KILKENNY NEWS
Ian Fortune
There was a huge crowd at Kilkenny last Friday to view the opening round heats of the Deadly Kennels McCalmont Cup and support the Ossory Lourdes Fundraiser.
The many patrons were treated to some fabulous action and it will be more of the same this Friday as attention turns to the quarter finals of the McCalmont Cup.
Meanwhile, looking forward, entries are invited for a 12-dog A4 /A5 Sweepstake (No Back-graders) and an A2 525 Sweepstake (Back-graders permitted) which will commence on Friday, March 13th. Entries also invited for an Open 525, an Open 725, an A1 525, A2 525 & D2/D3 725 .
Each of these races will be on McCalmont Cup final night (Friday, March 20th) which will also act as a fundraiser for Threecastles GAA Club. That leads Kilkenny Greyhound Stadium into a very period over late spring and summer with many fundraisers and various events booked in all the way through to October.
NEW FACILITIES A HIT
It’s clear the new facilities at Kilkenny are proving very popular with both the locals and various organisations.
On the subject of the new facilities, the ‘old bar’ at Kilkenny is currently being redeveloped and, once completed, it’s hoped to have an official opening night in the near future (Further updates will be provided on this page when they become available).
FUTURE EVENTS
One of the many fundraisers on the horizon is the one in aid of James Stephens GAA.
It will take place on Friday, April 17th and the night will feature the final of the Georgie Leahy Memorial A3/A4 525, which is again sponsored by the Leahy family.
This event will commence on Friday, March 27th and is for 36 greyhounds. It boasts a fantastic winner’s purse of €2,500. It’s also the right time to remind all that the Champion Open Unraced 525 begins on Friday, April 3rd and it seems likely to attract some potential superstars with the winner of the famous competition receiving a whopping €15,000.