Coolavanny Brian earns his stripes with trap-to-line success

The semi-finals of the Two Wheel Training A2 525 featured on a graded card on Saturday night at Curraheen, and there was a minor upset in the first heat as Coolavanny Brian earned his stripes with a trap-to-line victory.

A semi-finalist in the Juvenile Classic at Tralee, and now with trainer Pat Norris, the July pup had the favourite, Razldazl Oisin, in chase as they raced down the back. But the 4-1 chance held his line well and stayed on strongly to score by two and a half lengths, form Dims Boy, in 28.81, with the favourite the same distance back in third place.

The second semi-final went to Joy McCotter’s Gifted Belle, who made full use of her inside line. The 3-1 shot broke well, and slipped around in front. The strong-running sort was never likely to be caught, and duly stayed on strongly to beat Test Me by three lengths, in 29.08, with Wideawakejohn also claiming a place in the decider.