressive benchmark with a 28.73 victory for trainer Paul Matthews.
Syd Zafiro, a September ‘22 Droopys Sydney offspring from the 2021 Irish Derby champion Susie Sapphire, has already made a name for himself with a 28.37 win at Shelbourne. His entry into this £5,000-to-the-winner Category Two race in the UK generated significant interest, and his standout performance set a high standard for the competition to follow.
Droopys Extragud recorded the second-fastest time in the heats, finishing in 29.02. Despite being the market favourite, Derby semi-finalist Droopys Pivotel suffered from a slow start and early interference. Heather Dimmock’s Droopys Extragud capitalized on this and swiftly took the lead.
Phil Milner had a remarkable weekend, closing out with a treble on the card. Following Keefil Maverick’s win in the Pall Mall on Saturday, Milner secured victories in two of the six Juvenile Classic heats with Keefil Rocky (29.10) and Droopys Glam (29.65). Avongate Venus capped off the day for Milner with a standard open win, clocking a smart 29.01.
The remaining two heats saw wins from Slick Sentinel, who finished in 29.24, and Droopys Rosie, who completed the race in 29.31.
These results have set the stage for an exciting continuation of the Juvenile Classic, with Syd Zafiro's stellar performance establishing him as the one to watch.