The original Topper was William Boyd’s famous steed in the many western Hopalong Cassidy movies made over almost two decades.
Boyd purchased Toper in 1937 and had him until the ghostly white horse died in 1961 when both of them were in luxury retirement.
Topper’s Halo may not be as famous but he certainly caught the eye with a fast finishing second behind classy galloper, On The Ropes, last week.
Yesterday jockey Jason Whiting produced another withering finish, from the rear, on the Danehill Express four year old. This time he swept to an easy victory on the Lou and Dion Luciani trained galloper.
The win gave owner Bill Biggs a 70th birthday present, emulating something that had also happened twenty years ago when the owner celebrated his 50th.
Closing Time (Shaun Meeres) and Hans Up (Troy Turner) filled the places.
In the third race over 1600m the master and the apprentice fought out a stirring finish. Paul Harvey on the David Mueller trained Finnegans Gold prevailed after kicking back on the rails to down The Alleged (Alex Hearn), by a short neck.
John Elsegood