NEWS GIVES EUGENE A REAL LIFT
Ian Fortune
When Legit News won the ON3 opener at Newbridge on Friday night, storming clear in the second half of the contest to win in 29.35, it meant so much to so many.
Little did this scribe know that within days he would have received a number of text messages and a couple of calls about the 58lb bitch.
The first came from one of my best friends, who happens to be manager of the Step Inn in Stepaside. John, who is not a doggy man, said there was a group of lads in the bar celebrating the success of their dog who had just won her first race.
They were showing anyone that was interested the video of her success and were celebrating, as John put it, “as if they’d won the euro millions”.
It was great to hear of a success being celebrated. Of course, I looked up the bitch in question. She is a well-bred daughter of Good News and Lizzylegit. As it happens, I remember the dam racing around Harold’s Cross and her pedigree is second to none as a daughter of Droopys Scolari and super brood Ballymac Razl.
It’s certainly a very fast family with Lizzylegits half siblings including the likes of Ballymac Cashout, Bockos Melody, Ballymac Inspeed, Malachi, Smallmead, Ballymac Merkle, Ballymac Tas, Ballymac Bolger and Anopheles.
EUGENE THRILLED
Fast forward to Monday and a call came through from a friend highlighting the importance of Legit News to a great friend of greyhound racing, Eugene Gleeson.
At the time I was walking down the main street in Wexford town and requested that he ask Eugene to send on some details.
What arrived that night was a long text from the man himself and it left me speechless. Eugene admitted he is facing the toughest battle of his life but got a great lift from Legit News winning on Friday.
You see, Eugene was forced to let all his dogs go in February as he got ready for his battle, one that has seen him take residence in St Vincent’s Hospital for the past six weeks. It just so happens that Legit News was the last greyhound to leave his Monamolin base on March 1st. “That was a tough day” was how Eugene put it.
The bitch, who was bred by his brother Kevin, was bought by a Stepaside based syndicate headed by his nephew, who rang him to let him know the bitch was running on Friday night with the legendary Jerry Melia at the end of the leash.
Eugene got great joy in informing me that they got a few quid on. Said Eugene, “Jerry taught she had a chance. She ran a blinder and won in 29.35 at Newbridge at 4-6 with the money down. It gave me and the family such a lift”.
For Eugene, who has been involved in greyhound racing all his life, it was a special success and one that has given him hope. As he says himself, I’m a greyhound man but the horses were always a close second. I’m hoping to get out this weekend and would love to get to Leopardstown.
Whether you do or not, Eugene, have no doubt, your friends in greyhound racing are really rooting for you. By the sounds of it, the ‘Monamolin’ man is ready for his battle and let’s hope Legit News can provide him with a few more inspiring wins in the coming weeks and months.