.jpg)
A blistering lead time was just what Basil Dooley and Jack Laugher had dreamed of and their greatly improved pacer, Bettor Be The Bomb, pounced to not only win the Allied Express Casey Classic, but stake his claim for a Del-Re National A. G. Hunter Cup start.
Handicappers will finalise the field tomorrow morning ahead of tomorrow night’s draw, to be broadcast live on Sky Racing 2 from 9pm, and the bolter Bettor Be The Bomb again proved he was worthy of Grand Circuit racing.
“It’s very exciting. That’s why you drive, isn’t it?” Laugher told Trots Vision about a potential Hunter Cup start.
“You want to get around in those big races. Win lose or draw it’s going to be very exciting to go around. If he gets a favourable draw and a favourable run he’ll probably earn a cheque in a race like that, I’ve got no doubt. He’s got the ability, but it just comes down to your luck in running.”
While the final field will be revealed tomorrow, confidence will be high in the camp after Bettor Be The Bomb benefitted from a hot early pace, with Mister Wickham holding Alpine Stride’s challenge as they set a 41.8sec lead time.
That rolled into a 28.4sec first quarter and there was little time for respite, with Always Fast challenging mid-race and then the swoopers come late.
First Malcolms Rhythm emerged and then from his back Bettor Be The Bomb, who ripped home to win in a lightning 1:52.8 mile rate.
“They went ridiculously hard up the front early,” Laugher said. “All those horses off the speed were always going to be running into it, actually Mister Wickham’s run under the circumstances was enormous to battle on like he did (and finish fourth).
“It was just set up for us horses off the pace and I thought I had probably the best horse that was back there and it was just a matter of when I had to get out and get going.
“He’s a cool little horse, he will go to the well for you every time. When he’s out there it’s like he’s doing battle, he just loves getting out there and racing.
“He’s going exceptionally well at the moment. The more you ask him the more he finds, which is just a sign of a really honest horse. That’s who he is – super honest, a real good trier. He’s put the writing on the wall for me, so that was no real surprise tonight.”
