7-UP FOR INCREDIBLE PA

Ian Fortune

Friday night’s card at Kilkenny just gone dominated by the opening round of the  Deadly Kennels McCalmont Cup, so much so that a notable victory on the undercard escaped our attention.

Birchfield Pa, a veteran son of Droopys Buick and Droopys Cutey, emerged a length winner of the €1,000 to the winner Greyhounds Make Great Pets A4 525, bringing his carer tally to over €14,000.

It was a typically professional display from the July ’21 whelp as he saw off Kilgraney Mike but what came to light subsequently is that Birchfield Pa has a habit of winning finals.

Indeed, remarkable as it may seem, this was the seventh final won by Birchfield Pa in his long career. In March of 2024,he emerged triumphant in the final of The Tom Browne Memorial A3 before winning the same competition a year later in March ’25.

As it happens, next Friday night he will take his place in the opening round of the 2026 renewal of the Tom Browne Memorial. The other finals that went his way include the Stephen Behan Memorial A3 in September ‘25, the Frightful Flash Kennels A2 in November ‘24 and the KGOBA A4 in February ‘24.

In total he has won 21 of his 91 career starts. Given his incredible record, it has to be said he is the greyhound of a lifetime for his lucky owners, the B-Boys Syndicate, which is spearheaded by lifelong Kilkenny Track supporter Fess Brennan, while Pa is also trained locally by Tom Leahy.

It’s great to see Birchfield Pa still enjoying what he does and there is clearly life in the old dog yet. No doubt he will give a good account of himself in his bid to win a third Time Browne Memorial.