Insidelane Dowling lands €10,500 final with Kingdom

ANOTHER big Shelbourne Park pot, this one worth €10,500, found its way to Kerry last Saturday through the brilliant victory of Liam Dowling’s Ballymac Kingdom in the final of the Corn Cuchulainn 750 Sweepstake.

Ballymac Kingdom, a 5/2 shot, finished a length and a half ahead of Lenson Blinder in 41.41, with Brendan Maunsell’s 6/4 favourite, Redzer Ardfert, enjoying no luck in running and finishing fifth for a consolation prize of €500.

Dowling is back chasing a prize of €10,000 at headquarters this Saturday with Ballymac Lowry in the final of an open unraced sweepstake, and going to traps with him will be Ardrahan Pinokio, owned by Daniel Nolan, of Ardfert. They finished first and second in the second semi-final last Friday and will occupy traps 5 and 6, respectively, in the final.

Dowling ran up the final of an open 550 sweepstake at Curraheen Park last Saturday with Ballymac Wisdom, for a consolation prize of €1,800, and he goes chasing more big loot with Ballymac Kewell and Ballymac Reece in the semi-finals of the Irish Sprint Cup at Dundalk this Saturday night.

Interest, too, will focus on another Kerry greyhound, the James O’Regan-trained Breton Avril, in the final of the Puppy Oaks at Shelbourne Park this Saturday, while Slipalong Brett runs for trainer, Patrick O’Connor, in the final of a 600yds sweepstake at headquarters this Friday.

Not easy to keep track of them all, is it?

No Kerry runner, by the way, in the final of the Larry O’Rourke Produce Stakes at Clonmel on Sunday, which Graham Holland won with Newinn Taylor, making it a quite remarkable 12 out of 12 for the May ’18 son of Droopys Buick and Newinn Expert.