While Milldean Panther’s performance in the final of the Razldazl George 525 final at Shelbourne on Saturday will attract most attention, the major event is the Red Mills Masters which reaches the semi-final stage at Kilcohan Park.

WITH no further withdrawals yesterday, there are 92 dogs standing for tonight’s opening second round session of the Ladbrokes.com Irish Derby at Shelbourne Park.

There will be no exporting of greyhounds from Ireland to China, in the near future at least.

ACE trainer Pa Fitzgerald’s won’t be giving up hope of further Irish Cup glory without a a big battle.

MELODYS Royal looks likely to be aimed at the biggest competitions in the calendar in the coming months after a stunning display in the final of the Joe Dunne Memorial Puppy 525 at Shelbourne Park on Saturday.

CENTRAL CITY’S victory in the Boylesports.com Derby at Clonmel on Wednesday was a performance that defied all the traditions of greyhound breeding and which could have a major effect on future breeding lines.

SLIPPERY Bob was the star in an eventful second round of the Kerry Agri Business Irish St Leger at Limerick on Saturday evening.

TOMORROW is all about the future of Irish greyhound racing.

Former Minister for Agriculture Ivan Yates caused many a head to nod in agreement when, during a recent address to the annual lunch of the Dublin Greyhound Track Bookmakers, he commented that the first priority for Greyhound and Horse Racing folk should be to have the respective industries returned under the umbrella of the Department of Agriculture.

LEGENDARY Kerry trainer Pa Fitzgerald recorded his second J.P. McManus Irish Cup win in-a-row, and his sixth in all, when last season’s Boylesport Derby runner-up, Sandy Sea, landed the €80,000 winning prize for well- known owner Patsy Byrne (Duagh and London) at a well attended and highly successful Patrickswell meeting yesterday.

THE shocks and surprises of the previous two days continued on the final day of the National Coursing Meeting in Clonmel yesterday where Kingsmill Dynamo, bred by Sean Bleeks, trained by Aidan Roche in Gorey and owned by the Roche-Fitzpatrick Syndicate from Arklow, Co. Wicklow captured the Boylesport.com Derby.

POWERSTOWN Park punters, already reeling from a host of shock results in the classics, will this morning be greeted with the disappointing news that favourite Coolcastle Point (Trajectory-Wake Up Time), is a shock withdrawal from the Derby.

THE opening round of the Blue Square English Derby concluded at Wimbledon on Saturday and it’s safe to say it went well for the Irish, writes Michael Fortune.

For those more used to the muck, mud, rain and cold of deep winter that normally accompanies their favourite sport, it was positively balmy in Clonmel yesterday for the first day of the 83rd running of the annual National Coursing Meeting.

THERE were shocks in the opening two semi-finals of the AIB Stakes at Curraheen Park on Saturday night.

IT must have been a close call but from a very strong field — where his main rival must have been Champion Stakes winner Windfarm — the Greyhound & Pet World coursing dog of the year award has gone to the courageous puppy Eoin Rua (Handsome Billa – Eoin Og), winner of the very competitive JP McManus Irish Cup at Patrickswell and the Keen Laddie Stakes at Clonmel.