Hare's running!(credit:
saris0000)
Kinda Easy will bid to complete a historic family double when competing in tonight's final of the William Hill St Leger over 668 metres at Wimbledon.
Litter brother Kinda Ready has already claimed Classic glory in the Blue Square Derby at this track back in May and there are similarities behind his sibling's bid for success.
Like his kennel-mate, Kinda Easy has had to qualify the hard way with a series of gutsy placed efforts, including when overcoming early trouble to chase home 10/1 pillar-to-post scorer Fraziers Clone in last week's first semi-final.
"He looked like he got taken out at the first bend and was pushed very wide so for a second I thought he wasn't going to make it through," trainer Mark Wallis told The Dogs on Sky Sports.
"But once he extracted himself from that he was always going to qualify and for a moment even looked like he might catch the leader.
"The winner ran very well but we're in the final and that's the main thing. It's the stuff that dreams are made of and it'd be terrific to do the Derby-St Leger double."
With little early pace out wide, the trap six runner will be hoping to follow Fraziers Clone round this time and pick off that rival with his mid-race pace.
Kinda Ready's triumph came as a 25/1 total shock to most punters but Kinda Easy is a top-priced 3/1 with Sky Bet to prevail here and Wallis also sends out favourite Droopys Zach, who is 7/4 at best with Stan James.
The last-named has already won two valuable six-bend events at Monmore in the second half of this year and finished strongly to take the second semi by seven lengths.
"He ran an absolute blinder," added Wallis. "He's bided his time, got in the right position then come with a wet sail and picked up the leader quite easily. He's got to have a great chance."
However, few will rule out the chances of Lorrys Options, who is 4/1 third favourite with sponsors William Hill to add to his victories in the Ladbrokes Golden Jacket at Crayford and the Coral Regency at Hove earlier this year.
This out-and-out stayer plugged on gamely to grab third behind Kinda Easy in the semis and will again be coming on strongly when others cry enough in the decider.
"He's a real competition dog," said trainer Dean Childs. "He's sometimes down but never out and that's what makes him a champion.
"He's a great dog to train and very hard to keep out of the first three.
"He's had to work very hard for it but don't forget he's just come back from a lay-off with a fractured hock so he's a fresh dog going into the final and fingers crossed he's going to get it right on the night."
William Hill St Leger draw (Wimbledon 9.45) with best odds: T1 Swift Messenger 28/1 Sky Bet, T2 Westmead Wings 6/1 bet365, T3 Droopys Zach 7/4 Stan James, T4 Lorrys Options 4/1 William Hill, T5 Fraziers Clone 11/1 Sky Bet, T6 Kinda Easy 3/1 Sky Bet