5-1 Top in pleasing Champion spin.

Byline: Jim Austin

CLOVER TOP received a quote of 5-1 from Victor Chandler for the Coral Champion Stakes (starts Monday) after putting in a satisfactory 35.93sec (normal) trial over the competition trip of 575 metres at Romford before racing on Wednesday, writes Jim Austin.

Heavy rain had made the track very wet underfoot, but it surprisingly held up well and there were even some suggestions it was running a bit on the quick side.

But whatever the state of the track, the workout from Brian Clemenson's sole entry was decent and he ran the circuit well after understandably getting the first two bends slightly wrong, this being his first experience of Romford.

He outclassed Seamus Cahill's Ragazza Nera (stopped chasing just after the line) winning by over 14 lengths off the back of a 13.81sec sectional.

"Yes, I'm pleased with that," said the Hove handler who won the event with Cooly Cougar 12 months ago. "I think you need a specialist dog to win over 575 metres round here, one with early pace that can get clear of the scrimmaging that tends to occur at the first bend.

"He's a strong dog over 515 metres at Hove, giving me reason to firmly think he'll stay this and, although it was hard to gauge in the trial, he wasn't at a walk coming home."

nTeds World Cup, who is in the Reading Masters, posted a decent 24.08sec in a 400-metre solo at the same session.