A FEW very significant changes in the management of Irish tracks were confirmed yesterday. Declan O’Halloran has stepped down from the top position at the new Limerick Stadium a little over three weeks after the first night at the track. Meanwhile, An Taoiseach’s brother Barry Cowen has been appointed to the vacant General Manager position at Mullingar.

THE Ballincollig express train Leeview Jet will make a rapid return to action when he contests the Red Mills Waterford Masters which kicks off at Kilcohan Park on Saturday night.

THE Ladbrokes.com Irish Derby at Shelbourne Park is now trimmed to 24 runners from an original field of 144. Following a flying 29.42 last weekend, Tyrur Big Mike now heads the betting lists.

THERE were the usual shocks in the opening session of the second round of the Ladbrokes.com Irish Derby at Shelbourne Park last night when Owen McKenna’s Farley Blitz ran out a decisive winner of what was expected to be a real cliffhanger.

IT is every greyhound person’s dream to have a runner in the Ladbrokes.com Irish Derby but Galway owner P.J. Fahy is not the typical owner.

The best wine was certainly kept to last when the draw for the heats of the Town View Foods Champion Stakes was made at Shelbourne yesterday.

THERE’S just over three weeks to the start of the 2010 Ladbrokes.com Derby and a number of potential challengers flexed their muscles at Shelbourne Park on Saturday, although few impressed quite like Barefoot Bullet and Farley Blitz as they took the two feature races.

LEMON JET was the undoubted star of last week’s opening round of the Thurles Fresh Milk Tipperary Cup and his reward for a wonderful 28.82 return is a tricky trap one draw in Heat 5 of tonight’s second round.

NEWS from across the water yesterday is that one of the biggest entries for many years will go into the draw on Sunday for the first round of the Williamhill.com English Derby and among them there will be one of the biggest ever Irish raiding teams.