In a week when many of the likely stars of 2023 flexed their muscles, it was notable that the nominations for the 2022 National Greyhound Awards were announced. There were no real shocks with many of the category picking themselves.
Three of the very best were nominated for Dog of the Year. Irish Derby champion Born Warrior, English Derby champion Romeo Magico and the Kirby Memorial winner Swords Rex were all brilliant through 2022 and fully deserved their nomination.
The nominees for Bitch of the Year are no less talented. Raha Mofo, Bobsleigh Dream and Crafty Kokoro. Picking a winner from this trio would have been particularly hard as all three took on and beat the very best in training last year.
As yet, there has been no date announced for the award ceremony but it is likely to come after the Kirby Memorial, which is due to finish in late April meaning an early May date is likely.
Back to this year’s stars, the second round of the Paddy Kehoe Suspended Ceilings Gold Cup at Shelbourne Park is the feature of this weekend’s action. There were some superb displays in last weekend’s opening round but even better is expected on Saturday.
Understandably, all eyes were on Born Warrior last weekend in what was his first appearance since capturing the Derby last September. He ran into a most impressive Galloping Sydney but ran a big race in defeat.
Certainly, his handler, Jennifer O’Donnell would have been more than pleased by how he ran in defeat and he is likely to step up on that run on Saturday. He wears his beloved stripes in the third of the four heats and will be a red-hot favourite to return to winning ways.
Rathdown Moly and Crokers Sprit represent the greatest threat but Born Warrior should have too much ammunition and is expected to make every inch.
Another Holiday also suffered an opening round defeat but displayed real promise and speed. Clocking a rapid 15.85 to the third turn, he would have set the pace each of the four heats. In what was his first start of the year, he faded home but still ran a big race to finish second to strong running Stream Of Sydney.
Michael O’Donovan’s speedster will no doubt come on for that run and did enough to impress the layers with the son of Dorotas Wildcat now joint favourite for outright success alongside Born Warrior.
He will head the betting in Heat 2, but needs to be at his sharpest with Juvenile Derby champion Clona Duke also capable of making a bold bid. The latter also ran a huge race in defeat last week and is proven at the highest level.
The opening heat is a commentator’s nightmare with four of the six greyhounds named Sydney. This is due to the fact that four of the field are named after their remarkable sire Droopys Sydney. Galloping Sydney was so impressive last week and is nominated as the one to beat but both Kilgraney Sydney and Stream Of Sydney are capable of pushing him throughout. For the record, the last of the ‘Sydney’s is Killahan Sydney.
The remaining heat is a wide-open affair with each of the six capable of going close. Disco Pants really dug in to win last week and as a result gets the slight preference over the likes of Toolmaker Wilde and Cheque For Sir.
Curraheen Park also hosts a quality card on Saturday with the opening round of the Cork Cup acting as an appetizer to the final of the Two Wheel Training Open 575. Magical Mary and Ballyhimikin Leo will head the betting and much will depend on which gets first run.
The former boasts the better sectionals to the opening corner and that could make the difference with the Pat Guilfoyle trained star chosen to come home in front.
