SIR RODGER GETS THE NOD IN TIME GREYHOUND NUTRITION DERBY FINAL

Peter Farrell

There are no fewer than six finals on offer tonight at Limerick Greyhound Stadium, however, the undoubted feature is the final of the €20,000 to the winner TIME Greyhound Nutrition Confined A4 Derby.

Kindly sponsored by TIME Greyhound Nutrition, this initiative has attracted massive interest in recent weeks and it has proved a breath of fresh air given the uniqueness it brings to the racing calendar. There was of course a strict ‘28.90’ rule in force for the opening two rounds, however, that hasn’t taken away from the huge quality on offer and we head into this decider with a wide-open field, all capable of staking a claim for this brilliant prize pot.

Of the finalists, the break is sure to prove crucial and Sir Rodger is the most likely leader. A winner of each of his opening three assignments, the brindle tasted defeat for the first time in the Derby last weekend but on that occasion, Michael Keating’s charge went down by a mere short-head and that doesn’t take away from his status as the most likely to triumph in my opinion. Drawn to run from trap five, the son of Pestana has Yotota Lad on his outside and this shouldn’t cause ‘Rodger’ any issues with the likelihood that he will be out and gone in the early exchanges. Should this be the case, it will take a monumental effort to reel in Keating’s charge with the aforementioned Yotota Lad the most likely to reel him in given his strong running attributes from halfway. Trained by Michael Kennedy for the Retirement-Fund-Syndicate, ‘Lad’ really impressed last time out when taking control at the penultimate turn before clocking a blistering 28.64 and he is a major player in trap six. The son of Dorotas Wildcat will without doubt be finishing with a wet sail, however, he will need to keep tabs on the early-pacers as he aims to pick them off late. Sunnybank Mia bounced back to winning ways last weekend for Marie Gilbert and the daughter of Droopys Sydney is another that will be expected to figure prominently in the opening yards. Jointly owned by John Fox and Maria Ryan, ‘Mia’ posted a slick 1.29 sectional on that occasion and given she is on the inside of Sir Rodger, a repeat of that time puts her bang in contention on the run-up. Blessed with fine pace throughout, connections of Sunnybank Mia will be hopeful of a big performance from their charge and don’t be surprised if she mirrors that display of seven days prior. The other semi final winner last weekend was the heavyweight local charge, Carrigmore Dante. Owned by Patsy and Aoife Coffey, ‘Dante’ may be the most in-experienced runner in the field, however, he has really taken off in this Derby. A career best effort of 28.78 saw him reel in Sir Rodger last time out and he is really well-housed in trap one to make a bold bid. Not expected to be prominent early, Carrigmore Dante is another that will be finishing at a rate of knots so any trouble up top can see him capitalize. The remaining two runners are Glamorous Woohoo and Crokers Hugo, two very smart trackers in their own right. Owned by the Horan-Family-Synd, ‘Woohoo’ doesn’t win too often for connections, however, he is rarely out of the frame given his powerful stamina abilities and like Carrigmore Dante and Yotota Lad, will be doing his best work from the halfway mark. Drawn in three, the son of Dorotas Woo Hoo is very consistently dipping under 29-seconds and he is another that has no forlorn chance of troubling the judge. Crokers Hugo, meanwhile, is the outsider of the pack but he too posted a rapid 28.85 in defeat last time out. Owned by John Croker and trained by Vincent McKenna, the strapping black rocketed from boxes last weekend to clock a 1.23 sectional and should he repeat that he will most certainly lead up. Thereafter, it will be a case of catch-me-if-you-can for the son of Crokers Princess.

Selection – Sir Rodger.

TIME DERBY CONSOLATION

The sponsors have kindly added a Consolation final as well and this will offer a fine first prize of €2,000 to the eventual winner. Gaytime Elmo was one of the leading fancies ahead of last week's semi finals and he narrowly missed out when finishing third in his semi. Trained by Kieran Lynch, the brindle son of Gaytime Hawk was improving with each outing and was luckless last time out for connections. As a result, he gets the vote to land the consolation from a plumb pitch in three. The likely leader, ‘Elmo’ can emerge a trap-to-line winner with Cregane Maid the most likely threat in trap six for Richie Quinn and David Byrnes.

TIME GREYHOUND 28 A3 525

The supporting card is packed full of ‘TIME’ sweepstake finals and the first of those will come in race three, which is the final of the TIME Greyhound 28 A3 525, worth €1,000 to the winner. After a serious performance in the semis, the one to beat is Gurtnacrehy Mark in trap three for local man, James Kelly. Posting a rapid 28.53 off a 1.19 sectional, the June whelp won by a massive eight lengths last time out and anything close to that will be enough for him to record back-to-back wins. Of his rivals, Beaming Opium is the danger for another local handler, Corona Ryan. An impressive puppy, she also romped to a 28.72 victory in the semis and this contest will certainly be a case of whoever leads between the duo, will prevail. Of the others, Fergus Silver will be finishing fast and will hope to pick up the pieces should there be any traffic.

TIME PUPPY & SAPLING A2 525

There is another €1,000 on offer in tace six in the Puppy & Sapling decider and this is sure to be hotly contested with the likes of Drombeg Bear and Highview Bizarr renewing their rivalry. The former flew out to record 28.56 last weekend and is the favourite from a plumb pitch in trap one. However, the Paraic Campion-trained Paraic Campion ‘Bizarr’ was really eye-catching in defeat on that occasion also as he recovered from a far from ideal start in two. Drawn similarly this time around, don’t rule out a sharper exit for the daughter of Pat C Sabbath and should this be the case, she could reverse the form. Of the others, Portdrine Magic also has claims for Liam Carroll in three.

TIME GARMIVITE A2 550

The last of the ‘TIME’ finals down for decision is the Garmivite 550 and Dave Bourke’s Gurtnara Jax will take plenty of beating if his semi final performance is anything to go on. A son of Crash, he posted a rapid 29.91 when drawing clear in the semis and one suspects there is plenty more to come from the Patrick Ryan-owned greyhound. His main rivals include Dazzes Beauts and Cagey Billy, both of which served up a thrilling contest last time out when going to a judge's call.

TIME RECORD BREAKER A3 600 SEMIS

There is €1,200 up for grabs to the eventual winner  of the record breaker 600 and Kyletaun Coco will head to traps as the favourite in the first semi final after her 32.66 victory last time out. Owned by Joe Williams, the daughter of Deerjet Sydney was flawless on that occasion and any repeat should be enough to seal back-to-back wins. Of her rivals, the David Flanagan-trained Crescent Emily also landed her first round assignment in impressive style as the fawn came from off-the-pace and it’s fair to say that she has plenty in the tank if she can trap sharper from four this time around.

The second semi final can see Curraghmorecoco make it back-to-back wins in the stake. Owned by Patrick Conway, the son of Droopys Sydney won at his leisure last time out and he has plenty in hand in terms of the clock as a result. Drawn favourably in two, he will go off favourite and Tyrap Malachi looks the main threat after an eye-catching performance in defeat to Kyletaun Coco last time out. He too has big claims for David Carroll in four.

LIMERICK & CLARE GOBA FINAL

The remaining final on the night, outside of the Treaty Cup (see separate preview), will be the Limerick & Clare GOBA, which is kindly sponsored by the local greyhound owners and breeders association. Indeed, Timothy Gilbourne is double-handed in this decider with litter comrades, Gulleen Sydney and Gulleen Ina, both of which landed their semi finals in expert style. Drawn in three and four respectively in the final, they both boast strong claims of landing the spoils, however, the early pace of ‘Sydney’ could prove decisive. Cul Na Braithre was too far away from Gulleen Sydney last time out as he only went down by three parts of a length and he too can have a big say from trap two.