Queen Jessiej will undoubtedly start favourite to take the BGBF British Bred 2 yr Old Produce Stakes Trophy on Sunday, but her five opponents all deserve to be there and will definitely give her a run for her money!

Jessiej, an enormously impressive May ‘18 bitch by Leamaneigh Turbo out of Skate On, has remained unbeaten through this four-round competition held over two weeks … and posted the fastest time of the semis on Monday.

Trained by Liz McNair for owners and breeder Brendan Keogh and the KSS Syndicate, Queen Jessiej railed into the lead off the second bend in the second semi final and went on to cross the line with Acomb Winston in second.

The first semi went to Bob Smith’s Amka Rofe (Blackstone Marco x Ardjeff Lady, Feb ‘18) who took the lead half way and finished a length and a half clear of Boca Junior.

The third semi went to Lights Out (Taylors Sky x Terminator),  with her litter sister Liberty Belle in second …. making three finalists from this litter as Boca Junior is their litter brother!

What a litter this is proving to be!  Bred by Mike Burton at Hartpury, Gloucestershire, owned jointly by him and grandson George and trained by Kevin Hutton, they are the youngest contenders in the final and very lightly raced – so lightly in fact that it is Lights Out’s first competition – so to be winning her third race ever, and for it to be a semi final of this class, is amazing!

Six in the litter – and exactly two years old this week (16 September) – all six qualified for the second round, five went through to the semi-finals – now three of them through to the final!

BGBF chair Liz Mort said: ‘ The Final of the annual Produce Stakes is arguably the BGBF’s most prestigious night of the year – the cream of the year’s British bred crop running their fourth big race in two weeks … everything points to it being a great Final this week!

‘Good luck to connections of all the finalists, and thanks to Swindon who have again done a great job in this most difficult of years – they even broadcast the final draw live on Twitter!

‘Josh Sealey has brought the whole thing alive for everyone with his camerawork and putting the photos out on Twitter so very quickly. The only sadness is that we won’t actually be there to watch ourselves on Sunday – but it’s great that RPGTV will be.”

Trap draw for Sunday’s final: 1 Boca Junior, 2 Lights Out, 3 Liberty Belle, 4 Amka Rofe, 5 Queen Jessiej, 6 Acomb Winston (m).