Friday night will see 2 Goliaths of the marathon scene go head to head at Romford… again!
In a match rumoured to be worth £3000 to winner, it seems sure that the price difference between the 2 will not be as wide as the 2/11 and 7/2 offered back in November 23’. On that occasion it looked certain at the 7th bend that Bubbly Inferno was going to kick on and win, but her quirks, with a mixture of Taylor’s strong stamina, saw her not get there, and eventually go down by 2 lengths.
This time around however, they’re both in slightly different form. Ballymac Taylor looked powerful in 2 trial stakes and the first round of the TV Trophy at Oxford last month, breaking the track record on 2 of those occasions. She rightly started 4/5f for the marathon showpiece, but it wasn’t to be.
After what has become a customary good start from Taylor, she turned 3rd behind kennelmate Garfiney Blaze and well respected Alright Patricia. She looked the likely winner on the first lap, but enter Bubbly Inferno. At the 7th bend things started to unravel. Garfiney Blaze was dropping out as he cried enough, Alright Patricia was retreating, and as Ballymac Taylor looked like she was going to kick on, high and wide Bubbly Inferno took off! As they entered the home straight Taylor had no answers and Inferno won by 1 1/4 lengths – breaking Taylor’s track record in the process. The quirks that looked to possibly appear on that night back in November, didn’t appear here, and you have to wonder whether if in the same form then as now, she would have done enough to win that night.
Questions though, will still rightly be asked. Bubbly Inferno did win her heat of the TV Trophy, but only by a neck, and in a whole 70 spots slower than she clocked in the final. There’s a lurking aura of “can she do it again?”.
Since that final, Ballymac Taylor has been seen again. Last Saturday morning at Monmore she took her place against a field that included former TV trophy finalist Savana Jazz. She held Jazz an accumulative 2 lengths in that final and 1 length in a trial stake 2 weeks previous. Rightly then, that she started an odds on chance to beat her again here. She started well, and followed long time leader Savana Heross until asserting at the 7th bend. In behind though was a flying Savana Jazz, and off the 8th bend she was caught and passed and ended up going down by 1 1/2 lengths. Slightly off script for favourite backers and it’s probably left Ballymac Taylor with more questions to answer.
Bubbly Inferno hasn’t been seen since in competitive action, but did have a 575m trial last Friday at Romford where she clocked 35.68. Respectable for a bitch that would be far better under race conditions.
The verdict then, is that we look set for another enthralling match race. Ballymac Taylor looks sure to lead again, Bubbly Inferno looks sure to get after her again. Will Taylor hold her for a second time? Will Inferno swoop past her much like 2 weeks ago?
Find out.
Romford Stadium, London Road, Friday 5th April.
