Bono wows on the Welsh Derby clock and assumes favouritism

CLONGEEL BONO (28.14sec, -20) left the best until last when setting the first round standard in heat six of the Star Sports Welsh Derby over 460m at Valley.

Trained locally by Christian Darch, he was completing a four-timer and recording a seventh win in nine as he took early control and built a lead he never looked like relinquishing.

Simpson Sniper gave honourable chase but always had a thankless task and he could do no better than claim the silver medal, almost three lengths adrift of the impressive winner who is now outright favourite with the sponsor for the £5,000 event.

If Clongeel Bono was most impressive on the clock, it was the heat three victory of Mike Burton's Face The Storm which filled the eye.

The recent six-bend winner was just about last entering the back straight and well off the pace but flew from that point.

Although only collaring long-time leader Hoholetsgo in the last 20m or so, he rapidly pulled clear to win by three and a half lengths in 28.34sec.

Burton had earlier initiated a double when his Magical Hawk reversed recent form with odds-on favourite Sawpit Signature in heat two, holding him by a head in 28.56sec.

Outright favourite Anglesey Milo survived a huge scare when scrambling through in third in heat four behind shock 16/1 winner Blackstone Ten (28.45sec) who made all for trainer Craig Marston.

Other heats went to Steve Howard's Romeo Victor (28.51sec) and Donna Davy's front-running Fastlane George (28.57sec).

Star Sports (Welsh Derby, final Saturday 3rd October): 7/2 Clongeel Bono, 4 Anglesey Milo, 5 Face The Storm, 7 Sawpit Signature, 8 Blackstone Ten, 10 Magical Hawk, Romeo Victor, Simpson Sniper, 12 Fastlane George, 16 bar (e-w 1/4 1,2,3).

Sunday's first round Star Sports Welsh Derby heats at Valley