Talking dogs and horses
Credit: Picture: Brian Lawless / SPORTSFILE
WITH a first prize of € 80,000 the JP McManus Irish Cup is by some way the most valuable purse on offer during the coursing campaign.
It is more than double the € 35,000 available to the winners of the Derby and Oaks and is therefore always keenly contested, but money apart the event has a huge amount of prestige attached.
Particularly at Clounanna, Patrickswell, its home from 1906 to 1999, the Irish Cup was a daunting test of a greyhound and no place for the half-hearted.
This year's renewal goes ahead next Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Limerick Racecourse and brings down the curtain on the 2010/11 season.
Among the entries is last year's winner Bexhill Brian whose success in the Irish Cup came the same month he landed the Champion Stakes at Clonmel.
Now in the veteran stage, the 2007 whelp's best effort this term came in Co Carlow when he was withdrawn from the quarter-final of the Cup.
Kerry Call, runner-up 12 months ago, will be trying to go one better.
Earlier this season he landed the Cup in Abbeydorney and was beaten in the semi-final at Abbeyfeale by March Is On who advanced to win the Champion Stakes.
March Is On is now at stud, but Mucky Eamonn (the dog he beat in the Champion final) is on his way to Limerick hoping to add to his wins in Glin and Co Carlow.
Another name to note is Kyle Basil, a three-time Cup winner this season at Milltown-Malbay, Ballyduff and Co Kerry. He fell to Mucky Eamonn at Clonmel when a long slip proved his undoing.
As ever, the Classic generation will be well represented by the likes of Derby quarter-finalist Chinook Hyland and Re Me Martin, winner of the TA Morris Stake.
Other pups in the mix are Central Creator, whose Derby-winning kennel mate Central City has already mated his first bitches, Dundalk TS victor Chancey Soprano, Kyle King and Ashmore Lucky.
On the track, meanwhile, the A3 Puppy Stake – under way in Dundalk at the moment – is shaping up into a hot little event.
The ladies dominated last Saturday night's semi-finals.
The opening heat fell to the Ollie Bray-trained Royal Wish. The homebred daughter of Head Bound and Three Star Girl won comfortably in 29.03 for her Navan connections.
Pretty Mix (Black Shaw – Ready Mix) from the Damian Maginn kennel in Co Down followed up her 29.10 firstround win with a 29.05 semifinal run.
Regardless of how the final goes, these two runners could have bright futures.
On the same card Kevin Commins' Ferdia Chief, out of the Ardee handler's great stayer Debidee Lane, made a promising 21.59 debut.
Likewise on Friday, Dundalk's Danny Kerr and Peter McArdle introduced Sandwell Boy who went round in a slick 21.50.
Two more for the notebook.
- Francis CARROLL
