FOLEY SET TO FOIL CHIMES IN LAURELS

THE clash of Rockybay Foley and Native Chimes is the final everybody wished for in the Irish Independent Irish Laurels and it should attract a huge crowd to Curraheen Park this evening.

Rockybay Foley is trained only a matter of miles from the track by Kieran Lynch in Nohoval and he comes into the final with a wonderful career record of fourteen wins from eighteen outings.

However, the trap draw has handed him a difficult task as he has his main rival, Native Chimes, on his inner in trap two while kennel companion Rockybay Rover is in the inside box.

None of the six finalists can be counted out of the reckoning. Denis O’Malley’s charge Clearly Written is drawn to perfection in six and he can benefit from any potential crowding on the inside.

Pat Buckley has the sole bitch finalist Nice Mystery and she has already claimed the €1,500 Best Bitch Award. The field is completed by the Paul Hennessy-trained Away Jet, which is owned by Corkmen Con Kelleher and Ciaran O’Brien. He ran up the Laurels final last year and is now bidding to go one better.

But the odds are that the big two will battle it out for the €30,000 prize. Johnny O’Sullivan was thrilled when Native Chimes drew the blue jacket and this strong runner will be a major factor. But the Chrissie Slyne-owned Rockybay Foley has the class to lead all the way.