PORTDRINE PRODUCES THE MAGIC IN ADRIAN HANLEY DECIDER

Peter Farrell

The final of the €1,400 to the winner Adrian Hanley Vet A1/A2 525 served as the highlight on Saturday night at Limerick Greyhound Stadium and it proved a facile victory for the ever-reliable Portdrine Magic as he claimed a twelfth career success.

Kindly sponsored by Adrian Hanley, this competition has proved of top-quality throughout and it was fitting that the decider was won in trap-to-line fashion by the Liam Carroll-owned Portdrine Magic.

Incredibly, the February 21’ whelp was without a win since the end of June, however, he picked the perfect night to get back to winning ways as he raced to a relatively comfortable success. Running from trap two, Portdrine Magic took a flier from his inside berth and showed fine early dash to lead both Hopes Kitty and Kilcolgan Comet on the run-up. The aforementioned duo came together off the second turn and this allowed Portdrine Magic to skip into a commanding lead down the back as Carrigmore Freya now emerged as his main threat. The son of Clonbrien Hero and Clona Lass was in full throttle at this point however, and he maintained a relentless gallop around the bottom two bends before staying on stoutly to score. Carrigmore Freya was two and a half lengths adrift in second, while Tyrap Magic came through strongly to make the podium in third. A thoroughly professional performance from Liam Carroll’s charge, the time was a terrific 28.58.

OWER IS A CRACKER

Elsewhere on the card there was an exceptional performance from Ower Cracker as he justified his short billing as the 1/4 favourite.

Trained by Pat Buckley for the Harvey’s, Ower Cracker has really excelled over the extended trips in recent months and it’s fair to say that he proved several levels above his rivals in his AAO 550-yard contest on Saturday night. Running from trap two, the son of Deerjet Sydney and Nice Mystery didn’t break too fluently, however, went through the eye of the needle in the opening yards to nip around just shy of Drombeg Pearl in front. Outpacing his rival passing the sprint boxes, the writing was on the wall as Ower Cracker quickly asserted and was to draw clear around the bottom two bends to cross the line with four lengths in hand of Drombeg Pearl in second. The time was an electric 29.45.

TALLY-HO DOUBLE

The Walls-Of-Tally-Ho-Syndicate recorded a lovely double on the card as Tally Ho Flyit and Tally Ho Storm both landed their respective contests.

It was Tally Ho Flyit that got the ball rolling in race two as he landed his A4 525 in dominant style. Just an October whelp, the 3/1 chance was searching for a maiden success and he broke well to be headed only by Astro Podge in the early strides. However, within the blink of an eye he had displayed the superior early speed and he rounded the opening corner with a healthy advantage. From here, the son of Ballymac Cashout and Tallyho Angel went about his business in excellent style as he romped to a seven and a half length victory over Gulleen Magic in second. The time was 29.00.

The double was completed just two races later as Tally Ho Storm made it back-to-back wins in splendid style. A winner of his last outing in a rapid 28.62, the 2/1 chance was equally as impressive on this occasion as he rocketed from trap two to lead Carrigmore Bruno on the run-up. From here, the son of Ballymac Bolger and Tally Ho Dawn was always in control and he proved a tough nut to crack out in front as he galloped to a two and a half length success over Drombeg Bear in second. The time was a hot 28.70.