Healy is crafting sprint Legacy at Galway
TRAPRISE
Staging an evening meeting on a busy day for sports fans in the Tribal County, Galway Greyhound Stadium was a hive of activity and county colours on Sunday despite disappointment for the home crowd in the All-Ireland Football Final.
Doing little to ease the Croke Park heartache, a brace of our local kennels plundered prizes on track with Borrisokane trainer Vincent McKenna helping himself to a classy double!
Having advanced to Open class for sprint trips over 400-yards at Mullingar back in early June, the Garrafrauns Syndicate’s Healy’s Legacy (Droopys Sydney-Droopys Lucia) had been held at four bends in his latest two outings but returning to the Sportsground for his tenth career start on Sunday, maintained a perfect four from four over in the sprinting sphere when leading throughout the featured SS0 325.
Just showing his neck in front at trap rise, the August 2022 youngster quickly established a one length lead on the long run to the opening bend and gamely defending a diminishing lead before turning with command of the rails, repelled the challenge of recent Treaty Cup winner Burgess Jack to still hold the call into the home stretch. Seeing out the trip stoutly on the run to the line, Healy’s Legacy contained all challenges in a warm contest and striking the line in 18.22 (-5), held one length over Burgess Jack.
Still eligible to contest one step down the grading table in S0, he can be fancied to continue his winning sprint streak next time.
The McKenna trained double would be completed within fifteen wonderful minutes on Sunday as the following Fonez AA0 550 saw the Kilbrennan Syndicate’s Kilbrennan Clan (Droopys Sydney-Livz Dream) get to grips with his recent rise to elite level racing in smart fashion.
Rising to the top grade with a brilliant 29.73 over the same trip at Shelbourne Park last month, the lightly raced January 2022 whelp was having just his twelfth career outing this time when breaking sharply from trap 2. Immediately taking command of the race, the McKenna winner comfortably led to the opening bend and impressing along the backstraight, had reached his three-length winning margin before tackling the closing turns. Completing in dominant fashion, Kilbrennan Clan posted a smart 30.18 (-10) and can have all upcoming major events firmly in his sights on the back of this first victory at the top table.
Duke finally doubles up
Commencing the local cheer on that Sunday fixture at Galway, Paul Hogan’s Five Alley Duke (Grangeview Ten-Ballymacken Boby) gained due reward for wonderful consistency at the outset of his career when doubling his win tally in the Crokers Kennels A3 525.
A brace of agonising narrow defeats preceded maiden victory for the June 2022 whelp at A4 level towards the end of last month before again filling runner-up position in successive events since upgraded for that win.
However, breaking adeptly from trap 3 this time, the Hogan youngster gained a deserved second chalk in the win column when tracking an early paced rival throughout the initial exchanges before negating two length arrears to join the pacesetter on the inside at halfway. Powering his way to the front in strong running manner thereafter, Five Alley Duke struck the line with an ultimately comfortable three-length margin in hand while stopping the clock in a new personal best of 29.10 (-10). The performance will ensure a rise to A2 next time but progressive within his consistency, Duke can be fancied to take the upgrade in stride.
Kind Saturday at Thurles
The Saturday fixture at Thurles last weekend also proved fruitful for local challengers and delivered a welcome return to winning ways for Brian Kennedy’s Kind Soul (Dorotas Woo Hoo-Nametab Gigi) when taking her tally to seven in the Murphy & Ryan Motor Factors A5 525.
Last successful in A3 grade back in January, the August 2020 whelp had registered a host of smart placed performances in the interim but taking advantage of an appealing ease in grade this time, gamely forged a tight one length lead at the opening bend having defended her rails pitch from an ideal trap 1 berth. In command to the backstraight, Kind Soul was never likely to be contained in such a scenario and duly seeing out the trip stoutly, posted 29.35 (-20) in a snug three length verdict and will return to her familiar A3 grade next time.
Stealing headlines on that same Thurles fixture was the Moneygall kennels of trainer Pat Guilfoyle as a hot streak with owner Tom O’Keefe continued in the night’s S1 330-yard event as exciting prospect Daleroad Devon (Ballymac Cashout-Mystical Luna) scorched a path across the Premier circuit’s sprint trip.
A smart winner on debut in Tralee, the December 2022 whelp began on terms from trap 1 this time and advancing along the rails within a competitive early tussle for supremacy, narrowly struck the front on the inside approaching the first bend. Easing further clear while turning, Daleroad Devon maintained a powerful gallop to the line when extending to a three-length winning margin in a sizzling 17.66 (-10).
Entering the notebooks of all form students, he is yet another Eoin Troy bred starlet to follow very closely!
Hat-trick for Mickey
Highly progressive, Aoife Loughnane’s Kilgarran Mickey (Pestana-Lemon Juliet) has been plundering prizes while ahead of the grading hammer of late and having returned to Limerick with A3 victory last time out, he took another upgrade in stride on Thursday, completing a very smart hat-trick when a dominant winner of his A2 525.
Having recently advanced to S0 for sprint trips to commence his trio exploits, the September 2022 whelp displayed all of that early dash when breaking on terms from trap 6 and easing his way to a two length first bend lead, never sighted a rival thereafter. Extending along the backstraight, Kilgarran Mickey had reached his six-length winning margin before tackling the closing bends and seeing out the trip well, posted a new four-bend best of 28.83.