RAPID SETS PACE AS LADIES SHINE AT NEWBRIDGE
Ian Fortune
A very talented group of young bitches were unveiled at Newbridge on Friday night in the opening round of the Brownstown Tango & NTSC Unraced Open Bitch 525.
Honour of going fastest went to the highly touted Burgess Rapid but there were a number of superb displays both in victory in defeat.
RAPID BY NAME AND NATURE
Burgess Rapid lived up to her name in the opening heat, flashing from trap three and dictating throughout.
Pennys Palermo gave chase for much of the way but Forest Diamond came with an incredible late charge to finish closest to the winner.
There was no stopping Burgess Rapid, however. Sheila Spillane and JJ Fennelly’s daughter of Burgess Bucks and Burgess Helena was always in charge and she stayed on to stop the clock in a fast 28.52.
Forest Wildcat, after sitting well of the pace in the early stages, flew down the back straight to move third before shooing through a gap on the fence to go second before the final turn. She stormed home to finish just a length and a half adrift. Pennys Palermo was a further five and a half lengths adrift.
JUST ONE CORNETTO
Cornetto was just behind Burgess Rapid on the clock when bettering her rivals in Heat 2, stopping the clock in 28.55.
David Hanlon’s daughter of Laughil Blake and Love Honey broke fastest but failed to contain Lunas Star and Burgess Josie to the turn.
Lunas Star led the field into the back straight but was soon headed by Burgess Josie. Cornetto was ultimately too close in third, however, and she joined and headed the new leader at the third turn. From there Cornetto rally turned the screw to eventually see off Burgess Josie by five and a half lengths with Hawkfield Breeze just a half lengths back in third.
EPIC PERFORMANCE FROM DANCER
Epic Dancer was one of the easiest winners of the night in Heat 3, leading on the corner before skipping clear.
Laura Kennedy’s daughter of Good News and Priceless Dancer stayed tight to the fence and was left clear when there was bumping on her outer.
Once gong to the front she was in a league of her own. Puling right away to the third turn and up the home straight, the April ’20 whelp emerged a facile eight and a half length scorer in 28.63. On Your Marks was second with Tullymurry Nancy a further four lengths adrift in third.
KEEPITDARK IN A THRILLER
In contrast to Heat 3, there was a desperately tight finish to Heat 4 with Illkeepitdark just getting the better of Oh So Sweet.
There was never more than a length between the pair with Illkeepitdark leading own the back straight but he was joined on the third turn by her rival.
It seemed likely that Oh So Sweet would go on to score but Shane Dowling and Alan Bown’s Illkeepitdark (Droopys Buick/ Freddies Girl) rallied on the run in to take the verdict by a head in 29.14. Ocees Bud was just a half length away in third.
HAVE FAITH IN TULLYMURRY
The final heat saw a fine display from Eamon Maginn’s Tullymurry Faith.
The daughter of Droopys Sydney and Droopys Ring broke fastest and quickly put daylight between herself and her rivals. As her sister did earlier in the evening, Forest Roanna did her best work in the second half of the contest to take the runners-up spot but there was no catching Tullymurry Faith.
Maintaining a strong gallop to the line, the July ’20 whelp hit the line with a length and a half to spare in 28.65. Ballymac Snazzy was a further three and a half lengths adrift in third.