Spectacular start to classic

THE GMHD Juvenile Classic is the showpiece event every year at Tralee Track, something well recognised right across the country, and this year’s classic got off to quite a spectacular start at the Oakview venue last Friday night.

It was advertised as a 48-greyhound event and, disappointingly enough, it wound up with just 33 runners, but that entry of 33 simply oozed with the most exciting of quality and nothing proved that more than the 28.18 which was recorded in the last of six heats by the Pat Buckley-trained Droopys Biker, a June ’16 son of Loughteen Blanco and Droopys Cyclone.

That time was just 13 spots outside the record of 28.05 set in May of 2016 by Curious Boy and it most definitely made Droopys Biker the star of the first-round show, but the five other heats decided on the night produced brilliant times as well, ranging from the 29.37 posted by the Liam Dowling-trained Ballymac Bolger in heat 3 to the 28.67 recorded by the Thomas O’Connor-trained Nice Mystery in heat 4.

The winner’s purse is €14,000 instead of €15,000 because of the reduced entry, but, you know what, some of the greyhounds we saw in action on Friday night, especially Droopys Biker, have to be worth multiples of that and it’s going to make for very riveting fare over the next few weeks before the winner is know.

In winning heat 6 and producing such a sensational time on his competitive bow, Droopys Biker did so as a 4/6 favourite. Housed in trap 5, he led off the first bend from Tunnel Vision, Nice Charmer and Bellmore Jagger and he subsequently dominated to the extent that he had eight and a half lengths to spare at the line from Tunnel Vision, with a head back to Bellmore Jagger.

Whatever else, it makes Droopys Biker real banker material from trap 1 draw in the second of four second-round heats this Friday night (four qualified from each of the six first-round heat).

In producing his run of 28.37 in heat 3 for trainer, Liam Dowling, Ballymac Bolger did the business in quite magnificent fashion as well from a trap 3 draw, mastering Pat Buckley’s 4/6 favourite, Droopys Hotel, by five lengths, with seven lengths back to Niamhs Big Mike.

Liam Dowling has qualified no less than five runners for Friday’s second round and that makes him a hell of a big player in the event. What a surprise!

The other first-round heat winners were Droopys Deise (28.59), Newinn Blake (28.66), Nice Mystery (28.67) and Slippy Cian (28.50), all very impressive in their own right, and the draw for the second-round heats this Friday night resulted as follows:.

Heat 1: Cosard Jet, Nice Charmer, Bellmore Jaguar, Jarhead, Tunnel Vision, Newinn Blake (W). Heat 2: Droopys Biker, Droopys Hotel, Ballymac Pele, Coltwood Rambo (W), Ballymac Lukaku (W), Pack Your Case (W). Heat 3: Ballycowen Jake, Slippy Cian, Niamhs Big Mike, Paradise Vidal, Droopys Deise, Ballymac Padraig. Heat 4: Ballymac Bolger, Nice Mystery, Ashron Court, Pulgarcito, Droopys Davy, Buckos Destiny (W).

Friday night’s programme was also supposed to have featured a qualifier for the Ladbrokes Easter Cup at Shelbourne Park, but, obviously, the entries were not forthcoming.

Other winners: Oak Beauty, 18.22; Confident Calida, 29.67; Steeple Rd Jet, 17.74; Conors Blake, 28.60; Shronedraugh Act, 28.73.

SATURDAY SIS MEETING

WINNERS at Saturday afternoon’s SIS meeting: Dads Promise, 29.13; Enjoy The Moment, 29.12; Baltoability, 29.08; Bonnan Rory, 28.90; Millridge Skype, 29.34; Knocknaboul Rose, 29.02; Ardfert Carmac, 29.15; Ballymac Breeze, 29.17. There was no racing on Saturday night because of the national coursing meeting.

Oak Beauty was a 2/1 shot when winning the first race on Friday night and he paid quite remarkable tote dividends - €13.00 to a €1 win bet and €74.20 (yes, €74.20) to a €1 place bet.