Bookem joins Gucci at head of tight Stewards outright market

DROOPYS BOOKEM has joined original ante-post favourite Witton Gucci at the head of the market for the SIS Star Sports Stewards Cup after just 11 spots separated the quickest quartet of the six first round heat winners over 590m at Star Pelaw last Saturday.

The Tom Heilbron-trained Droopys Bookem was equal fastest-of-round in the north-east track's first-ever Category One event with a 35.94sec (-20) effort matching the earlier time of Antigua Kestrel, trained by Glenn Foot whose Witton Gucci stretched her winning run to seven when scoring in 35.96sec.

Phil Milner's The Other Chief (36.05sec) also impressed on the clock with other heat winners being Stephen Caile's Hardwick Teddy (36.34sec) and Droopys Orator (36.47sec) who completed a treble for local handler Foot.

Droopys Bookem and Witton Gucci are now 3/1 with Star Sports to land the £10,000 competition on Saturday week, 10th October, ahead of 5/1 chances Antigua Kestrel and The Other Chief - Droopys Bookem and Antigua Kestrel meet in the second of the semi-finals.

Star Sports (Stewards Cup, Star Pelaw - final Saturday 10th October): 3 Droopys Bookem, Witton Gucci, 5 Antigua Kestrel, The Other Chief, 7 Rapido Benny, 10 Droopys Graph, Droopys Orator, 14 Razldazl Paloma, 20 bar (e-w 1/4 1,2,3).

Saturday's SIS Star Sports Stewards Cup semis