Jesceda Salah the fastest from nine sprint races

HAS it ever happened before that nine sprints were run off on the same night at Tralee Track? Very, very doubtful

A little bit of history, therefore, was surely made at the Oakview venue on Saturday night when eight first-round heats of an unraced 325yds sweepstake were run off along with an ordinary 325yds race.

Very wintry conditions kept the crowd on the small side and not too many ventured out in the wind and rain to have a bet in the outside area with the only bookmaker in attendance, Patsy Browne. Indeed, Browne and his clerk, Mike Shine, had taken only half a dozen bets in total up to the last race.

It was good to have the televised coverage from Limerick and Shelbourne Park – until the second semi-final of the €80,000-to-the-winner Kirby Sweepstake at Limerick, that is.

Unfortunately, this semi-final, featuring Liam Dowling’s flying machine, Ballymac Tas, was not shown live and you can imagine how that went down with the Tralee faithful, though nobody at the Oakview venue was at fault for that.

A replay of the semi-final was subsequently shown and we saw Ballymac Tas brilliantly power her way to victory and into this Saturday night’s final, along with her litter brother, Ballymac Syd, which finished runner-up in the first semi-final.

Hopefully, one of the Ballymacs will emerge victorious in Saturday night’s final.

Turning to the unraced 325 sweepstake, the times in the eight first-round heats varied a lot, but right up there at the top of the list, on a quite superb 17.84 (.10 slow), was the Sean Hunt-trained Jesceda Salah. A 2/1 shot with Patsy Browne, Jesceda Salah trapped in front from trap 2 and he drove home two and a half lengths ahead of 4/5 favourite, Skips Ash, with five lengths back to Rusheen Stampy.

The other winning times varied from 18.05 to 18.75, but the winner on 18.75, Seminole Dan, was taken very wide around the opening bend and, win or lose, he will be improving substantially on that in the second round this Saturday night.

Local trainer, Martin Moriarty, recorded a double with litter brothers, Knock Jet (18.23) and Knock Dazzler (18.29), while the other heat winners were Saleen Logan, 18.05; Young Tom, 18.16; Lixnaw Chewbacca, 18.48, and Gulleen Star, 18.21.

The winners of the other four races were Steeple Rd Taylr, 29.68; Millridge Lexi, 29.79; Pennylane Fionn, 17.70; Stayaway Rose, 29.55.

The going was .10 slow for all 325yds races and .20 slow for the 525yds races.