Favourites win Steve Kennedy Memorial A5 525 semi-finals
IT was the turn of doggy supporters from Mid Kerry and West Kerry to hold their regional meeting at Tralee on Saturday night and, as with East Kerry and North Cork the previous Saturday night, the meeting was an outstanding success.
Next up, on Saturday, November 23, will be the regional meeting involving Abbeydorney and, bearing in mind how deep the love of the longtails runs in Abbeydorney and its hinterland, this should be another very successful night.
The regulars, especially, were glad to be back at the Oakview venue on Saturday night after missing out on the blank of Friday night and, indeed, there will be no Friday racing on November 22.
Heading up last Saturday night’s programme were two semi-finals of the Steve Kennedy A5 525 Memorial Sweepstake (winner, €1,450) and backing it up was the final of an O2 325 sweepstake (winner, €350).
The first of the Steve Kennedy Memorial semi-finals saw Pennylane Lashes justify even-money favouritism from a trap 6 draw and clock 29.66 in the process on going rated .40 slow. One of two wide seeds, she showed outstanding early pace after an average enough break to lead off the first bend from Clounamon Cougar and, after being three and a half lengths in front of John Joe Healy’s bitch rounding the third bend, she hit the line a length and a half ahead of her, with a length back to Merry Morning.
The second semi-final (race 7) was won in 29.60 by an even hotter favourite in Knockane Brady (4/6). This fellow made maximum use of a trap 1 draw to get himself into a winning position on the inside of a tight field rounding the first bend, showing plenty of determination in the process, and he totally controlled matters thereafter, winning by four and a half lengths from Boom Mabe, with two and a half lengths back to Alexs Hero.
The final takes place this Saturday night and will be part of a benefit meeting for Listry GAA Club. Knockane Brady is entitled to huge respect from trap 2, but preference is for Pennylane Lashes from trap 5 and she can win the handsome winner’s purse of €1,450 for the Pennylane syndicate from Lixnaw headed up by Niamh McKenna.
Turning to the final of the ON2 325 sweepstake, this was won by 5/4 favourite, Baltovin Jack, but only by a short head from 2/1 shot, Samba Tex. It was pretty tight rounding the first bend and things were looking good for Samba Tex (trap 5) when he shot into a nice lead.
However, he ran very wide turning for home and Thomas Regan’s Baltovin Jack, which ran from trap 4 and had clocked 17.78 in winning his semi-final, was able to get back at him and touch him off at the line in 18.20 (.20 slow), with two lengths back to the rank outsider of the field, Discovery Quest (6/1).
By far the fastest run of the night was that by the Chris Houlihan-trained Cashen Maputo in the ninth race (A0 525). This fellow clocked an estimated 28.48 (28.88 minus .40) in beating the front-running Scart Storm by a length and a half and this was a quite brilliant follow-up to the 28.67 he clocked in an A1 class race on October 22.
Another feature of the night was a first and last race double by Ballydavid trainer, Michael Baker, with Gallarus Seekoo (29.84) and Foildarrigh Lady (29.27), while the other winners were: Whenyouget In, 30.34; Its About Time, 18.18; Teevee Lucy, 31.00; Another Pickels, 29.94.
SUNDAY EVENING SIS SESSION
No winner managed to get inside 29.00secs at Sunday evening’s SIS session, with the locally-owned Lenas Poppy getting closest on 29.06 (standard going) in the last race (A2 525). Other winners: Leahys Dakota, 29.76; Cadence Falls, 29.66; Looster Baxter, 29.46; Bambam Antigua, 29.33; Scart Diamond, 29.20; Cashen Lomani, 29.33; Millridge Emma, 29.25.