It’s understandable at this time of year, with the future in mind, the youngsters hitting the track for the first time tend to attract most of the attention but the more established stars of Irish greyhound racing also took their chance to shine last weekend as the Tote Gold Cup got underway at Shelbourne Park.
It was perhaps the first big weekend of the year with so much going on including the final of the Rural Kennels Open Unraced as well as the aforementioned Gold Cup action.
Gold Cup Action
Ballymac Finn set a strong standard at Shelbourne, clocking a rapid 28.17. Carrick Aldo was just one hundredth of a second slower, while Optic Chico was fastest of the remainder. As it happens, Saturday’s second round features the clash of Ballymac Finn and Optic Chico. The pair line out in the opening quarter final and it should make for fascinating viewing. Ballymac Finn was razor sharp last week, dominating throughout. If he repeats that form, he could again make a bold bid from the front. Optic Chico has an ideal draw in the stripes of six and looks the main threat. He possesses real power and pace and will move with real purpose from the second turn. Should Ballymac Finn fail to get to the front early. Optic Chico would quickly emerge as a leading player.
Carrick Aldo is already a classic winner after capturing last year’s Irish Sprint Cup at Dundalk. He subsequently reached the final of the Laurels and all evidence would suggest he will continue to be amongst the best in training this year. He posted a fast 28.18 last week, showing his trademark early dash to dominate. It would be no surprise if he were to go even faster and as a result is a confidence choice to come home in front in the third of the four heats. Droopys Edel is nominated as the main threat but she may struggle to match Carrick Aldo to the turn.
Those on the outside of the track are likely to dominate the betting for Heat 2. Road Exile races from five and can rocket to the turn, while Deadly Style was a superb opening round scorer. He again wears the stripes and will have plenty of support. The pair are expected to have a fine battle into the turn but the inside line could work in favour of Road Exile, who is also one of the best sprinters in the country. Should he turn in front, victory is likely to be his.
Another Holiday could be the hottest favourite of the round despite suffering an odds-on defeat last week. He looked short of a run last time when failing to hold Optic Chico but should improve sufficiently to win the final heat at the expense of De Foxy Devil and Glengar Martha.
Unraced Final
The feature of the action last weekend was the valuable final of the Rural Kennels open Unraced at Clonmel. As we’ve been saying for a few weeks in this column, a number of potential stars will emerge from this competition including the winner Romeo Taylor. He shot to the front in the early yards to see off Ballymac Danica, while a couple of others caught the eye in defeat. In terms of brute early speed, Romeo Taylor is the one to take out of the race but as an overall package, it’s clear Ballymac Danica and Carrick Keano, who finished fourth, are likely to go far.
Ballymac Danica was the star of the early rounds and is closer to the finished article than Carrick Keano but the latter looks exceptionally fast and it would be no surprise to see him emerge as a very special greyhound in the coming months.
