ROLEX AND COCO GIVE DOLORES A DAY TO REMEMBER

Ian Fortune

Dolores Ruth has won a Derby on both sides of the Irish Sea, won numerous classics and trained some of the fastest greyhounds in the history of the sport but even by her vaulted standards, Saturday was a special day for the Rathangan based handler.

Of course, Boylesports Coco was a stunning winner of the Tote Gold Cup at Shelbourne Park but she also tasted big race glory on the opposite side of the water on Saturday afternoon with Dazl Rolex emerging a superb winner of the Premier Greyhound Racing Golden Jacket at Crayford. 

Dolores not only owns a share of the brilliant son of Superior Panama and Razldazl Maya but she also bred the wonderful stayer, rearing him and starting off his career in Dublin.

It was clear he would make a top-class stayer with a little experience under his belt and his victory in Saturday’s £20,000 showpiece came as no surprise to anyone that saw him in the early days of his racing career.

Now under the care of Ricky Holloway, he overcame a little early bumping to chase Havana Top Note into the back straight and reeled in the same rival to win by a length in 45.03. It was a particularly sweet victory for Holloway, who described is as ‘the highlight of my training career’.

For Dolores, it was a second success in the Grade 1 contest that was celebrating fifty years, as she captured it back in 2017 with Boylesports Star. 

Whether we see Dazl Rolex back on Irish shores in the future is unknown but Dolores did seem open to the idea of a crack at the Winter Racing Festival at the end of the year with the powerful black.