Gone to the dogs: Offaly pup shows promise in sprint win

With Spring in the air crowds turned out in abundance to witness some great racing all around the country. The first round of the Con and Annie Kirby Memorial, Ireland's second most valuable stake dominated the weeks racing, when you add in the quarter-finals of the Easter Cup in Shelbourne, semi-finals of the Brownstown Tango Open Unraced bitch stake in Newbridge and final of the McCalmont Cup in Kilkenny just to mention a few, shows the quality of racing this week.

Early Week Racing

Annually Enniscorthy run six Open Unraced Stakes where future stars are often unveiled. On Monday we had four heats in the first of the the 2026 Future Champion Stakes. Last year's winner of the event was Unattached for Edward Dobbs. Monalee Haruto was fastest of the quartet when crossing the line in 29.04 by four lengths at 6/4 co fav for the Harutos-Crew-Syndicate.

Wednesday should have been the first outing for SIS meetings in Mullingar, however, owing to a mechanical problems the meeting had to be cancelled. Not a great start for this meeting which had a regular berth on Sunday afternoons.

Friday Racing

SEE NEXT: Offaly wind curtain down on league programme with heavy defeat in Cork

First valuable final of the week was in Galway with the conclusion of the 1XBet Tour Series A3 Stake. Noelles Bebeto (Dromano Bucko-Noelles Camino) won the €5k first prize for Noelle and James Divilly in 29.05 (10 slow) by two lengths at 5/2.

Two finals in Kilkenny. The Deadly Kennels A1 McCalmont Cup took centre stage with the €7k purse being won by Sober Barry (Skywalker Barry-Sober Pearl) who went through this very competitive stake unbeaten for Karol Ramsbottom. The winning time was 28.81 (20 slow) by one length at 11/10 fav. Oriental Prince was second for Denise Ryan and received a cheque for €2k. The second final was the A3 Tom Browne Memorial. Foyle Milo (Signet Ace-Foyle Lucy) took the €1.5k and the honours here for John Mackey and Tom Lennon in 29.50 (20 slow) by one length at 5/2.

First Offaly winner of the week was at the matinee SIS meeting in Mullingar. Horseleap Lucy won an A4 contest for Tubber owner Sean McGuinness in 30.05 (40 slow) by a short head at 4/1.

The two semi-finals of the Brownstown Tango and NTSC Open Unraced dominated a great nights racing in Newbridge. Droopys Crispy won the first for Kinnegad trainer Barry Clancy in a smart 28.59 (20 fast) by seven lengths at 5/2. The second semi was won in a near identical time of 28.60 (20 fast) by Ballymac Lix for Liam Dowling by one length at 2/1.

Three Offaly winners on the supporting card. In the first race on the card the semifinals of an ON2 unraced Yorkie Mikey won for Birr owner Adrian Sheils in 29.22 (20 fast) by four lengths at 4/6 fav.

In an S5 sprint, Uimhir A Tri absolutely pinged the lids and blitzed the field to win by eight lengths for Cappincur owner Paul Corrigan and the T-J-M Syndicate in a magnificent 17.34 (10 fast) at 6/4. That 17.34 time hasn’t been done in Newbridge for a couple of years now and the Offaly owners look to have a special one on their hands here. Fine bit of training by Clonard handler Kevin Losty.

In the last race on the card Glenlara Dubh won an A3 race also in fine style for Ballinagar owner Liam Kirley in 28.60 (20 fast) by one length at 2/1.

Two finals were up for grabs in Shelbourne. Kevin Losty was back in the winners enclosure as Jameson Johnny (Ballyhimikin Jet-Wishful Ali) won The Follow Us On Social Media A4 Daul Distance final over the 575 trip. His winning time was a superb 31.25 (20 fast) by two lengths at 6/4 fav with a cheque of €1.75k heading his way. In the final of the Talking Dogs A2 stake Rolo Jasper (Malachi-Distant Sal) won the €2k purse for Barry Clancy again in 28.50 (20 fast) also by two lengths at 3/1.


Saturday Racing

Thirteen heats in the first round of the Con and Annie Kirby Memorial Open 525 in Limerick won last year by the great Faypoint Ranger for Graham Holland. €80k is waiting for the eventual winner after five gruelling weeks of racing once again sponsored by Noreen and J.P. McManus in honour of Noreen’s parents.

It was a magnificent field with racing of the highest order with eight of the thirteen heats being won in 28.10 or lower. Super standard. A treble on the night for Holland with doubles for Curly O’Donovan, Liam Dowling and Paul Hennessy. Bouncing Monarch was fastest of the thirteen for O’Donovan in 27.97 by two lengths at 4/1. Another to certainly catch the eye was Ballymac Setanta for Dowling who stopped the timer in 28.00 flat winning by five lengths at 2/9 fav. Long way to go yet in Limerick’s most valuable stake of the year and calling a winner now an impossible task.

Curraheen Park, final of the SSO Personnel Cork Oaks Open 525. Bombay Special (Dromano Bucko-Tory Aria) won the €7k pot for Holland again in 28.42 by one length at 6/4 joint fav. Magical On Fire was second for Pat Guilfoyle and received a cheque for €2.6k bringing her career earnings to over €51k. 

Two Offaly winners in Mullingar. In an S5 350 yard sprint Coolree Say won for Daingean owner Eugene Glennon in 19.62 (20 slow) by one length at 2/1.

In the final of an A8 Sweepstake Towns Pride (Tommy Shelby-Limini) won the €500 first prize in 30.07 (50 slow) by eight lengths at 1/2 fav with David Murray training. This young dog who won’t be two until July is owned by the Fortune-Favours-The-Brave-Syndicate who are all members of the Edenderry soccer club. Big well done to them and hopefully now a bright future for a new syndicate in Offaly.

Quarter-finals of the Shelbourne Park Bookmakers Easter Cup 550  dominated a cracking nights racing in Headquarters. Lennies Tank set the bar highest when crossing the line in 29.37 by four lengths at 4/5 fav with Gowran trainer Hennessy at the helm. 

Sunday Racing

Nothing of note in any of the tracks staging racing on Sunday.

Upcoming Events.
Monday, semi-finals of the Future Champion Open Unraced in Enniscorthy.

Friday, final of the Brownstown Tango and NTSC Open Unraced bitch stake in Newbridge.

Saturday, second round of the Con And Annie Kirby Memorial in Limerick and semifinals of

the Shelbourne Park Bookmakers Easter Cup. 


Tribune Offaly Dog Of The Week.

Probably for a first time ever we have given dog of the week to a pup having only  his second race so good was the performance of Uimbhir A Tri Friday in Newbridge. His 17.34 (10 fast) winning run was certainly talk of the Greyhound fraternity for the last week for the T-J-M Syndicate and trainer Kevin Losty. Sparkling eight lengths win and who knows how high this young hound can go. Expect to be reading a lot more about Uimbhir A Tri over the coming year. Magnificent performance. 


One For The Notebook

Yorkie Mikey looks a prospect for Adrian Sheils when winning on debut in the semi-finals of an ON2 unraced in Newbridge on Friday in a smart 29.22 (20 fast) by four lengths. Sheils is no stranger to the winners podium as he is co owner of probably Offaly’s fastest dog at the moment Yorkie Ollie. He may have another superstar on his hands here and expect him to be back in the winners enclosure on Friday in the final. 


Offaly Winners

Six Offaly winners last week. Well done to all involved.