ON THE greyhound scene, the Laurels takes centre stage and despite the most unfortunate absence of semi-final winner St Louis Charlie, it’s still a terrific contest and one that’s not easy to solve.

THE Pat Hennerty Sales Irish Laurels is the centrepiece of a magnificent card at Curraheen Park on Saturday night.

TOMMY Delaney’s Leeview Jet ensured there would be local representation in next weekend’s Classic climax when he produced his best performance of the year to run home a most impressive winner in Saturday’s first Pat Hennerty Sales Irish Laurels semi-final at Curraheen Park.

THE Pat Hennerty Sales Irish Laurels is building up to a huge crescendo with two fantastic semi-finals lined up for Saturday night.

SOME Florida sun shone on Curraheen Park on Saturday night as Fr Bryan Dalton’s Deerfield Music and Deerfield Sings gave the US-based owner a double in the quarter-finals of the Pat Hennerty Sales Irish Laurels. Both are trained by Mossie O’Connor.

THE second session of the opening round of the Pat Hennerty Sales Irish Laurels dominates tonight's action at Curraheen Park and much of the early focus will be Tyrur Big Mike and how he fares in the first of eight heats.

TONIGHT’S final of the Beamish A1 at Curraheen Park is laden with early pace, but the make-up is such that Aghaburren River, who seems unlikely to lead, could be drawn to upset more fancied rivals, Johnny Linehan’s dog ran a cracker in the semi-final when pushing Burgess Star to a length and given that he was returning after a couple of months off, he’s entitled to improve for the outing.

BY MONDAY afternoon, the starting line-up for the 2011 Laurels will be revealed and the draw for the first round heats made

THE opening round of the Ladbrokes.com Derby will draw to a conclusion at Shelbourne Park this evening and, with twelve heats, there should be no shortage of clues as to the possible outcome of the world’s greatest greyhound competition.

JUDICIAL Academy and What A Tornado will battle it out for favouritism for this evening’s Kerry AgriBusiness St Leger at Limerick, but on the track there could be one or two more getting involved in what promises to be a thrilling decider.

It may be only six months since the 2010 Kerry Agribusiness Irish St Leger final was run at the brand new Limerick Stadium but a huge crowd will be convening again on Saturday to savour the 2011 decider where there will be very strong local interest.