Calm before the Gold Cup storm

You could call this weekend the calm before the storm but it will still be a busy few days with top action at a number of venues.

But there is a huge anticipation of the SIS Live Tote Gold Cup which is set to kick off on Saturday week with a big list of superstars in action.

The big name in the €30,000 to the winner Gold Cup will be Milldean Panther and one would have to be impressed by his trial spin on Tuesday morning. He is a super dog but this is his first step into all aged company and a clash with the likes of Rockchase Bullet or Tyrur Big Mike would be a real crowd-puller.

Entries for the SIS Live event will close on Tuesday morning at 11am and one hopes the presence of John O’Flynn’s charge will not frighten away any of his prospective rivals. This competition will usher in a period of fantastic racing at Shelbourne as it will be followed by the Easter Cup and then the Hegarty Bookmakers 600.

There is a very diminishing alcohol involvement in greyhound sponsorship these days but that is not the doing of the industry. Anyway, the Guinness Trophy came to mind when the latest attack on traditional Irish life was promoted this week. Hopefully sense will prevail at some time in this country of ours that is rapidly being reduced by the authorities and the do-gooders to the status of a nanny state.

The Guinness Trophy may be an A1 affair but it still produces the goods and the second semi on Saturday at Curraheen promises to be a real cracker. Three of last week’s second round winners will be in opposition with the clock suggesting that Glenanore and Ryecourt Fox could battle it out.

Next major stake at Curraheen will be the €3,500 Cork Supersprint Open 330 which will start on Friday, March 2nd and starting on Saturday, March 3rd will be the new 24 bitch €1,400 Crossfield Kennels Puppy Oaks (March ‘10).

Prior to that the 24 dog €1,000 Mumhan Aris A3 (No Bg) 525 will close next Tuesday, while next week’s Getting Out race will be a €350 A2 (Bg) 525.

The major race of the week will be the final of the Vetsearch Recharge 525 at Limerick on Saturday and the scene has been set for a real thriller. Graham Holland’s brilliant bitch Calling Spice has really set up this competition with three remarkable runs of a new record 28.27 followed by 28.31 and 28.30.

But even at that she has a massive rival in Tom and Sean Og Fitzgerald’s Ogie Tom which broke the bitch’s record by two spots. Even then he only had two lengths to spare over Boherna House!

The field is completed by Cashen Mafuma, Crossfield Star and Oh Johnny.

Calling Spice is drawn inside Boherna House and Ogie Tom and her sizzling early can carry her into a decisive lead which she may hold to the finish.

By the way, sports fans need have no worries on Saturday as the Ireland v France rugby game will be shown on the screens at all tracks on Saturday in addition to the GAA games.

The John & Mary “Killeacle” Dowling Memorial 570 moves on to the second round at Tralee tomorrow and the first round action suggested that there will be some smart performances before the top prize of €3,000 is claimed.

By far the fastest first round winner was Liam Harty’s Lassinagh Brae with a brilliant 31.12 run and he will come up against fellow heat winners Steeple Rd Guna and Baltovin Pedro in Heat 3.

While on the subject of Tralee, next week will see the resumption of Tuesday night racing at the track. The first two Tuesdays will be sponsored by the Track Supporters Club who are running five 12 dog stakes, the semi-finals next Tuesday and the finals on the 21st when they will also support the remaining five contests. Declan Dowling tells me that they had 128 young dogs for trials on Monday morning and that it is the same each week, which explains the need to resume the Tuesday racing.

News from Thurles is that the valuable Thurles Card Players A3/4 (Bg) 600 will commence on March 2nd for 48 dog sand will have a winner’s prize of €2,700. Prior to that the 24 dog €1,300 Toomevara GAA A3/4 (Bg) 525 will start on February 25th.

Tonight’s card at Clonmel features the semis of the Spring NO/N1 Unraced while on Sunday the finals of the Guys & Dolls A3 and the February A5 will be run as well as semi-finals of two other stakes and an interesting Open 550.

Wednesday racing resumed at Kilkenny last night and other news from that venue is that the Ruscar Dana Open 725 has been put back to February 24th due to the postponement of last Friday’s meeting.

Finally, two competitions starting at Waterford next weekend are the Hannigan Animal Collection N1/2 Unraced on Saturday week and the Murphy’s Bar Carrigeen D4 730 the previous night.