Duke deposes Resonate as fav for Hunt Cup with sponsor bet365

RESONATE has been usurped as favourite with the sponsor for Saturday's £10,000 final of the Category One bet365 Hunt Cup despite setting the semi-final standard.

Kevin Hutton's bitch was initially put in at 5/2 but has eased a touch to 11/4 in the face of support with bet365 for Seamus Cahill's Powerhouse Duke, the other semi winner albeit a little slower.

Powerhouse Duke again made a less-than-stellar start in the opening semi but still justified the support that propelled him into favouritism for the race, pacing up to lead at the first bend.

He built a tidy advantage but had to battle hard to hold on, as in the heats, with always prominent Ballymac Madgie closing to within a head at the line and The Other Winx only a length away in third. The winning time was 39.69sec.

That was 24 spots slower than the clocking of Resonate in the second semi where the winner initially seemed to be just struggling to hold her pitch as odds-on kennelate Venetian Mick sped to the turn only to run into trouble which the Hutton bitch missed.

Quickly clear, she was always in control afterwards and came home a length to the good of a gallant Java Joan in clocking 39.45sec (-20) for the 650m course with Remember Betty staying on to claim the third qualifying position.

bet365 (Hunt Cup final): T1 Java Joan 6/1, T2 Powerhouse Duke 5/2, T3 Ballymac Madgie 10/3, T4 Remember Betty 33/1, T5 The Other Winx 10/3, T6 Resonate 11/4.

Saturday's bet365 Hunt Cup final draw and form