As a blanket of snow covered much of the country on Friday morning, it threw plans in the air for the coming days. As we write these words, none of the major meetings have been abandoned yet and hopes are high that Tralee will race this evening with the potential stars of 2024 likely to provide some outstanding racing.
Juvenile Classic
The Juvenile Classic, more so than any competition in recent years, has provide a springboard to future stardom and this year’s crop looks particularly strong. The semi-finals of the classic will dominate tonight’s action at the Kingdom Stadium should it survive the weather, something it didn’t do last weekend.
A freak thunderstorm hit the track late last Friday evening forcing the postponement of the quarter finals to Monday. When they eventually took place, there were some wonderful displays including that of Ballymac Patriot as he confirmed his standing as one of the most exciting young trackers in training. Coolavanny Otto also confirmed his brilliant opening round form, overcoming traffic to win with a power-packed performance. He does look very special but has been handed a tough semi-final assignment with a trap four draw less than ideal.
In contrast, Ballymac Patriot has been handed a much more favourable draw on the fence in the opening heat. He is likely to be odds-on for his assignment, although he takes on some very promising rivals including Silverhill Adam, Ivy Hill Thunder and Baby Bocko. Of the three, Silverhill Adam has looked very talented, showing fine pace in both defeats to date. If he can brush up on his starting, he could emerge a serious threat to Ballymac Patriot.
Baby Bocko also looks very strong but does tend to steer a wide path and Tralee is perhaps not best serving his style of racing. Ivy Hill Thunder looks very green. He too has a massive engine but may lack the experience needed.
Coolavanny Otto lines out in the second heat and will be hoping to turn close to the pace which seems likely to be set by Kerogue Lady. The later is a full-sister, from a repeat mating, to Coolavanny Hoffa and seems to have very similar qualities. She boasts exceptional early pace and is the most likely pace-setter along the fence. She would be vulnerable if Coolavanny Otto were to turn close, however. Otto is trained by Pat Buckley and seems set to go onto big things in the future. What is most impressive about the son of Droopys Sydney is his ability to put his rivals to the sword from the second turn.
Of the remainder, Ower Cracker, a kennel mate to Coolavanny Otto, and Carrigmore Grace look the most likely to battle it out for the third qualifying spot.
Brownstown Tango & NTSC Open Unraced Bitch 525
Elsewhere, Newbridge is also likely to provide a springboard to future glory for a number of hugely promising youngsters as the Brownstown Tango & NTSC Open Unraced Bitch 525 gets underway this evening.
Some of Ireland’s fastest females have made their debut in this evening in the past five years including Susie Sapphire, Unlock Unlock, Droopys Curio, Boylesports Coco, Slick Sakina and many more. With that sort of quality emerging from the competition, it’s understandable that plenty will be tuning into watch tonight’s action at the Kildare venue.
