Oliver Healy trained Shiner goes fastest in A6 525 heats

A WINNER’S purse of €1,200 is nice money for three runs and the Kerry Greyhound Owners and Breeders Association has made it possible in an A6 525 sweepstake at the Oakview venue.

Twenty-four greyhounds went to traps in the first round of the event on Saturday night and highly-respected local owner, Oliver Healy, supplied the fastest winner in Shiner, which clocked 29.00 seconds in winning heat 2.

The July ’15 son of Droopys Cain and My Girl Lollypop was sent off the 5/4 favourite from a trap 4 draw and, after being second to Reality Recruit off the first bend, he ran the back straight to such effect that he was nicely in control by the third bend and he raced home four lengths ahead of Sporting Chick, with the same distance back to Madabout Hannah.

The other first-round heats were won in 29.06 (by Shanless Paddy), 29.36 (by Portinard John) and 29.51 (by Manhattan Sky) and the semi-finals take place this Saturday night, with the draw working out as follows (trap order):

First semi-final: Loher Sid, Sporting Chick, Send It Wills, Shiner, Manhattan Sky (W), Killahan Ginger (W).

Second semi-final: Portinard John, Headleys Folly, Spirit Elvis, Shanless Paddy, Mad About Hannah, Ramona Sara.

The €6,500 Pick Six was strongly chased again, but it continues to elude everybody and, indeed, it didn’t even last two legs this time, with no unit on Headleys Victor after Leaha Laurel had won the first leg.

However, the second-round heats of the Lee Strand sweepstake this Friday night provide a good opportunity to select all six winners – assuming that there wasn’t a winner on Tuesday night of this week.

Other winners on Saturday night were Knockavahig Mate, 18.24; Killahas God, 29.76; Leaha Laurel, 17.90; Headleys Victor, 29.50; Slippy Superman, 29.10; Deadly George, 17.82; Hobo Jack, 29.13;Feather Plucker, 29.45.