McKenna pair can keep Kingdom flag flying
Mike and Vincent McKenna provide half the team with the ante-post favourite College Causeway and the well fancied Droopys Noel.
College Causeway contests the opening heat and has a tricky enough draw in the black jacket with fast starters on either side and Shaneboy Lee on the wide outside. However, the clever tracker remains my fancy for the classic. However, don’t be surprised if Shaneboy Lee re-establishes his strong claims after last week’s slightly sub par run.
Droopys Lee has a very suitable inside draw in Heat 3 that should enable him to beat fellow inside early pacers Magna Venturer and Oran Classic to the bend. However, Owen McKenna’s Faypoint Man will take beating from a perfect box four slot.
The other Kerry challengers, Liam Dowling’s Three One Three and Chris Houlihan’s Cashen Legend occupy the two inside traps in Heat 2 and it’s not beyond the bounds of possibility that they could clash in the opening yards. If Cashen emerges from this battle, he will then have Slip The Lark, Tyrur Giovanni and St Louis Spirit to deal with in the race of the round.
All the runners in Heat 4 are trained in Leinster and provide us with an intriguing battle between four of the young stars of the classic, Royal Tornado, Scolari Me Daddy, Mesedo Blue and Airport Pilot. I will go for a match between Scolari and Mesedo and the break will probably decide the issue.
A major night is planned for Curraheen tomorrow with top class racing in the form of the finals of the AIB Bank A1 and the Cork GOBA Past Presidents Stake. The meeting is being promoted as a major Back to School Gala for the kids with all sorts of entertainment, ranging from Face Painting, Goody Bags and Balloon Shaping to Clowns and a special Magic Show.
Incidentally, there will be another big occasion at the track on Saturday, September 12 when the Munster Rugby team will be present and will sign autographs and present prizes. That is also the night of the Derby final at Shelbourne.
Curraheen’s Getting Out race on Saturday week will be a €400 Open 525 and entries close on Tuesday next. But all thoughts are now turning to the Cashmans Bookmakers Irish Laurels which commences at Curraheen on Friday, September 18 and Saturday, September 19.
Entries close on Monday, September 14 at 11am.
Entries are being accepted for the next Sales to be staged on Tuesday, September 29.
The Barry Nurseries A4 Stake gets underway at Youghal tonight while commencing next Monday will be the 12 dog Track Supporters Novice 700 for A3 or lower and a winners prize of €600. Then starting a week later, on Monday, September 7, will be the Cork GOBA Racedogs A5 for 24 dogs and and a winner’s prize of €1,400. Preference will be for dogs raced at Youghal and Cork and they must have raced at least three times.
The big one of the year at the track is the 2009 Catunda Harry Champion Stakes, an open 550 event with a winner’s prize of €11,000 and the heats will be run on Friday, September 11.
Two other major meetings tonight will be at Newbridge, where the semi-finals of the Texacloth Puppy Derby will be run, and at Harolds Cross where the Kinloch Brae Open Unraced tops a very interesting card. The Dublin meeting also features a guaranteed €20,000 Pick 7 Jackpot pool.
The draw was made yesterday for the Droopys Stud Munster Oaks and there is a high class entry for Saturday's first round at Kilcohan Park. Irish Oaks winner Skywalker Queen tops the entry but also in the line-up are last week’s Gain Leinster Oaks winner Shine And Rise, Tyrur Ted Champion Bitch winner Slick Sioux and recent Hondo Black Southern Oaks winner Cabra Tiny.
Sunday’s meeting at Clonmel will have the first round heats of the Track Supporters Club A3 bitch Stake while then on Thursday nextthe final of the Suirside Stayers Open 750 will be run, in addition to the semi-finals of the A8 Stake.
Six bend racing will be all the rage at Thurles over the next few weeks. First off the blocks tomorrow is the D3 750. Two six bend competitions will commence on Saturday week, the Greyhound Sales D1 750 and the Novice 750 for all grades.
