With the opening days of February, the Irish greyhound racing calendar has kicked into gear. It also marks a very exciting time at Shelbourne Park, the most famous greyhound racing arena on the planet. As you read these words, the ground floor at the St Lotts Road venue is being ripped out ahead of a complete refurbishment.
Shelbourne Park Renovations
While the coming months will be dusty and a little inconvenient for those that frequent Shelbourne, it will all be worth it. The works are expected to be finished at the start of October and it’s fitting that the first major event held in the ‘new’ Shelbourne Park will be the 2024 Boylesports Derby. It may be much later in the year than normal, but it should be a very special occasion.
In the meantime, Shelbourne Park will remain open with no access to the ground floor. Thankfully, the grandstand area outside will remain open and those that make their way to the steps outside will no doubt witness some exceptional racing in the coming months including Saturday night with the Tote Gold Cup getting underway.
Tote Gold Cup
The traditional early season curtain raiser is absolutely stacked. All six opening round heats feature some of the biggest names in the sport and the resulting action should be unmissable. Favourite for outright glory is Another Holiday, who ended 2023 on such a high.
His task is far from easy, however, with some huge names in opposition including Irish Sprint Cup winner Carrick Aldo, 2022 Derby runner-up Ballymac Finn, Kingdom Derby winner and top sprinter Road Exile, the exciting Superfast Gorden, Optic Chico, Champion Plate winner Ballymac Walt, the hugely progressive De Foxy Devil, brilliant females Droopys Edel, Ballymac Wendy and Boylesports Coco, Jetara and Bobsleigh Syd.
It’s a wonderful way to start an exciting Shelbourne Park year. The final is scheduled for Saturday, February 24th and it is set to be televised live on GTV, highlighting its importance.
Unraced Final
Meanwhile, it’s a huge weekend at Clonmel. Sunday’s card is really top class with the final of the Rural Kennels open Unraced decider the main feature. This year’s stake has been packed with quality and there are a number of potential superstars chasing the €8,000 prize on Sunday.
Chief amongst them is Ballymac Danica. Nothing short of sensational in her last two starts, she looks destined for a huge future. Blessed with incredible pace and plenty of power, she is very similar to her wonderful dam, Ballymac Arminta.
The latter remains one of the fastest bitches ever to grace Shelbourne Park and was seen at her best when landing the 2019 Champion Stakes. Her daughter could be set for a similar success in the future, although she won’t have things all her own way on Sunday.
For as good as Ballymac Danica is, Romeo Taylor, Epic Bella and Carrick Keano are worthy adversaries. It would be no surprise to see any of the quartet go onto classic glory in the future. The draw seems to favour Ballymac Danica and she gets the vote to come home in front but this is a contest we could be referencing for quite some time given the quality of youngsters on show.
Dublin Cup Final
Tonight’s action is highlighted by the final of the Dublin Cup at Shelbourne. La Barbaro and Headsinthewindow come into the contest in sensational form. La Barbaro is on a run of six straight wins, while Headinthwindow has won her last seven outings.
Much will depend on the opening exchanges but sight preference is for La Barbaro on the strength of an ideal draw on the fence.
