The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Dowling heats begin on huge benefit night for Tralee RFC
THIS was definitely the best ever start to the John and Mary Killeacle Dowling Memorial A1 570 Sweepstake (winner, €2,650) at Tralee Track.
There were four good winners in the first round heats on Friday night, with the best of them, marginally, being Ballymac Sarahjo, from, appropriately enough, the Liam Dowling kennels, but the really big thing about it all was the size of the crowd in attendance.
It was just massive – and all because it was organised by Tralee Rugby Club as a fund-raiser for its juvenile section.
Tralee might be a very strong bastion of the GAA, but, by golly, there are a lot of people out there who identify themselves with the game of rugby locally, and fair dues to them for turning up in such huge numbers at the Oakview venue on Friday night.
One time, yours truly couldn’t even look over the wall at a match in progress when the Tralee rugby pitch was located in Oakpark, due to the ridiculous GAA ban on foreign games, and yet Tralee Rugby Club was later to give its give its pitch in upper Oakpark (Killeen) to the Austin Stacks football team for training purposes on a temporary basis – and when Austin Stacks won the 1973 county senior football title after a wait of 37 years, the rugby club threw a lovely reception for the team in its clubhouse.
A club with an outlook like that cannot but thrive and we certainly saw the proof of that on Friday night.
It wasn’t just the big turn-out of support either. The official programme carried a massive amount of advertising (all 60 pages of it!), there was very strong race sponsorship and, to top it all off nicely, there was the income from a raffle which carried really good prizes.
As for the racing itself, Liam Dowling’s Ballymac Sarahjo, a bitch which has served him really well in her career to date, just about deserves top billing because of her run of 31.21 in heat 4 of the Dowling sweepstake. Running from trap 4 and a 2/1 shot in the betting, she excelled in seeing off two very strong challengers in Patricks Castle and Unleashthebeast, beating the two of them by a length and a length and a half, respectively.
Just four spots behind Ballymac Sarahjo, on 31.25 in heat 3, was the Clare-owned Paradise Summer, while the other heat winners were Boros Dara (31.28) and Stormy Jake (31.34).
The fact the only thirteen spots separated the four first-round heat winners gives a pretty open look to the Dowling sweepstake at this early stage and it will be very interesting to see how things unfold in the second round this Friday night.
Just six of the 24 starters last Friday night were eliminated, with the first four in each heat plus the two fastest fifths going through. The first four will also qualify from the three second round heats this Friday night, clearing the way for the semi-finals the following Friday night.
There had to be a new draw for the second round heats because Faithful Linda, one of the fifths in the first round, was entitled to be in it and that draw worked out as follows (trap order):
Heat 1: Ballymac Sarahjo, Lassa Excitement, Paradise Summer, Stormy Jake, Right Half Back, Youngfellathanks (W).
Heat 2: Shlowdown Janey, Mohane Joey, Unleashthebeast, Faithful Linda, Lee Smasher, Silver Charm.
Heat 3: Patricks Castle, Best Of Luck, Boros Dara, Millridge Jodi, Lassa Exquisite, Riptide Treaty (W).
Last Friday night’s supporting card saw none other than Liam Dowling win two sprint races with Mc Razl (17.59) and Ballymac Pele (17.78), the former being particularly impressive, while the other winners were Mainroad Katiet, 18.18; Facecooks Boy, 29.83; Lissycasey Pete, 29.44; Rallying Jet, 29.28.
The going on the night was .20 slow for 525yds and 570yds and .10 slow for 325yds.
KERRY GOBA SWEEPS
The semi-finals of two sweepstakes sponsored by Kerry GOBA headed up the Tralee programme last Thursday night, when the going was also .20 and .10 slow, and the finals will be run this Saturday night. The winners were Joe Blackie, 18.11; Fire Height Dean, 29.81; Courancove Tom, 29.71; Cadburys Hero, 18.33; Clorane Daddy, 29.46; Solas An Iarthar, 29.14; Carmac Luna, 17.90; Lissycasey Bill, 29.30; Millridge Skype, 29.48; Coolavanny Petal, 29.94.
TUESDAY NIGHT
The Pat McMahon-trained Send It Wills was the fastest, marginally, over the standard trip at last week’s Tuesday SIS meeting when winning the fifth race (A7 525) in 29.22, while the other winners were Devon Rose, 29.56; Gallarus Lisrona, 29.29; My Boy Benny, 18.30; Banfid Lead, 29.23; Mileheight Molly, 17.87; Lassa Excitement, 29.41; Baltovin Bound, 29.28; Post Jule, 29.39; Sporting Swan, 29.51.
SATURDAY SIS MEETING
Mary Crotty, from O’Briens Bridge, Co Clare, scored a double at Saturday afternoon’s SIS meeting with Johns Cod Actor (29.14) and Inislosky Bumble (29.27), while the fastest winner, on 28.76, was Group Fernando, jointly owned by Adrian and Kathleen Clifford, of Ardfert.
Other winners Lingering Xpress, 29.28; Boxer Miley, 28.83; Hobo Jack, 29.50; Parason Mario, 28.91; Ballyduhig Joy, 29.02.