KNOCKOUT BLOW FROM USYK, LIFT-OFF FOR BEEBEES

Peter Farrell

There was a twelve-race card on offer at Lifford Greyhound Stadium on Saturday night but there were two performances of real note as both Brassneck Usyk and Beebees Princess dipped well under the 29-second barrier.

Breaking 29-seconds isn’t for the faint-hearted at Lifford Stadium and the night got off to a flyer in the opening contest, which was a ON2/ON3 525. Of the runners, the ‘talking dog’ of the line-up was the Martin Healy-owner Brassneck Usyk as he emerged for the first time since being purchased at the recent sales auction at Kilkenny. Indeed, ‘Usyk’ had plenty in hand over his rivals in terms of the qualifying clock and as such, he was installed as the 4/5 favourite to make a winning start to his career on Irish soil. Rocketing from trap four, the son of Droopys Sydney and Waltham Magic quickly put the contest to bed as he posted a rapid 2.61 sectional, on route to opening an already unassailable lead entering the back straight. Stretching out impressively thereafter, ‘Usyk’ proved a class above his rivals as he stayed on in powerful fashion to cross the line ten lengths clear of Salvador Aerial in second. The time was an impressive 28.85.

BRILLANT FROM BEEBEES

Not to be outdone, the performance of the night came in the concluding race on the card as the Niall McGhee-trained Beebees Princess stormed to a convincing tenth career win.

After being reeled in on her latest start at Lifford, Beebees Princess was easy to bet at 7/4 in the market, however, Martin Lafferty’s consistent black was once again paw-perfect as she bolted from trap four to post a scarcely matched 2.58 sectional. In doing so, the daughter of Grangeview Ten and Beebees Star opened a huge lead over Ballintoher Bud in second and, at this point, the contest looked a carbon-copy of proceedings one-week prior. However, Beebees Princess wasn’t to be outdone on this occasion as the fast-running surface played to her strengths and she never looked likely to be reeled in as a result. Staying on well, McGhee’s charge crossed the line three lengths better off than Ballintoher Bud and the time was a blistering 28.59 on the clock, which is the fourth fastest time at Lifford since its re-opening in 2023.