The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Rallying Saidso impressive in Kerry Group A2 525 heats
THE annual benefit meeting for University Hospital Kerry is always a marvellous occasion at Tralee and central to it all is the powerful support which is always forthcoming from the main sponsors, Kerry Group.
The big event at the upcoming benefit meeting, which is pencilled in for Friday, July 13, will be the final of the Kerry Group A2 525 Sweepstake, which carries a winner’s purse of €3,000, and plenty of interest centred on the six firstround heats of the event at the Oakview venue on Friday night.
A mighty crowd was present to watch the action unfold, with tourists (all six bus loads of them!) happily embracing it all, and while those tourists mightn’t have been terribly well clued in to the finer points of greyhound racing, all the doggy people present knew well that one winner stood out from the others in the heats of the Kerry Group Sweepstake.
That was a bitch called Rallying Saidso, which is trained in Drombanna, Co Limerick, by Denis P O’Malley. This lady had enough good form behind her to be sent off the even-money favourite and those who took those odds knew that they would be collecting from the moment the traps went up.
That was because Rallying Saidso took an absolute flier from trap 3 and such was the dominance she enjoyed as the race progressed that she had seven lengths to spare at the line from Abiento, with four and a half lengths back to Mohane Joey.
Rallying Saidso has a trap 1 draw in the first of the second-round heats this Friday night and, although another first-round heat winner, Ballyard George (29.03), represents the biggest threat to her from trap 4, she is extremely difficult to oppose.
Three other first-round heat winners got nicely inside 29.00secs, namely the Liam Dowling-trained Akelawre (28.73), the Pat Curtin-trained Madabout Eoghan (28.79) and the Michael J O’Donovan-trained Gone To Ground (28.91), though Madabout Eoghan was the subject of a stewards’ inquiry and was disqualified after beating Liam Dowling’s front-running Varvatos by a short head in heat 5. A tough break there for Pat Curtin.
The one to benefit from the disqualification was the Pat McMahon-trained Send It Softly, which finished fifth (otherwise, four qualified from each heat), and this fellow again finds himself up against Varvatos in the second round this Friday night, as well as Gone To Ground and another Liam Dowling first-round winner in Ballymac Trinkle (29.27).
Hard to see Pat McMahon’s charge staying in the sweepstake considering all of that, though one never knows.
In recording his 28.73 victory, Akelawre greatly impressed by the manner in which he flew into the lead around the third bend and went on to score by five lengths from Ramona Biddy, while Gone To Ground also excelled from trap 6 in beating Clounbrane Kerry by three lengths in 28.91.
Michael J O’Donovan never brings a bad one to Tralee, does he?
Liam Dowling, of course, could well be the man to beat come final night, bearing in mind that he has four still in contention, including Ballymac Taxi, which finished fourth behind Gone To Ground.
It will be very interesting to see how things work out this Friday night, particularly in relation to Rallying Saidso, but she does look banker material in heat 1, as does Akelawre in heat 2. Time will tell, as they say.
The draw for the second-round heats is (trap order): Heat 1: Rallying Saidso, Right Half Back, Patricks Castle, Ballyard George, Spirit Elvis (M), Youngfellathanks (W). Heat 2: Akelawre, Send It Seasons, Sawdust Club, Clounbrane Kerry, Knockbawn Buddy (M), Rallying Jill (W). Heat 3: Helenas Star, Ballymac Taxi, Ramona Sara, Ahavoher Beauty (W), Abiento (W), Cosard Jet (W). Heat 4: Mohane Joey, Ballymac Trinkle, Varvatos, Send It Softly, Gone To Ground, Ramona Biddy (W).
Other winners on Friday night: Conquering Queen, 17.77; Cape Rome, 29.20; Toremore Rising, 17.89; Knocktoo Niamh, 29.17.