Riptide Treaty and Tunnel Vision clock same time in separate runs

SOMETIMES you get very good pointers to likely outcomes of races at Tralee and, needless to say, at all other tracks in the country for that matter, and, while it is always easy to be wise after an event, two greyhounds with particularly good claims at last Friday night’s eleven-race session at the Oakview venue not alone emerged victorious but also shared the honour of clocking the fastest time, which was 28.80.

The first of them was Riptide Treaty, from the Limerick kennels of Neilus O’Connell, who is following up well on his great successes in 2017. His charge, Riptide Treaty, might have finished last behind Crossfield Will in an open 525 race on the GMHD juvenile classic card a week previously, but this time he was back to A3 class and, with a best of 28.63 on his card and being the only wide seed in trap 6, it was very easy to make a strong case for him at odds of 6/4.

Sure enough, he delivered seamlessly, sweeping into the lead on the back straight and driving clear to score by three and a half lengths from that marvellous warrior with 21 wins to his credit, Sign On Garfiney. Third was Anascaul River, which finished two and a half lengths behind Sign On Garfiney.

The very next race, the ninth for A2 class, saw Tunnel Vision equal Riptide Treaty’s time of 28.80 and confirm the good pointers about him as well.

This fellow is owned by Kevin O’Connor, of Ballyduff, and he, too, could be backed at 6/4, which were quite generous odds considering that he had been deemed good enough to take on all the stars in the GMHD juvenile classic.

Tunnel Vision had the misfortune, if you could call it that, to come up against Droopys Biker (28.18) in the first round in the juvenile classic, but he did finish second to him, and he came up against another flying machine, Newinn Blake (28.58,) in the second round, finding trouble and being eliminated in fifth place.

There was no Droopys Biker or Newinn Blake to be faced this time and, after heading the front-running Breton Charlie into the last bend, Tunnel Vision went on to score by two and a half lengths from none other than another Neilus O’Connell runner, Patricks Castle, with a length back to Breton Charlie.

The runner-up was only fifth at the third bend and certainly lost no caste in defeat.

So, no mistaking the two stars of the show at the Oakview venue last Friday night, but honourable mention must also go to the Pat McMahon-trained Send It Seasons, which won an A4 race, the last of the night, in 28.92. An even-money favourite, he did it by leading the charge into the first bend from trap 1 and totally dominating to the line where he had four and a half lengths to spare from Spirit Invincible.

There was a very good run of 17.66 over 325yds (S1/ S2 class) by the Liam Dowling-owned Ballymac Billy, while the other winners were: Upper Dromulton, 29.47; Steeple Rd Bubba, 18.07; Garys Dream, 29.96; Irremore Max, 29.34; Telescope, 29.22; Cruzin Dusty, 29.43; Millridge Blitz, 29.39.

A good crowd was the action unfold, it being a fund-raiser for Kerry Schoolboys/girls soccer, and, of course, there was no racing to follow on St Patrick’s Night, which, in years gone by, signalled the start of the year’s racing at the Oakview after the winter break.

There was, however, racing on Saturday afternoon (SIS meeting) and two winners got inside 29.00secs – Samba Elca on 28.84 and Parason Mario on 28.90, the latter gaining his fifth victory from just ten starts (he has been unplaced only twice).

The other winners were: Millridge Posh, 29.37; Blue Slip, 29.43; Lingering Xpress, 29.49; Loher Sid, 29.41; Ramona Biddy, 29.45; Enjoy The Moment, 29.24.