Miss Tammy jumps four grades and wins sprint
IT’S not often that you see a greyhound jump four grades and still win, on just a third start at that, but that was the feat of the Macroom-owned Miss Timmy at Tralee on Friday night.
Miss Timmy (2/1) was running in the seventh race, over the 325yds trip for S3 class, and she actually came into trap 6 as a reserve. The previous Saturday evening she had won the opening race (for S7 class) from the same box in 17.83 and on this occasion, although Mohane Gizelle took a real flier from trap 4, she was able to pull her back and beat her by three-quarters of a length in 17.89 (allowing for a .05 deduction because of the going).
Yes, there were some very good winners afterwards, and we saw a really good 750yds race just beforehand, but sprinters don’t capture the spotlight very often and Miss Timmy deserved to do so on this occasion.
Normally, the Friday night programme features good sweepstake action, but not so on this occasion. However, we saw the locally-owned Lassa Exquisite excel in winning the eighth race (A1 525) in a fastest of the night 28.74 and the last two races were won in the identical time of 28.84 – on going rated .10 slow in all cases.
Lassa Exquisite, which was 5/2 joint favourite and is jointly owned by Michael Costello and Frank O’Donnell, showed very good early pace from trap 3 to lead off the first bend from Beepers Paddy (trap 1). He did relinguish the lead to Beepers Paddy on the back straight, falling a length behind him, but he was back in front rounding the third bend and he kept the gallop going strongly enough to have four lengths to spare at the line from Beepers Paddy for what was his 19th victory from 72 starts (he has been placed 38 times).
The very next race, the ninth over the standard trip for AA0/ A0 class, saw the great run of Blennerville’s Noel O’Leary continue with the victory of his bitch, Loher Storm. The best starts were achieved by Lee Smasher (trap 2) and Shancol Ranger (trap 5), but Loher Storm, a 3/1 shot housed in trap 1, was the one leading around the opening bend and, on something of a roll at the moment (this was her third win on the trot), she was most definitely not for catching.
She was two and a half lengths ahead of Giovan Astral (trap 3) rounding the third bend before seeing off his challenge coming home by a length and a half in the first of the 28.84 times.
It should be added that Loher Storm’s litter sister, Liberty Gale (formerly Loher Girl), is also on something of a roll at the moment and, 200 miles away in Shelbourne Park, this lady was scoring another great victory in 28.37 in a second-round heat of the Dublin Coach Juvenile Derby (winner, €22,500).
Loher Storm’s winning time of 28.84 was equalled in the tenth race (A2 525) by Gower Jet, from Cooraclare in Co Clare. A middle seed, Coyote Blake took a real flier from trap 6, but Gower Jet (5/2) had the early pace from trap 3 to be nicely positioned on his inside rounding the first bend and, establishing firm control as the race progressed, Gower Jet hit the line three lengths ahead of Coyote Blake, with a head back to another Noel O’Leary runner, Loher Sid, which came into trap 4 as a reserve.
The 750yds race, the sixth on the card for D7 class, saw Brindle Ciss score a terrific victory for Michael Bourke, of Ballylongford. The 6/4 favourite was Rafa Babys Baby and she made a very brave attempt to make all from trap 4, but Brindle Ciss, a 2/1 shot running from trap 5, closed ominously behind her into the fifth bend and, although Rafas Baby Baby was still in front into the last bend, she had absolutely no answer to the powerful finishing thrust of Brindle Ciss and lost out to her by four lengths in 42.35.
Abbeyfeale trainer, Jerry Griffin, completed a quick-fire double by winning the second and third races with Abbey Storm (29.07) and Johns Jet (29.38), while the other winners were Register (17.86), Stride On Bill, 29.23, and Piper Chair, 29.44.