SHACKLES ARE OFF IN TIME GREYHOUND NUTRITION CONFINED DERBY

Peter Farrell

Round three of the TIME Greyhound Nutrition Confined A4 Derby features heavily on tonight’s card at Limerick Greyhound Stadium and those that have reached this stage of the competition can now breathe a sigh of relief with the 28.90 restriction now lifted from here on in.

Indeed, as well as the six third round heats of the TIME Derby, the opening round of the Treaty Cup Sprint also featured on a fantastic card and Ballinakill Alf is just one of the star names that will contest that competition.

DERBY ACTION

Starting with the Derby action however, and the opening heat is wide-open with the nod going the way of Trumpers Del in four. Owned by Shane Ronayne, the fawn son of Ballymac Eske won his opening round assignment in 29.00 and built on that with a brilliant display last time out when finishing fast to go down by a short-head in 28.93. He continues to improve and despite a potentially tricky draw in four, shouldn’t be too far away. De Magic Box and Rosshill Dixie look the main threat, however, with just the two qualifying positions on offer, this is sure to be hotly contested.

In heat two, Carrigmore Dante gets the vote to reverse the form with Priceless Hero. Jointly owned by Patsy and Aoife Coffey, the heavyweight son of Droopys Sydney clocked 28.92 in the opener and was even more impressive last weekend when recovering from a poor start to go down by a decreasing length. Priceless Hero led the latter home on that occasion; however, the trap draws are reversed this time around and Carrigmore Dante can make the most of his rails pitch in red.

Sir Rodger remains unbeaten in this confined Derby and he has proved ultra-professional in producing wins of 28.91 and 28.92 respectively. That is probably as fast as the son of Pestana can go, however, he is a consistent trapper and early speed wins races. Drawn in six, ‘Rodger’ is by far superior on the early sectional clock and expect another bold bid from Michael Keating’s runner. Sunnybank Mia, trained by Marie Gilbert, won her second round task in 29.06 and she is a major player in this contest as she looks to have plenty left in the tank. Glamorous Woohoo is another that shouldn’t be dismissed in this contest.

Despite not having the quickest figures on the clock, On The Radio can set a blistering gallop in heat four and looks the part for Gerry O’Donoghue. Drawn in three, the son of Candlelight King has superb early speed, apparent from his 1.22 opening round sectional, and a flying start can see him lead comfortably. That said, this is a tough heat and the likes of Bosra Bono, Crokers Hugo and Avongate Sturdy have all claims of landing the spoils.

Gaytime Elmo broke his maiden tag in fine style last weekend for Kieran Lynch and that may be the catalyst for July puppy to take off in this competition. The son of Gaytime Hawk was impressive in holding off Trumpers Del in 28.93 and given his in-experience, should continue to improve. Rowlers Road has fine early dash and will be disputing early in this contest, while Yotota Lad is another who boasts strong claims. Trained by Michael Kennedy, the May whelp reeled in Rowlers Road last time out and in doing so, shaved several lengths off his personal best.

The concluding heat on the night will likely see Ranchers Crybaby and Innfield Place dominate on the inside. Drawn alongside one another in traps one and two respectively, Innfield Place gets the vote given she is flying from traps at present for Evan McAuliffe and Barry Dermot Murphy. Posting a rapid 1.24 last time out, expect the daughter of Magical Bale to race prominently early doors and this being the case, she will take a fair bit of catching.

ALF THE STAR TREATY ATTRACTION

Elsewhere on the card, there are three opening round heats of the Limerick Treaty Cup Open 350 and recent Island Bridge winner, Ballinakill Alf, heads the €2,800 to the winner event.

One of the Country’s leading speedsters, Ballinakill Alf will go in search of his fifth straight sprint success and his recent 18.64 trail suggests that he is coming into this event at the peak of his powers. His main rival in this contest looks to be Zaconey Vulcan, who is a match for anyone on his day.

In the second heat, Hope Hurricane looks red-hot as he returns from a stint in the UK. A magnificent sprinter for Pat Buckley and Amanda Jeal, the son of Newinn Taylor is more than capable of matching the likes of Ballinakill Alf, as shown in his last outing when winning in a majestic 18.38, and he will be odds-on to go close in this contest. His main rival is Feshtys Mo in four and she is an interesting runner in this event. John Byrne’s charge was brilliant in the Kirby and her recent 18.62 trial suggests she could go deep in this stake.

In the final heat, Burgess Supreme looks primed to go close for Sheila Spillane and JJ Fennelly. Despite not having raced since October of last year, the son of Burgess Bucks has some serious clocks to his name, most notably at Dundalk, and anything close to that form would suffice. Of his rivals, Reaching Out posted a sizzling 18.61 in his last trial and Shaun Conway’s runner will carry support in trap six.