There’s scarcely a quiet weekend in Irish greyhound racing and the coming days are further proof. Of course, the Con & Annie Kirby Memorial continues at Limerick with so many potential superstars strutting their stuff in the €80,000 to the winner competition but the feature of the weekend’s action is the final of the Shelbourne Open 600.
Famously known as the Guinness 600 for over thirty years, the competition is amongst the most popular on the calendar with purists loving nothing more than watching the fastest and strongest greyhounds in training exhibit their incredible talents over the 600yd trip at Shelbourne Park.
It is one of the truest tests of a racing greyhound on the planet with a blend of pace, power and class required to excel over the extended distance. And as a competition, the Shelbourne Open 600 never fails to deliver.
In fact, many of the fastest greyhounds to ever grace Shelbourne Park have come out through the near sixty-year history of the competition. And that leads us to Saturday’s final line-up. Hello Hammond produced a stunning semi-final run to come home clear but whether he can repeat that run has to be seen.
In a near-two-year racing career, and over fifty career starts, the Paul Hennessy trained star has only dictated to the turn on two, maybe three, occasions. Expecting him to do it two weeks in a row is perhaps a little foolhardy.
It’s probably better to look beyond Hello Hammond and focus your attention on Fast Fit Paddy, Sentimental Lad and Allforthebest. All three greyhounds are top class with the ability to go up strongly and see out ever inch of the trip.
It’s fair to suggest that both Sentimental Lad and Fast Fit Paddy would need to dictate in a race of this nature but they would certainly be strong enough to hold on if doing so. Allforthebest isn’t as dependent on an early advantage.
He is immensely strong and is fast enough to turn close to the pace. Given those qualities, he is chosen ahead of Sentimental Lad and Fast Fit Paddy to land the €15,000 winner’s purse.
All the action rom Shelbourne Park will be available to view on RPGTV from 6pm this evening. You can find the channel on 437 on the sky platform.
Meanwhile, things are really starting to ignite at Limerick in the Con & Annie Kirby Memorial. After the opening two rounds only Droopys Nice One, Tommy Too Many, Deadly Showtime and Swords Rex can boast an unbeaten record in the competition.
As fate would have it, the quartet have been kept apart and all four have strong claims in their respective assignments. Droopys Nice One is the choice to come out on top in the opening heat despite the presence of Crafty Kokoro, Da Bold Freddie and Magical Kuba.
A good starter with real strength, Droopy Nice One is a very special youngster and remains one of the leading fancies for outright glory. She is likely to turn close and can make her pace from the second bend prove decisive.
Tommy Too Many is perhaps the most vulnerable of the four unbeaten runners left in the competition. He races in the stripes of six in the second heat and needs to find another flying start to account for Droopys Edison and the Other Kobe amongst others.
Add in the progressive Cryptopunk, the powerful Ballymore Border and the promising Kildare and it’s quite a contest. Droopys Edison gets the nod ahead of The Other Kobe.
Glengar Scholar and Ballinabola Ed are both hugely talented but need to be at their very sharpest to deny Deadly Showtime a fourth win on the spin. The latter is a flying starter and can make every inch to see off Ballinabola Ed.
Swords Rex is perhaps the banker in Heat 4, although his price is likely to reflect his chance. A brilliant 28.20 winner last week, he need only start on terms and hold his rails pitch into the corner to come out on top. Of his rivals, Lenson On Ice, who can really fly to the turn, looks best equipped to push the favourite, while Scooby Prince is also entitled to respect, although he does need to return to his best form.
