FINAL TWELVE DO BATTLE FOR PLACE IN CON & ANNIE KIRBY DECIDER

Peter Farrell

Just a dozen runners remain in the 2024 Con & Annie Kirby Memorial at Limerick Greyhound Stadium and it’s fair to say that connections of all twelve will remain optimistic of landing the €80,000 to the winner Classic in seven days’ time.

Such as how the prestigious renewal has panned out, with several upsets throughout the earlier rounds, it certainly is a rarity that we are down to the business end of the Classic and we are still no further forward in nailing our colours to the mast in terms of predicting an eventual winner. This is also reflected in the betting market with Epic Chick, Ballymac Patriot and Romeo Kingpin all installed as 4/1 joint favourites for the event. Indeed, as luck would have it, all three meet in what is a red-hot opening semi final later tonight.

CHICK TO SCORE

Given the head of the betting market, the semi final draw certainly looks a little lopsided and there is little margin for error for all six trackers. In terms of the trap draw, Romeo Kingpin is perfectly housed in one and that could prove crucial. The Graham Holland-trained powerhouse is three from four when donning the red jacket and he will bid to claim ownership of the rail in the early exchanges. The son of Superman posting a rapid 1.25 sectional last time out and any repeat this time around should see him dictate. That said, the other book-end runner in Knockeen Dazzler continues to display sizzling early speed and he is likely to contest out wide. Daniel O’Rahilly’s black has been one of the surprise packages in this event and he has done absolutely nothing wrong in winning two of his three rounds thus far. A heavyweight 80-pounder, the son of Laughil Blake is the best drawn greyhound in the race, is very consistent on the clock, and can secure his place in the decider if he continues to ping out and stay out of trouble. Arguably the quickest tracker in the line-up is Epic Chick. The fawn daughter of Grangeview Ten posted an incredible 28.00 in the second round and ran a fine race in defeat last time out when faced with a difficult draw in six. Drawn in five this time around, ‘Chick’ should receive plenty of racing room early on given both runners on either side are likely to maintain their racing line and this should enable John Kennedy’s charge to flourish. Likely to go off favourite despite defeat last Saturday, if she gets loose, she will be extremely difficult to peg back. Ballymac Patriot is another who will carry plenty of support. The Juvenile Classic champ posted his first victory at Limerick last time out and that could prove the catalyst for better things to come. It really is testament to Liam Dowling’s charge that he has reached the final twelve despite not producing his very best, however, he looks to be coming to the boil nicely. Drawn in two, traprise will be crucial in terms of his chances of leading Romeo Kingpin on his inside but if doing so, he could see daylight, which is something that has come as a premium thus far. The remaining two runners in the opening semi are In Good Time and Barefoot On Fire. Both will require luck if they are to make the frame for the feature next weekend, however, on their day they are more than capable of advancing. Trained by Paul Hennessy, Barefoot On Fire has superb pace when allowed to stride out and he held his own down the back last week when challenged by Epic Chick. A fast start is required; however, he has no forlorn hope of securing one of the all-important qualifying positions. The same can be said of In Good Time in trap three. Brendan Maunsell’s runner has defied huge odds of 33/1 and 14/1 to get this far in the stake and he was within a whisker of winning last time out before Faypoint Sean snatched victory. He could make life difficult for Ballymac Patriot in the early yards and he is certainly not there to make up the numbers. Prediction – Epic Chick

WELL-DRAWN SCOOBY CAN SEE OFF RIVALS

Incredibly, despite the second semi final featuring three of the four quarter final winners, none occupy outright favouritism.

One of the eye-catchers from the quarter finals was the Jennifer O’Donnell-trained Scooby Pacemaker and he has been trained expertly up to this point. The brilliant son of Droopys Sydney is hugely talented and he has returned to his best around Limerick. A previous winner In 28.29 around HQ, he estimated 28.28 behind Epic Chick in round two, before arriving late to land his quarter final assignment in 28.46. Rewarded for that performance with a plumb draw in trap one, he looks the one to beat if reproducing his 1.27 sectional from this box in the second round. Of his main rivals, Faypoint Sean looks the most likely to challenge. Boasting an incredible record of ten wins and two seconds from just twelve starts, the Graham Holland-trained runner has produced some thrilling off-the-pace performances in the Kirby. Make no mistake; Patricia Flanagan’s black and white can hit the lids, as shown in Clonmel, and should he rediscover his trapping exploits, he will be a main player. That said, ‘Sean’ has two fast starters on both sides in Radical Harry and Phoenix Tyson so it could be in his best interests to drop out once more and pick up the pieces later. Merits Inclusion took home the mantle of the fastest of the quarter final winners last weekend and Brendan Matthews’ runner certainly has claims of landing the spoils. Out of luck in earlier starts, the son of Dromana Bucko got loose last time out to draw clear of Epic Chick and much will depend on whether he can lead on the inside. This is easier said than done with Scooby Pacemaker and Feshtys Mo on either side, however, he showed he has the gears to give his Northern handlers a third Kirby triumph. The aforementioned Feshtys Mo has been sublime up to now. Trained by John Byrne for Michael and Terence Delaney, the brindle daughter of Grangeview Ten has displayed explosive early speed thus far and this will need to be on full display later tonight. Drawn well in three, she is mighty consistent on the clock and she is another who will be fancied to make the frame. With just the four starts under his belt, Radical Hero is the most in-experienced runner left in the Kirby but he has raced like a seasoned pro for Gerard Hutton and Thomas O’Donovan. The son of former Leger winner, Epic Hero, he ran a fine race in defeat last time out and has already shown his capabilities of producing a sub 28.20 performance from his debut, which was just four weeks ago. The remaining runner is the flying early pacer, Phoenix Tyson. Ian Reilly’s charge has trickled away nicely up to this point and made virtually every yard last time out before being collared by Faypoint Sean late on. Drawn in six, he will need one of his lightning starts out wide, however, the son of Grangeview Ten knows exactly how to win and he too has the ability to advance into the showpiece next weekend. Selection – Scooby Pacemaker

SEAN O’CONNOR SEMIS

The supporting act on the card comes in the form of the semi finals of the €5,000 to the winner Sean O Connor Memorial A1/A2 525 and Tinahue Pappone will hope to make it four straight wins for owner John Fox.

A winner of four from just eight starts, Tinahue Pappone posted the fastest opening round winner when clocking 28.50 and he showed fine early dash on that occasion, something that the son of Toker Forest win need to replicate this time around with the likes of Ballymac Rebel amongst his rivals. The aforementioned running was just three parts of a length slower on the clock and he did so when coming from off-the-pace. Likely to step forward, ‘Rebel’ just gets the vote this time around, however, he can ill-afford any slip-ups.

In the second semi, Kilcolgan Whitney gets the narrow vote with Neilus O’Connell’s charge continuing to take forward steps despite still searching for a first career win. Just two lengths adrift of ‘Pappone’ last time out, the daughter of Droopys Sydney is well-housed in two and will be finishing best of all come the business end. Of her rivals, Smart Sam produced a brilliant display last time out, while Lotto Other News can never be discounted given previous exploits.