Sargie retains Stewards Cup title as his retirement is announced

BALLYMAC SARGIE became only the third dual winner of the famous competition with a shock 25/1 success in the £10,000 final of the SIS Star Sports Stewards Cup over 590m at Star Pelaw.

On a brilliant night at the north-east track in front of a packed crowd of all ages, the Tom Heilbron-trained veteran went out on a high with owners Michael Lowther, Dave Bradley, Gary Harwood and Sam Peach quickly deciding on the presentation podium that it would be his final race.

The winner broke well from trap six, challenged early by fellow outsider Aero Pepinillo, but the decisive moment came at the third bend where Rapido Benny, trying to force his way through on the inside having got across to the rails from five, ran into the pacesetters.

Amid the predictable scrimmaging, Ballymac Sargie was left at least six lengths clear and, while he ultimately needed all of it, he always looked the winner from that point although The Other Chief flew late to reduce the margin of success to three-parts of a length in 36.29sec (normal).

The winner's kennelmate, Droopys Bookem, was four lengths back in third with favourite Witton Gucci fourth after a very troubled run.

Ballymac Sargie thus emulated the legendary Chicita Banana, who went back-to-back for John McGee in 1989/1990, and Droopys Puma, winner in 2003 and 2005 for Garry Baggs, as a dual Stewards Cup winner, all those victories having been achieved at former host venue Walthamstow.

Heilbron went on to complete a double courtesy of Little Pretender in a sprint, while both Glenn Foot (Caister Kay and Slingshot Franky) and Ricky Holloway (Punk Rock Rosie and Savanabetgoodwin) did likewise to land some compensation for missing out in the feature.

All the Stewards Cup supporting open-race presentations