ARC SINKS RIVALS AS CYNTHIA SEALS NOVICE CLEAN SWEEP

Peter Farrell

Two sweepstake finals drew a large crowd to Lifford Greyhound Stadium on Sunday evening and both deciders produced top-class performances from Droopys Cynthia and Ardnasool Arc.

The first of the finals up for grabs was the extremely competitive Track Restaurant A3/A4 525, which boasted a €700 first prize. A contest that split opinion prior to the off, in truth there was never any doubt surrounding the result once Ardnasool Arc turned handy off the opening turn. It was Wilms Blake who broke best of all from trap one and he was followed early doors by Unreliable. However, at this point Ardnasool Arc, the 2/1 favourite, sat just over one length off-the-pace and Orla McGhee’s strapping tracker ran a terrific bend to loom large on the outside. In doing so, the daughter of Droopys Cain and Droopys Esther soon hit the front entering the back and thereafter it became a formality. Outpacing her talented rivals down the back, the Cathal McGhee-trained bitch stepped it up a notch at the halfway mark and she stayed on with fine determination to seal a three and a half length success over Unreliable in second, while Harrowgatetownbaz stayed on strongly to secure third. The time was a rapid 28.93. 

Shortly after, Droopys Cynthia produced a clean sweep in the final of the NWGOBA ON2/ON3 325 as Charles Coyle’s runner blew her rivals away in the €1,000 decider.

Flawless in her past two displays in this stake, the daughter of Droopys Sydney and Droopys Fia was expected to take plenty of beating in the final and her price tag of even money suggested as much. Drawn favourably in trap three, the August puppy was on-song from the off as she outpaced the likes of Bolgers Circle on the run-up. From here, it proved a straightforward assignment for this unbeaten tracker as she powered up the Lifford hill to record a three and three parts of a length victory over Longvale Finn, who came home well, in second. The time was a brilliant 17.56.

NIGHT OF DOUBLES

Elsewhere on the card, there was no shortage of top displays and Michael Taggart, Tony Maxwell and Charles Coyle all secured doubles. 

Indeed, Blackstone Aldo produced heroics after meeting traffic on several occasions to score. A powerful 83-pound tracker, this fellow is always well supported and he was sent off at odds of 5/4 to get back to winning ways. Running from the tricky trap five box, the son of Dorotas Wildcat and Love Honey showed fine early dash but found trouble at the opener as Bit View Kate took charge. However, despite once again running into traffic at the penultimate bend, ‘Aldo’ produced his customary finish to cross the line a short-head clear of Moyola Croia in second. The time, although irrelevant given the traffic, was 31.32.

In the concluding race, Blackstone Steel secured the Michael Taggart double, albeit having to settle for a dead-heat. Another who has shown big pace from just two prior starts, the son of Burgess Bucks and Blackstone Balad didn’t come away too fluently from trap three but immediately displayed his early gears to close the gap on Workers Rights, who set the pace at traprise. Drifting wide around the bends, Blackstone Steel lost valuable ground, however, he powered up the straight as both he and Workers Rights, who is trained by Tony Maxwell for Michael O’Kane,crossed the line in tandem. Nothing to separate the pair, a dead-heat was called and the time was 17.67.

Also registering a lovely double on the night was local handler, Tony Maxwell, as Illnotbethere kick-started his night prior to the dead-heat victory of Workers Rights.

Competing in an A5 550, Illnotbethere had kept much better company in prior starts and it was somewhat surprising that she was widely available at odds of 2/1 prior to the off. A stout stayer, the Gerard McGettigan-owned brindle didn’t break from six, however, she ran a couple of terrific bends to enter calculations at the midway point. Stepping it up a notch around the bottom two bends, the daughter of Droopys Nidge and Shirocco Star joined Kates Loch late on and she had plenty in reserve to score by one and a quarter lengths. The time was 30.73.

The final trainer to land the double was Charles Coyle as Fiery Sally claimed a first career win prior to the victory of Droopys Cynthia.

Jointly owned by Norman and Raymond Lecky, Fiery Sally was freely available at 4/1 in the betting market but she won like a favourite in making every inch of the running. Running from a plumb pitch in red, the daughter of Burgess Bucks and Patterdale Donna ran to a virtual solo as she scraped the paintwork to win by three and a quarter lengths, in a time of 17.78.

PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGHT FROM DOLL

Despite two finals being decided on the night, the performance of the meeting came in a brilliant A2 575 contest in race eleven.

Another contest where arguments could have been made for several runners, it was That’s Our Doll who proved a class apart as Rachel McCrory and Laura Rooney’s tracker scored in expert style. The 7/4 favourite at the off, the litter sister of Ardnasool Arc broke well from trap four but was outpaced early on as Glengar Whelan displayed brilliant speed on the long run to the opening bend. However, there was a certain inevitability about the result as the Niall McGhee-trained bitch loomed large midway down the back. Joining ‘Whelan’ at the crown of the penultimate turn, ‘Doll’ took off around the final bends to draw clear and win by an extending seven and a quarter lengths. The time was an exceptional 31.58.