It hasn’t been a notable year for Kerry sports, but the county claimed a big winner at Listowel Races yesterday.

There should be a huge crowd in Dundalk this evening where Milldean Panther returns to action in the Boylesports International .

THE surprises of the previous day continued at the second stage of the National Coursing meeting yesterday, with the biggest upsets coming in the Boylesport.com Derby.

HIGH and Mighty, who last season won three All Aged Cups (Listowel, Rathkeale and Ballymena) in his second season, ran away with the Listowel All Age Cup in Rushy Meadows yesterday.

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

WILLIE MULLINS landed the Grade 2 Slaney Hurdle at Naas yesterday, not with 6/4 favourite Bishopsfurze, but with front-running Gagewell Flyer, enterprisingly ridden by the trainer’s nephew Emmet.

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.

We’ve all grown up to the culture of the Spring, Summer and Winter Sales in the stores and other retail outlets. Well the Sales culture has now hit the greyhound world and Curraheen Park has come up with an enticing July Sale which will see racegoers qualify for half price racing!

PATSY Byrne’s Ballymac Ruso is the 2-1 favourite to win the Boylesports International at Dundalk on Sunday following College Causeway’s withdrawal shortly before the draw was made by Boylesports’ representative Leon Blanche at lunchtime yesterday.

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.

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 Irish-based Drumaville Consortium behind Sunderland has paid just over £20m (€21.5m) for its investment in the Premier League club, according to 2007 figures available from Jersey’s Financial Services Commission (FSC).

Clonmel is coursing’s Mecca, an annual pilgrimage repeated over the three-day early spring National Coursing Meet at Powerstown Racecourse, but it’s a restricted affair.

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.

THE Irish consortium that owns Sunderland football club is in line a for a pay day of almost €90 million when the Black Cats are officially promoted to the Premiership on Sunday.

FIANNA Fáil yesterday suffered an election year setback.

WIZARD weaved his magic to claim Corn Na Feile at Abbeyfeale yesterday.

Niall Quinn’s consortium today confirmed they have reached an agreement on a £10m (€14.41m) cash offer for Sunderland.

TOLPUDDLE, given a speculative entry for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, made a winning debut over flights in the Millstreet Maiden Hurdle at Cork yesterday.

Former Aidan O’Brien inmate Avalon could make his hurdling debut for Jonjo O’Neill at Newbury on Wednesday.

MICHAEL DARCY took the riding honours on a day of shocks at Thurles yesterday, recording a double on Baily Breeze and Just.

ASHMORE VIEW became the second northern dog to plunder a big southern prize this month when taking the J P McManus Irish Cup at Limerick Racecourse yesterday.

PAT DALY of Ballinhassig, Co. Cork will have one of the leading fancies for the Boyle Bookmakers Derby at Clonmel in February following the success of his impressive puppy Judicial Castlelu in the final of the Patsy Byrne Corn na Féile Derby at Abbeyfeale.