Earlofthecotswolds teed himself up for the defence of his Finals Day crown with a thrilling success in the SCU Selects Expert Tips At BetUK Conditions Stakes at Wolverhampton this afternoon. The extended two-mile contest was the final Fast-Track Qualifier of the season and guarantees Earlofthecotswolds a start in the £150,000 All-Weather Marathon Championships, a race he won in similarly tenacious fashion last year. Nigel Twiston-Davies’ contender led the five runners from the outset under Tom Queally, with 5/6 favourite Roberto Escobarr, Fleurman, Onesmoothoperator and Calling The Wind following in a strung out field. The chasing pack closed up heading out on the second circuit but Earlofthecotswolds kicked on again with half a mile remaining and soon had his rivals under pressure. Earlofthecotswolds looked set to be swallowed up in the home straight, with all of his rivals within striking distance at the furlong pole, but the nine-year-old kept finding to prevail by a head from Fleurman in a blanket finish. Queally said of the 6/1 winner: “Earlofthecotswolds is a good horse with a lot of ability. They want him there for Finals Day and it is good that he got to win again. “I ride a lot of Nigel’s on the Flat but I was suspended a couple of years ago and Liam Keniry took the ride. Admittedly, I am just getting used to the horse and probably did not go fast enough the last day, whereas today I did. I wanted to fill his lungs at crucial stages and that seemed to give him an edge at the end. “Nigel only runs a few on the Flat but he has a magnificent strike rate. It would be great if they gave him a few more Flat horses.”
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