Jaytee Valencia dominates from the front at Curraheen Park
Lurriga Gold showed pace to take second spot racing down the back, but she could never quite get to the leader, who stayed on well to post victory in 28.45, two and a half clear of Lurriga Gold, with Newlawn Peter in third.
Oaklands Paddy, trained by Denis Fitzgerald for Billy Dunne, produced a really game display to take the second semi-final. The 3-1 chance did very well to turn in front from his outside draw, and led down the back with Greenisle Rover in chase.
Test Me showed pace to challenge around the final bends and may just have put his nose in front on the hometurn, but Oaklands Paddy stayed on strongly to beat that rival by a neck, in 28.78, with Creamery Robin staying on to earn the last spot in the decider.
On the undercard, unbeaten bitch pup Harlem Princess, an all-the-way winner of her two previous outings, showed herself to have more than one string to her bow when coming from behind to take an A2 525 in 28.75.
Tommy Delaney’s July pup took over from Ridgemount Jojo at the third turn, before pulling three and a half lengths clear.
In an S3 sprint, Mark McSweeney’s Churchfield Don, just a September pup, made an impressive Curraheen debut when leading from the first turn before pulling more than six lengths clear in 17.66.
In the first semi-final of the Greyhound & Pet World A3 525 Kathleen O’Mahony’s Rockforest Jill made all for a clear-cut victory, in 29.01. May bitch pup Sing Dixie, winner of a Clonmel sprint in 16.38, made all the running to take the second semi-final in 28.70, for Michael Farrell and Seamus Shealy.
Jerome Crowley’s Cheer Up Charlie continued his progress when posting a trap-to-line victory in the finale, an A1 525, for a fourth win in just seven outings.
Trainers Pat Buckley and Graham Holland shared the spoils in the four quarter-finals of the Best Car Parks at Shelbourne Park, the former winning the first two and the latter the last two heats.
The first of Buckley’s heat winners, both of which are owned by Len Ponder, was Lenson Sanchez, who overcame some first-bend trouble before getting back up late to deny Slippery Fred by a short head, in 28.43.
Lenson Panda built on his first-round victory when leading all the way for a smooth victory over Skywalker Pearl in the second, posting 28.40.
The first of Holland’s heat winners was Proud Graham, who made all to beat Fair Taxes by three lengths, in 28.41.
The standard-setter on the night was fourth-heat winner Sidarian Vega, who led early, and bounded clear to score by a huge margin, in 28.11.
Leezie Lindsay, winner of the Macroom Motor Services Stake at Curraheen in December, produced a very strong and determined display to get up in the final strides to take the open 575 for Francie Murray and Howard Wallace, in 31.23.
1. Creamery Robin, 2. Test Me, 3. Jaytee Valencia, 4. Lurriga Gold, 5. Newlawn Peter, 6. Oaklands Paddy (m).
