Ballymac Harley goes fastest in unraced 525 sweep heats

IT wasn’t easy to keep track of everything at Tralee on Saturday night, what with all the marvellous televised action from Limerick, in particular, and Shelbourne Park, plus a very good 12-race programme at the Oakview venue itself, and, of course, Liam Dowling’s name was on everybody’s lips after the brilliant exploits of his greyhounds in the Kirby sweepstake at Limerick.

At the Oakview venue, five firstround heats of an unraced 525yds sweepstake (winner, €1,500) headed up the programme and none other than Liam Dowling provided the fastest winner in Ballymac Harley, which clocked 28.80 in heat 3 on going that was rated .10 slow.

Ballymac Harley (even-money second favourite) set himself up for victory with the very best of starts from trap 3 and he powered home three and a half lengths ahead of Stormy Francis, with five and a half lengths back to 4/6 favourite, Brutus Bullet.

Thirteen spots behind the time of Ballymac Harley, on 28.93 in heat 2, was the Patrick O’Connor-trained Saleen Again, which also ran from trap 3 and justified 4/6 favouritism in some style. He raced home three and a half lengths ahead of another Liam Dowling runner, Ballymac Bianca, with 11 lengths back to Hello Rosie.

The other winning first-round times varied from 29.34 (Fire Height Chaz) to 29.54 (Slippy Ned), with the remaining heat winner, Cashen Shangani, posting 29.36, and plenty of interest will focus on the three semi-finals this Friday night, particularly on the second semi-final which sees Ballymac Harley opposed by none other than Fire Height Chaz, Slippy Ned and Cashen Shangani.

The three fastest fourths qualified for the semi-finals along with the first three in each of the five heats and the draw for those semi-finals worked out as follows (trap order):

First semi-final: Hello Rosie, Kingdom Arrow, Stormy Francis, Seomra Pixie, Bolshy Bullet, Deputy Doo.

Second semi-final: Slippy Ned, Ballymac Harley, Cashen Shangani, Lassies Gift, Bonny Bullet, Fireheight Chaz.

Third semi-final: Baltovin Lola, Kingdom Dame, Brutus Bullet, Bonnie Lass, Saleen Again, Ballymac Bianca.

Other winners on Saturday were: Sterling Link, 18.61; Devon Dancer, 30.11; Millridge Spy, 18.27; Greenville Now, 17.55; Feora Maestro, 28.84; World Cup, 29.14; Our Exception, 29.65.

The going was .10 slow for all 525yds races and .05 slow for 325yds races.

SUNDAY SIS MEETING

FASTEST at Sunday evening’s SIS session, on 28.82, was Shancol Ranger, owned by PJ Sugrue, of Portmagee, while the other winners were Beslow Van Dubh, 29.78; Anascaul Jimmy, 29.33; Ballymac Roy, 29.27; Fourpenny Blitz, 29.30; Lenas Poppy, 28.98; Greenway Chaser, 29.14. The going was .10 slow for the first four races.