Tipp have 5 of last 12 dogs in semi-finals of Kirby 2019
Five greyhounds trained in Tipperary remain in the semi-final stages of one of the richest juvenile greyhound races in the world, following the quarter finals of the Con & Annie Kirby Memorial Stake 2019.
Herecomesdahoney, trained by Graham Holland in Golden, posted the fastest time of the round in 28.30 and won the fourth quarter final. Reddanswalk-based Michael J. O’ Donovan kennels two semi-finalists, with Deadly Diamond emerging as the winner of the first quarter final, and Deadly Storm also advancing.
Cappawhite’s Pat Buckley takes Tullig Footpad on to the last 12, with Lorrha’s Michael Hogan also being represented by Grangeview West.
Two semi-final races will be ran on Saturday night’s race card, with the top three in each semi progressing to the Kirby final, to be held on Easter Saturday.
The competition sees Limerick clubs share in the event fund, with each of the greyhounds in the event assigned to a club. The winning greyhound earns €80,000 for connections, with the greyhound’s assigned club receiving a nominator prize of €10,000 and a free benefit night at Limerick Greyhound Stadium.
The event’s quarter finals were full of thrills and spills, with highly fancied greyhounds such as Graham Holland’s Riverside Leo and Patrick Guilfoyle’s Cabra Firmino failing to make it through their heats.
Racing Support Officer with Limerick Greyhound Stadium, Liam Kennedy, commented: The Con & Annie Kirby Memorial Stake always attracts the best calibre of young dogs and trainers nationwide and even further afield. There’s been a real buzz in the air over the last few weeks as we get closer and closer to crowning the overall Kirby winner for 2019. It’s been a Classic in every sense of the word so far and we’re all really looking forward to hosting semi-final night here in Limerick. I want to wish the very best of luck to the twelve semi-finalists, their assigned clubs and their connections.”
Sponsored by Noreen and JP McManus in honour of her parents, Con & Annie Kirby, the competition has the biggest prize fund in Ireland after the Irish Greyhound Derby, with a total fund of €160,000. Limerick clubs avail of €20,000 of this prize money.
This year’s competition is the seventh annual running of the event, which first took place in 2013.
The Con & Annie Kirby Memorial Stake Final will be held at Limerick Greyhound Stadium on Easter Saturday, April 20th.