The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Mystery Thunder proves fitting winner for Castlemaine trainer Michael Long
BACK the years, if you were a GAA player as I was, one couldn’t even look over the wall at a soccer match in progress, or a rugby match for that matter, for fear of suspension, but happily times have changed big-time in that respect and it was great to see such a vibrant scene at Tralee on Saturday night on the occasion of a fund-raiser for Castlemaine Soccer Club.
Clearly, the Mid Kerry soccer club is blessed in its players, membership and supporters and this was reflected in a quite magnificent attendance. No better venue, of course, than the magnificent Oakview stadium to accommodate people in the finest of comfort and, best of all, to provide entertainment of the highest order.
There was the added bonus for those in attendance that they were able to see all the terrific action from Shelbourne Park on the track monitors and it was wonderful to see Brendan Maunsell’s Redzer Ardfert and Liam Dowling’s Ballymac Cooper winning purses of €10,000 for just the one run at a meeting which honoured the memory of the late Michael Fortune, the national voice of greyhound racing in this country.
At the Oakview venue itself, the feature was a 525yds buster race for A6 class which carried the name of the Castlemaine club and it was won by none other than that well-known Castlemaine man, Michael Long, whose charge, Mystery Thunder, did the business well from a trap 5 draw.
Mystery Thunder might have been a 3/1 outsider with the only bookmaker framing the odds, Patsy Browne, but he won like an odds-on shot, absolutely flying to the first bend and, although fairly well challenged as the race progressed, he won by a length from 6/4 favourite, Situpandlisten, in 29.49.
The ten-race programme also featured four first-round heats of a 525 sweepstake for ON2 class (winner, €1,200) and in-form Tarbert trainer, Patrick O’Connor, recorded a pretty impressive double with Clounbrane Ole (29.03) and Slipalong Brett (28.90).
The other first-round heat winners were Black Mini (29.73) and Ballyfidora Brae (29.57) and, bearing in mind all the respective times, it will be quite a surprise if either Clounbrane Ole or Slipalong Brett doesn’t go on to outright victory in the event. As it so happens, they are in different ownership and they have avoided each other in the semi-finals this Saturday night, the draw for which worked out as follows (trap order):
First semi-final: Rage Rover (M), Black Mini (M), Ballymac Hondura (M), Slipalong Brett (M), Ballyfidora Brae (M), Dooneen Charmer (M).
Second semi-final: Ferndale So (M), Headleys Trinkle (M), Rocky Style (M), Bambam Gizmo (M), Sonny Baby (W), Clounbrane Ole (W).
Other winners on Saturday night: Oak Sharp, 18.18; Going To Port, 17.99; Hey I’m Zsaza, 17.70; Samba Tiger, 29.01; Tokenfire James, 28.94.
TUESDAY SIS MEETING
CHRIS Houlihan delivers winners with a fair bit of regularity at the Oakview venue and the former Ballyduff hurling stalwart scored a fine double at last week’s Tuesday SIS meeting with Cashen Lomami and her litter brother, Cashen Sankarani.
Cashen Lomami justified 6/4 favouritism in winning the second race (A4 525) by four lengths in 29.41 and Cashen Sankarani was at the more generous odds of 3/1 in the seventh race (A3 525), which he won by a length in 29.30.
On a night when the going was .40 slow for the first six races and .30 slow for the last four races, the other winners, in order, were: Airport Guest, 29.81; Whistling Rover, 29.57; Merry Morning, 29.48; Leaha Sky, 29.95; Glanna Madam, 29.84; Loher Blake, 29.13l Coom Twins, 29.27; Limerick Jet, 29.03.
SUNDAY SIS MEETING
WINNERS at Sunday evening’s SIS session: Muireanns Magic, 29.39; Kilmore Order, 29.42; Kilcarra Penny, 29.19; Itsall Luckpolly, 28.93; Droumeragh, 28.82; Anascaul Blackie, 29.05; Teevee Bailey, 28.95; Ballyheigue Brae, 28.86.