While greyhound racing continues to proceed behind closed doors, the actual dogs themselves are doing their very best to keep the interest in proceedings on the track. It’s no exaggeration to suggest that the current crop of young greyhounds on these shores are as strong as any in the history of the sport.
It seems that each and every week another potential superstar announces his or her arrival on the track scene and most of them will be on show at Limerick in the coming weeks as one of the great competitions on the world greyhound racing calendar, the Con & Annie Kirby Memorial, gets underway on Saturday.
Sponsored by JP and Noreen McManus, the competition is actually named in honour of Noreen’s parents who were deeply involved in greyhound sport and have a special place in the hearts of those that used to frequent the old Markets Field venue.
These days, Limerick greyhound racing takes place at the wonderful Greenpark facility and for the next four weeks it will act as the setting for the most incredible canine drama. A look through Saturday’s thirteen opening round heats will highlight the incredible talent on show and there are so many mouthwatering clashes to look forward to.
Perhaps the most eagerly anticipated clash is one we’ve seen before with Ireland’s two fastest females, Billys Diva and Ballymac Ariel locking horns in Heat 6. Both are truly special performers and they meet for the fourth time in their relatively short careers.
The score currently reads two wins for Ballymac Ariel and one to Billys Diva and the make up of their next encounter could see the former increase her lead over her rival. With Billys Diva, who was amongst the favourites for last week’s Easter Cup decider, expected to cut inwards from trap five, Ballymac Ariel could have plenty of room from a wide draw in six to get into full stride. And have no doubt, Ballymac Ariel in full stride is one of the most amazing sights in greyhound sport.
The opening heat will set the tone with Explosive Boy, Rural Star, Billis Tudor and Clona Bolt clashing. All four have tremendous ability, although the inexperience of Billis Tudor is a concern.
Explosive Boy is the likeliest pace setter on the fence but needs to be at his very best in a race of this quality. Rural Star and Clona Bolt have both shown huge promise in their few starts to date and have the ability to go far in the competition.
One of the more intriguing runners on the night is Bockos Belly in Heat 8. A top tracker in the UK, the Monmore Puppy Derby runner-up is now kenneled at Graham Holland’s Riverside Kennels base for a Kirby challenge. He has a massive engine but has little room for error with his now kennel companion Fabulous Azurra drawn on his inside in trap one.
Its certainly safe to say that no matter the winners on the night, there will be a number of future classic winners on show. The opening round will be part of a new weekly stream titled Talking Dogs TV. The pay per view stream will be live between 7 and 10pm and it should prove popular to those looking to stay in touch will all the action.
Elsewhere the final of the SIS Cork Oaks is the feature at Curraheen Park on Saturday night. A wide open contest with the six runners all very well matched in terms of ability, it could come down to the draw and the opening exchanges. Slipalong Magic, Azzabi and Breton Avril will go up fast on the inside of the track and that could cause a bit of a jam, which could allow local raider Witches Ethiopia to launch a decisive challenge in the closing yards.
