LARRY Dunne’s Slippery Bob turned the opening heat of the Billy Mulvaney Snr and Jnr Memorial Open 600 at Shelbourne on Saturday into a procession with an impressive display of front running.

SHELBOURNE Park is often a quiet place in the closing weeks of September as punters suffer from what is commonly referred to as the “Derby hangover”.

TRAINER Paul Hennessy has dominated the stayers’ races at Curraheen Park in recent weeks and the trend should continue when the Barry’s Tea Open 750 kick-off tonight.

IT HAS been over six months since Tyrur Big Mike raced, but the Derby and Champion Stakes runner-up is hot favourite to lift the Collage Causeway/Killahan Phanter Easter Cup, which starts at Shelbourne tonight.

THE anticipated announcement of the new chairman of the Irish Greyhound Board didn’t materialise yesterday but word is now expected before the end of the week.

THE impending closure of Newbridge cast a gloom over the Irish greyhound industry this week but there is strong reason to hope it can rise from the ruins of this development.

The greyhound followers in the south-east will be in upbeat mood tonight as Enniscorthy Track reopens its doors after a period of great uncertainty.

IRELAND’S finest will be in action at Shelbourne Park this evening in the second round of the Tote Gold Cup. Last weekend’s action featured many superb performances and more of the same is expected tonight.

BOTH Shelbourne Park and Limerick will play host to a number of Ireland’s finest this evening as the Tote Gold Cup and Roche’s Feeds Oaks commence at the respective venues.

FEARS that the current economic problems would decimate the sponsorship scene have proved unfounded and there was double good news this week with confirmation that existing sponsorship of the Easter Cup at Shelbourne and the Produce Stakes at Clonmel is to continue this year.

THE draws for both the Roches Feeds Oaks at Limerick and Tote Gold Cup at Shelbourne were deferred until today, though both events had achieved their target number of entries.

ON a relatively quiet weekend for greyhound racing, the focus falls on at Shelbourne Park this evening as many leading trackers flex their muscles in preparation for a crack at the upcoming Tote Gold Cup.

Question: What Coursing Derby winner was not eligible to contest a Coursing Bred stake on the track?

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.

IT HAS been a highly encouraging week in the face of the economic recession, with the Irish Derby sponsorship secured and the continuation of two other classics confirmed.

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.

IRISH eyes were smiling at Wimbledon on Saturday night as our grip on the Blue Square English Derby got even stronger.

TWO impressive trials had indicated Derby champion Razldazl Billy was as good as ever, but he sent out an even more emphatic warning on Saturday night when starring in the opening round of the Donal Reilly Easter Cup at a packed Shelbourne Park.

THE lightly-raced Dubai Sensation is taken to cheat the draw in the Kieran Dineen Memorial 550 Trophy final, the feature at Curraheen Park tonight.

FLORIDA PEARL, a 25-1 shot for the Gold Cup with Cashmans, will miss Cheltenham and the rest of the campaign.

Best Mate is one of a team of eight pencilled in for the Cheltenham Festival by trainer Henrietta Knight – one of which is the champion’s year-younger brother Inca Trail.

David Johnson has yet to decide which race his star novice Therealbandit will tackle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Oliver Carter is dreaming of Cheltenham glory after Venn Ottery opened his account at the 24th attempt in a controversial race for the Manny Bernstein Hedging For Bookmakers Maiden Chase at Leicester yesterday.

Henrietta Knight said today she was overwhelmed by the interest shown in her stable star Best Mate when she visited Ireland on Sunday.

Alan King, Martin Pipe and Nigel Twiston-Davies shared the training honours on the New Year’s Day card at Cheltenham by notching doubles.

BEEF OR SALMON should outpoint Henrietta Knight’s Edredon Bleu in today’s Clonmel Oil Chase at Clonmel and confirm his position as Ireland’s top staying chaser.

BEEF OR SALMON, if Michael Hourigan decides to let him take his chance, can leave the nightmare of Cheltenham behind by landing a potentially cracking Heineken Gold Cup at Punchestown this afternoon.

BEST MATE simply lives on a different planet to any other chaser in the universe. That can be the only conclusion, following the total crushing of his rivals in yesterday’s Tote Gold Cup at Cheltenham.

BEEF OR SALMON is the choice to prove a tasty dish for punters in the Tote Gold Cup at Cheltenham today.

HENRY DALY is one trainer not complaining about the decision to start watering at Cheltenham ahead of the Festival meeting.

PUNCHESTOWN racecourse is introducing a range of incentives to boost the appeal of its National Hunt Festival this spring outside Ireland.

Commanche Court was made to struggle to land the odds at Navan this afternoon in the Gain Feeds Handicap Chase to keep his Cheltenham prospects alive.

Beef Or Salmon made a spectacular debut at the highest level when running away with the Ericsson Chase at Leopardstown today

MINI SENSATION rose to the occasion to land a gamble in the Coral Welsh National at Chepstow yesterday.

WILLIE MULLINS reports Florida Pearl and Davenport Milenium none the worse for their exertions at Kempton Park on St. Stephen’s Day.

TONY McCOY declared his love for Best Mate after the favourite provided plenty of Christmas cheer for punters with a battling success in the £150,000 Pertemps King George VI Chase at Kempton yesterday.

Top Irish jockey Ruby Walsh has sympathised with Adrian Maguire’s plight after the jockey suffered serious neck injuries just days before the start of the Cheltenham Festival.

Mouse Morris reports Foxchapel King to be in ‘‘mighty’’ shape for the Tote Gold Cup at Cheltenham in a fortnight’s time.

Sackville, the leading Irish hope for the Tote Gold Cup, will bypass the Pillar Property Chase at Cheltenham on Saturday.