BLARNEY trainer John Linehan will be breaking new ground when he challenges for the Williamhill.com English Derby with his Curraheen Park qualifier Droopys Sastre.

There’s quite a treat in store for Curraheen Park racegoers on Saturday when last year’s Cashmans Laurels hero Sevenheads Bay reverts to two-bend racing as he opens his seasonal campaign with a challenge for the Kudos Supersprint.

THE greyhounds of the year will be honoured at a lunchtime function in Limerick on Sunday, March 7th and the nominations for the various awards were selected at a meeting in Shelbourne Park last week.

This year’s Vetsearch Irish Grand National has provided a marvellous fillip for hurdle racing in this country and has proved yet again that hurdling could become popular here if given the proper promotion by the authorities.

The high quality of racing in the opening round will have whet the appetites of southern greyhound followers and we can anticipate a massive attendance at Curraheen Park on Saturday for the second round of the Cashmans Bookmakers Irish Laurels.

Three days to go to the world’s greatest greyhound race and, with the exception of Faypoint Man, there are no negative vibes emanating concerning the other finalists in Saturday’s Paddypower.com Irish Derby final at Shelbourne Park.

The College Causeway team will be anxious in advance of tomorrow’s Paddypower.com Irish Derby semi-finals at Shelbourne. A year ago their star tracker was a very strong favourite in advance of the semis but trouble down the far side saw him bid farewell to his prospects.

THERE are four Kerry- owned speedsters involved in the quarter-finals of the Paddypower.com Irish Derby at Shelbourne Park tomorrow night and there will be plenty of support with the Kingdom’s fans in town for Sunday’s All-Ireland SFC semi-final against Meath.

COLLEGE Causeway wrote a piece of history when setting an incredible new track record in the first round of the Paddypower.com Irish Derby at Shelbourne last night.

TWELVE months on from his famous last gasp victory over Killahan Phanter, Shelbourne Aston is again in the line up for the final of the Boylesports.com Champion Stakes hoping to become the first greyhound to retain his title.

Last year’s Irish Derby finalist Headleys Bridge has been withdrawn from Saturday’s heats of the Boylesports.com Champion Stakes at Shelbourne and he will be replaced by first reserve Slick Sioux.

MORE than double the number of required entries was received for the Boylesports.com Champion Stakes which is set to commence at Shelbourne Park on Saturday.

IN what will be his first outing on Irish soil since November, College Causeway faces an extremely tough test at Shelbourne Park this evening in the opening round of the BCR Print Easter Cup.

Leading fancies Shelbourne Aston and College Causeway have been handed very difficult first round tasks in the BCR Print Easter Cup which gets under way at Shelbourne on Saturday night.

SWORDS PRINCE will start favourite to win the Tote Gold Cup next weekend after producing yet another brilliant display in posting the fastest semi-final time at Shelbourne Park on Saturday evening.

THINGS will certainly get serious at Shelbourne Park this evening as the last eighteen remaining runners in the Tote Gold Cup battle it out for a place in next weekend’s e30,000 decider.

WITH Shelbourne Aston going crashing out of the competition last weekend, Kildallon Maid and Headleys Bridge are now battling it out for favouritism in the John J Casey Open 575 at Shelbourne Park and tonight the pair both have outstanding claims of reaching next week’s decider.