The Derby

Dynamic performance sees Force fastest for Hennessy in quarters

• 2 min read
Dynamic performance sees Force fastest for Hennessy in quarters
De Lahdedah (T3) collars Churchfield Syd (T4) in the final stride Pic: Steve Nash

DYNAMIC FORCE starred as Ireland again dominated in the Star Sports/TRC English Derby quarter-finals over 500m at Towcester.

Paul Hennessy’s charge was a well-supported 3/1 chance for the third quarter-final and quickly asserted, getting first run on market leader Bombay Pat and going on to beat that rival by two and a half lengths in 28.66sec (normal).

The runner-up’s trainer, Graham Holland, had taken the opener with Cheap Sandwiches in a time just one spot slower, although his Irish Derby champion Bockos Diamond had to settle for third behind Slick Sentinel (28.87sec) and Droopys Plunge in the finale, tiring late having battled to the front.

That 1-2 for Patrick Janssens prevented an Irish clean sweep on the night after Liam Dowling’s reigning champion De Lahdedah (28.81sec) had short-headed fellow 2024 finalist Churchfield Syd in the second quarter-final.

Saturday’s Star Sports/TRC English Derby semis

QF1 - 1st T5 Cheap Sandwiches 28.67sec, trainer Graham Holland (Ire)

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/0:36

QF2 - 1st T3 De Lahdedah 28.81sec, trainer Liam Dowling (Ire)

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/0:36

QF3 - 1st T5 Dynamic Force 28.66sec, trainer Paul Hennessy (Ire)

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/0:36

QF4 - 1st T6 Slick Sentinel 28.87sec, trainer Patrick Janssens

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/0:39