A BUNDLE OF BRILLIANCE AT THURLES

Peter Farrell

Those who took advantage of the free admission at Thurles Greyhound Stadium on Tuesday night were rewarded with a blockbuster final of the Thurles Champion Bitch Stake, which was landed in terrific fashion by Droopys Bundle.

Having won her semi-final in a slick 28.69, Droopys Bundle, like many of her fellow finalists, had also lined out in the opening round heats of the Sporting Press Online Irish Oaks at Shelbourne Park on Saturday night. After safely securing her passage into the second round of that showpiece, she returned to the Premier venue to fully justify her 11/8 favouritism.

A red-hot decider saw Pat Buckley represented by no fewer than four runners, and it initially appeared his dominance at Thurles would continue when Singalong Cherry broke sharply from trap two. Hugging the rails on the run-up, ‘Cherry’ was soon tracked by kennel companion Tassie Tomboy, while Droopys Bundle sat ominously close in third. With less than a length separating the leading trio, Singalong Cherry led into the back straight, but Droopys Bundle quickly swept past to open up a one-and-a-half-length advantage approaching the three-quarter mark.

From there, the contest developed into a thrilling match race, with the two standout bitches matching strides around the bottom bends. Droopys Bundle, however, refused to yield. Trained by Robert Gleeson for Matthew Derrick, the daughter of Droopys Sydney and Droopys Sweet was in full throttle up the Thurles hill and, although Singalong Cherry narrowed the deficit late on, ‘Bundle’ still crossed the line a one-and-a-half-length winner. Tassie Tomboy finished a further four lengths adrift in third. It was a thoroughly deserved success for a bitch operating at the peak of her powers, with the clock stopping at a rapid 28.64.