It’s yet another big weekend for Irish greyhound racing with so much to look forward to. The established stars, including the Derby champion Born Warrior, will do battle for the €16,000 winner’s purse in the final of the Paddy Kehoe Suspended Ceilings Gold Cup at Shelbourne Park on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, tonight’s action is dominated by the second round of the Greyhound & Petworld Juvenile Classic. There were many displays of immense promise in the opening round and it seems safe to assume this year’s renewal will be as strong as any in the relatively short history of the event.
There certainly is plenty to talk about but the Gold Cup decider is clearly the highlight. Born Warrior, as the Derby winner, has the best form in the book although he is still seeking his first win of the year after suffering three straight defeats. Those reversals are best ignored.
There seems no doubt that Born Warrior is better suited by the slightly longer run to the turn over 550yds but he has more than enough early dash to lead over tonight’s 525yd trip. The key to his race is whether he can produce one of his flying exits.
Through the Derby he seemed to be getting sharper and sharper with each run and his connections will hope he can find one of his best starts on Saturday. Certainly, if clearing the corner in front, he will increase his advantage to the third turn.
Both semi-finals went to the fairer sex with Stream Of Sydney and Rathdown Molly coming to the fore. The pair have obvious claims once again but need to be at their very sharpest in the early exchanges. Of the duo, Stream Of Sydney went fastest last week, clocking a sensational 28.07.
On that occasion she made every inch after a fast start from the inside box. She again wears red and is perhaps the most likely favourite but whether she can turn in front is up for debate.
Rathdown Molly is drawn on the right shoulder of Stream Of Sydney and is a real professional in the early yards. If she were to get first run on Stream Of Sydney, she would perhaps emerge as the main danger to Born Warrior.
Bogger Hunter and Disco Pants line up in the middle traps. Both have huge pace but need to be at their very sharpest. Boger Hunter had no answer to Rathdown Molly in the semis and must rocket from trap three to get first run on the ladies drawn on his inside.
Disco Pants ran a massive race behind Stream Of Sydney and comes into the contest on a tremendous run of form. He too needs to be razor sharp at traps but is certainly fast enough to have a big say.
Clona Blu completes the line up and the layers don’t fancy his claims. He ran on strongly to take third last week but may struggle to turn close enough in the final.
That brings us back to Born Warrior. The Jennifer O’Donnell trained star has a perfect draw in the stripes of six and can show more urgency at boxes. If doing so, he can dominate from the early yards before going on to claim another famous victory.
The action from Shelbourne Park can all be watched live on RPGTV from 6pm. The channel is available on the Sky platform on channel 437, while it can also be watched live on the Racing Post’s Greyhound Bet website and app.
Tonight’s second round of the Greyhound & Petworld Juvenile Classic is likely to produce some stunning performances. Ballymac Walt and Ryhope Beach set the standard in the opening round with both winning in a sensational 28.12 but others including Ballymac Marino and Droopys Onestop looked very special also.
Expect a few to come on for last week’s run and join those already mentioned as serious players in the competition. Given the incredible talent on show around Tralee, it’s safe to assume that more than one future classic winner will emerge from the stake.
