Great week for Offaly greyhounds with eight winners

The semi-finals of the Irish Greyhound Laurels in Cork and the final of the Matchbox Betting Exchange Fair Warrior Open Sprint in Mullingar dominated the week’s racing. However, there was also plenty of top class action around the provincial tracks and Shelbourne Park. Some quality Offaly winners to boot.

Early Week Racing

Enniscorthy, Monday, in the semi-finals of the Kiltrea Kennels Open Unraced stake, two fabulous heats with less than a length between the two winners. Angry Uncle won the first, in 28.95 by two lengths, for Peter Cronin with Cloneden Flash the second for Pat Buckley, in 28.90, by six lengths. Final Sunday.

Friday racing

Kilkenny hosted the first round of the Deadly Kennels which was won last year by Paul Hennessy’s star tracker Hello Hammond. Five heats, all in sharp times, with Priceless Opera going fastest for Hennessy and owners Bryan and Kathleen Murphy,  in 28.81, (20 slow) by five lengths at 5/4 favourite.

In Shelbourne Park, in the semi-finals of the Paddy Merriman Memorial A1 525 stake, Whyaye Man delivered a career best run in the first for Robert Gleeson, in 28.26, by four lengths at 5/2. Coolavanny Raven won the second in for Garry Dempsey in 28.63 by one length at 6/4 fav. In the first round of the Upcoming Events A2 Bitch stake, three heats with Black Eyed Ruby going fastest when coming from way off the pace to get up on the line and win by a head in 28.77 at 3/1 for Clonard trainer Kevin Losty.

Saturday Racing

Galway, semi-finals of the Liam Brussels Memorial A4 stake, three heats with two qualifying from each. Fastest of the three was So It’s Rapid for Birr owner Paul Pardy in a super 28.94 (20 slow) by ten lengths with Vincent Mckenna training.

Limerick, in the final of an A1 stake, Drombeg Ten (Grangeview Ten - Blastoff Khalesi) won the €1.3k cheque for Master Evan McAuliffe in 28.78 by three lengths at 3/1. Two Offaly winners on the supporting card, both for Kilcormac owners Mary and Paul Jennings, with Michael O’Donovan training, Laughil Roy, after unluckily exiting the Laurels in Cork last week easily delivered the fastest run of the night when winning an open 525, in 28.47 by three lengths, at 2/1. The other winner was Laughil King who had his first career win in an A3 575 in 31.37 by eight lengths at 4/6 fav.

The best racing of a bumper Saturday night was in Cork, in the semi-finals of the 2022 Irish Laurels. Two decent priced winners, Ballymac Whispa won the first for Liam Dowling in 28.15 by three lengths at 4/1. The second semi went to Galloping Sydney for Graham Holland in 28.28 by two lengths also at 4/1. Going into Saturday's final, Holland has two in it, with one each for Dowling, O’Donovan, Pat Guilfoyle and Robert Gleeson. Of the six finalists, two are the prodigy of leading stud dog Droopys Sydney while Ballymac Anton, Definite Opinion, Scolari Me Dad and Burgess Bucks have one each - should be a great spectacle.

Two other stakes at semi-final stages in Curraheen Park were the Jerry and Michael Hennerty Memorial ON2 unraced  and the Michael (Bart) Leahy Memorial A2 525. In the unraced, Toolmaker Stan won the first for Gleeson, in 28.71 by six lengths, at 4/5 fav. The second semi went to Droopys Unicorn for John Linehan, in 28.87 by two lengths, at 6/4 fav. In the A2 stake semifinals, both were won in identical times of 28.47, by two dogs who are both unbeaten in the stake so far, so should be some buckle between the two of them in Saturday’s final. Bartlemy Jas won the first by six lengths at 1/2 fav, while Ballycowen Lola the second by four lengths at 5/2. All races in Cork were rated  .10 fast. 

In Mullingar, two Offaly winners, in an A7 contest, Lahinch Roxy was first home in 30.42 (50 slow) by one length for Clara owner P.J. Cleary. In an S4 350 yard sprint, So Its Power crossed the line in 19.12 by eight lengths with Paul Pardy having his second winner of the night.

Shelbourne staged the first round of the RPGTV Puppy Oaks, a very small field entered with only eighteen going to traps for what was once a very prestigious event. Scooby Duchess is reigning champion for Jennifer O’Donnell. Three heats, again with two qualifying for Saturdays final. Ballymac Run was fastest for Liam Dowling in 28.11 by five lengths at 2/5 fav. Next fastest on the clock was Three Canons for Pat Norris in 28.15 by three lengths at 1/2 fav. The remaining heat went to Up The Style for Gleeson in 28.23 by two lengths at even money fav. Very little separating all these six finalists on Saturday.

In the semi-finals of the Talking Dogs AO 525 stake, Knight Honcho won the first for Navan trainer Oliver Bray in 28.83 by four lengths at 5/2. The other semi went to Boylesports Vic in a super 28.27 for a pup only having his third run by five lengths at 5/4 fav with Paul Hennessy training.

Sunday Racing

One of Mullingar's top events of the year came to a conclusion at the matinee meeting of the Matchbox Betting Exchange Fair Warrior Open Sprint. A major shock was in store as long odds on favorite Gizmo Cash totally missed the break and leaving it an impossible task to win, this left it wide open for an outsider to lift the cheque for €4K. The dog to take full advantage of this was Airport Flying (Droopys Buick - Dream Believer) for Portarlington owners Oliver and Finbarr Cribben in 21.54 (20 slow) by a head at 10/1 with David Murray training. Mustang Joey was second for Jim Darcy and Paul Horig and received €1.5k. 

Three Offaly winners on the supporting card, two for Moneygall owner Liam Jones, Lingrawn Salmon won an A6 contest in 29.81 (50 slow) by seven lengths at 7/4 fav. His other winner was Lingrawn Aoife in A4 grade in 30.09 (50 slow) by a neck at 7/2. Our final Offaly winner of the week was Beechgrove Lady for Ballycommon owner, Peter Raine in an A3 race in 29.89 (50 slow), by three lengths also at 7/2.

Two evenings meetings on Sunday, in Enniscorthy in the final of the Kiltrea Kennels open unraced stake, Angry Uncle (Ballymac Best - Angry Lauren) was first home for Waterford trainer Peter Cronin in 28.99 by three lengths and received a pot of €3.25k. In the final of the Michael Donohoe Memorial A1 Ledger, Marlfield Trent (Laughil Blake - Droopys Alberta) was first over the whitewash in 28.63 by a neck with a first prize of €3k going to Caroline Fielding.

In Clonmel, in the first round of the Stud Owners Munster Juvenile Cup, four heats with champion trainer Graham Holland winning three and Pat Buckley the remaining one. Fastest of the four was Ballyhimikin Leo in a fast 28.32 by six lengths for Holland.

Upcoming Events

Friday, quarter-finals of the Deadly Kennels A2 stake in Kilkenny, final of the Paddy Merriman Memorial and final of the Upcoming Event A2 Bitch, both in Shelbourne. Saturday, final of the Liam Brussels A4 stake in Galway, finals of the RPGTV Puppy Oaks and AO 525 in Shelbourne and finals of the Hennerty Memorial,  Leahy Memorial and the big one, the 2022 Irish Laurels all in Cork. Sunday, semifinals of the Munster Juvenile Cup in Clonmel.

Tribune Offaly dog of the week
Laughil Roy get the vote this week for Mary and Paul Jennings, winning an open 525 in Limerick on Saturday in a super 28.47 by three lengths.

Offaly Winners
Eight Offaly winners this week. Congratulations to all involved in any way.