The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Jasons Fifi clocks career best in 13th win of the year
A LOT of very good greyhounds have run at Tralee Track this year, but Jasons Fifi is surely the most consistent of them.
Incredibly, he has been out of the first three only three times in 35 career starts (he has been runner-up 16 times) and he came along at the Oakview venue last Friday night and clocked a brilliant career best 28.63 in the sixth race (A1 525).
It was his 13th victory of the year at Tralee for owner, Noel Power, of Ballyduff (agent Patsy O’Rourke) and a purse of €350 brought his career earnings to a whopping €8,703.
That makes him one hell of a good money-spinner and, in gaining his latest victory, he once again demonstrated his superb starting ability to get himself into a winning position once the traps went up. Housed in trap 3 and the 7/4 favourite, he raced home five lengths ahead of the Patrick O’Connor-trained Saleen Brax, which claimed the runner-up spot by a head from Our River.
Yet again, Jasons Fifi was paying tribute to his sire, Cashen Legend, and his dam, Leigh Fantastic, and, as a February ’15 whelping, this is a success story that surely has a lot more layers to be added to it, assuming that injury is avoided.
Serial winners like this don’t come along too often.
A nine-race programme on the night featured two semi-finals of an A4 525 sweepstake sponsored by the track supporters’ club and just a single spot separated the two winners – Carmac Luna on 29.12 and Homestead Vicky on 29.13.
The manner of their victories differed somewhat. Carmac Luna, a 2/1 favourite running from trap 5, showed really good starting ability in the first semi-final and, after clearing the first bend in the lead, she went on to score by three lengths from the strong-finishing Ballyhar George, with a length and a half back to Fermoyle Trump.
Carmac Luna is trained by Timmy Carmody for a syndicate headed up by Thomas Powell, of Tralee.
In the second semi-final, Homestead Vicky also ran from trap 5, but those who backed her (she was 5/2 with the bookmakers) must have thought that her chance was gone when she badly missed the break. However, she managed to get a lovely run on the rails rounding the first bend and she had the alertness and sharpness to take full advantage of it, coming away from the bend in second place behind Send It Tonight.
She then overtook Send It Tonight rounding the third bend and went on to master him by two lengths, with the same distance back to DogGoneIt.
The luck of the draw has ordained that Homestead Vicky will again be in trap 5 in the final this Friday night and, with a slicker start, she can undoubtedly claim the handsome winner’s purse of €1,250 for Dan Lynch, of Causeway. However, Carmac Luna is far better drawn in trap 1 and she is given the vote because of that.
The draw is (trap order): Carmac Luna, Ballyhar George, Dog Gone It, Fermoyle Trump, Homestead Vicky, Send It Tonight.
Last Friday night’s supporting card saw Michael Bourke, of Ballylongford, introduce a really exciting novice in Hesacodger, which clocked 28.81 in race No 3 (A5 525) after a slowish enough start from trap 1, while 28.70 was clocked in the last race (A2 525) by the Ger Reidy-trained Premier Express, which made all from trap 4.
Another Ger Reidy charge, Cnoc Conoir, was far from disgraced in losing out by a length and a half to Hesacodger after cutting out the pace for most of the trip. In the case of Premier Express, which is owned by Donal J Guerin, of Tralee, he sailed home six lengths ahead of Inislosky Patric.
Other winners: Oldfield Bypass, 17.89; Samba Affair, 29.12; Silver Bullet, 17.92; Wonderful Magic, 29.12.
It was more than a little unusual to have three winners clocking the identical time of 29.12 on the night.