MALONE HOLDS A STRONG HAND IN DUNDALK DECIDER

Ian Fortune

The final of the Track Supporters Club A3 525 is the feature of tonight’s card at Dundalk and Pat Malone has a particularly strong hand with Shelone Verde and Shelone Boss representing his Navan operation.

Both have gone unbeaten through the early rounds and seem set to battle it out for tonight’s €2,000 winner’s purse. Shelone Verde is the one to beat on current form. The son of Ballymac Cashout and Grove Zenyatta got loose in his last two starts to win in 28.70 and an improved 28.60 last week. He again looks the most likely pace-setter and will be very difficult to pick up.

Shelone Boss won his last two starts in 28.97 and 29.29 but overcame traffic in both. He is likely to go considerably faster when he does receive a clear passage but whether he can match his litter brother to the corner this evening has yet to be seen.

Ravenswood Boss and Fercullen Hope are likely to offer the most resistance to the ‘Shelone’ contingent with both well housed towards the inside of the track.