SWEEPSTAKE ACTION APLENTY IN DUBLIN

Ian Fortune

There’s plenty of interesting sweepstake action at Shelbourne Park this evening including the final of the Shelbourne Park Museum A1/A2 525.

On top of the feature, there are also the semi-finals of the Go Greyhound Racing S0/S1 350 and the TOTE Betting A2 525.

GALLANT TO GET FIRST RUN?

The feature race is a truly competitive affair with many of the field capable of going up at speed. Indeed, the race to the corner is going to be crucial to the outcome. Blackstone Flash, Old Texas, Droopy Gallant and Hazelhill Marty are all early pacers and each will bid to slip around in front.

Gunner Bun and Onward Upward complete the field and both have the overall pace to get involved also. Blackstone Flash is perhaps the best drawn runner in the line-up on the fence but he needs to be at his sharpest in the early yards.

Droopys Gallant is something of a professional in three. He won well last week and could potentially gets first run. Of the remainder, Onward Upward displayed big pace down the backstraight last week to strike the front. If he were to find a better start, he too could emerge a big player. The nod just goes to Droopys Gallant but this a contest with numerous possible outcomes.

ACE AND COSTA APPEAL OVER TWO BENDS

Mackeys Ace and Costalotmore are chosen to emerge on top in the semi-finals of the Go Greyhound Racing Open Sprint.

Neither are experienced but have shown enough in their short careers to suggest they could make a bold bid.

CHEF AND LAKA TO SCORE

Both semi-finals of the TOTE Betting A2 525 are very tricky to work out.

Droopys Chef is bred in the purple but has yet to finish in the first three. If he starts on terms, he has the opportunity to open his account in style. He certainly has the pace to do so.

Shaka Laka is an interesting runner in the second semi-final for Tamara Butler. She already boasts three career wins and moved very well in her most recent sprint trial, posting 18.71. She gets the vote over the strapping Repeat Alarm.