A dog run by the family of a former chief executive of the Irish Greyhound Board tested positive for two banned substances after its win at the Coursing Derby.

An accountant who was unfairly dismissed from his job with the Irish Coursing Club has been awarded compensation of €35,000.

The Irish Coursing Club (ICC) has confirmed that six samples taken from runners at this year’s National Meeting in Clonmel have tested positive for banned substances.

An accountant sacked by a national sporting organisation was “collateral damage” and “the jam in the sandwich” in a row between the club’s current president and other executive members, a tribunal has heard.

A former accountant with the Irish Coursing Club submitted “fictitious” mileage expenses worth €3,800 a year after striking an agreement with his former boss and the club’s former auditors, a tribunal has heard.

The two principal internal investigators at the Irish Greyhound Board have taken extended work-related sick leave as the company delays the publication of their recent report into a race-fixing scam.

Cabra Millie is the one to beat in the final of the Sporting Press Irish Oaks at Shelbourne Park.

Cabra Millie faces a test of her Sporting Press Irish Oaks credentials in tonight’s second semi-final, but the Graham Holland-trained bitch should come through with flying colours.

In Smoke Pixie’s absence Cabra Millie, College Maybe and Borna Gem head the market for the Sporting Press Irish Oaks and the trio have managed to avoid each other in tonight’s quarter-finals.

The introduction of the new Mini Open grade from next Tuesday has been widely welcomed by owners and trainers and should fill the huge void which had existed in the current grading system.

Despite weeks of dominance, the Irish will have only one representative in the williamhill.com English Derby decider at Wimbledon this evening following last weekend’s semi-final carnage.

The draw for the first round of the Sporting Press Irish Oaks has thrown up a few intriguing clashes.

GREYHOUND followers have classic action on three fronts on Saturday night.

THIS year’s Sporting Press Irish Oaks has been right out of the top drawer and this evening there are two ultra-competitive semi-finals down for decision.

IT’S another busy week on the tracks with top action all over the country.

PUPPY OAKS champion Droopys Twirl, is the likely favourite for the Sporting Press Irish Oaks which starts at Shelbourne tomorrow night.

THERE are no major competitions currently in progress at Shelbourne Park but tonight’s card is packed with real quality as many of Ireland’s fastest trackers prepare for their respective targets.

I’M something of an optimist by nature but I can’t help but detect a number of very positive signs on the Irish greyhound front that provides renewed hope for the future of the industry.

ONLY twenty four greyhounds remain in the Sporting Press Irish Oaks, but the competition remains wide open following an intriguing second round on Saturday.

A HUGE crowd looks certain to pour through the stiles at Dundalk tomorrow night for one of the most anticipated races of the year, the 2009 Boylesports Dundalk International.

THE stage is set for a thrilling conclusion to the Sporting Press Irish Oaks at Shelbourne Park tonight. The competition has been one of the best in memory and this evening’s decider certainly has the making of a real thriller.

It’s another massive weekend to savour with the highlight being the final of an absorbing looking Sporting Press Irish Oaks at Shelbourne Park on Saturday.

Timor Blue is unlikely to race again after sustaining a serious wrist injury in a first bend fall in last weekend’s Kerry Agribusiness Irish St Leger final at Limerick.

The trap draw could the deciding factor in the Kerry Agribusiness Irish St Leger final at Limerick this evening.

TRAINER Ginger McGee can tighten his grip on the Hondo Black Southern Oaks at Youghal by landing both of tonight’s semi-finals.

ORAN Majestic can make her class tell by taking the opening second round heat of the Hondo Black Southern Oaks at Youghal tonight.

EXPRESS TUNE set herself up for a tilt at the Sporting Press Irish Oaks with an authoritative display in the McCarthy Insurance Group Cork Oaks at Curraheen Park on Saturday night.

DERMOT WELD is setting a blistering pace at the top of the trainers’ table, well clear at the moment with an impressive 16 winners for the season.

THE job of sacked Bord na gCon chief executive Aidan Tynan was advertised in Sunday newspapers while an investigation into the controversy continues.

Ian Fortune

THE first session of the Kerry Agri Business Irish St Leger tonight will see the first live telecast of the Limerick action to tracks all around the country.

WHEN the National Coursing Meeting in Clonmel, the biggest event in Irish Coursing, was still a pup, the Irish Cup was already full-grown.

It’s Pat Curtin’s first visit to the National Coursing Meeting in Clonmel as an ‘official’ trainer. However, he boasts two live contenders in Boavista and Smoking Banner. Diarmuid O’Flynn got the lowdown.