WONDERFUL MONARCH BOWS OUT

Ian Fortune

Razldazl Monarch has long been one of the most consistent and thoroughly professional greyhounds in training but, at over four and a half years of age, he has run his last race.

The Neilus O’Connell trained son of Makeshift and Razldazl Pru ended his racing career on a high at Shelbourne Park on Saturday night, making every inch after a fast start to win over 550yds in 29.83.

It was the twentieth win of his wonderful career and it does seem the ideal time to retire him to the couch. Two of his owners, Frank and Jay Shaw confirmed he was the greyhound of a lifetime and he deserves a long healthy retirement.

It’s impossible not agree fully. Jay and Frank are two thirds of the Kildare Kilcolgan Syndicate that own Razldazl Monarch along with Karen Geoghegan. Since debuting at Limerick over three years ago, he has been one of the most consistent dogs in training. He also belied his age in recent months, claiming five of his twenty career wins since turning four years of age last October.

It was always clear he was going to be a star for his owners. He recorded a wonderful 28.43 on debut at Limerick in May 2019 and proceeded to race in top company through most of his career. Some of his best times include a 28.26 return at Shelbourne Park, 29.61 for 550yds at the same venue and a 30.92 return for 570yds at Tralee.

He also amassed career earnings of over €15,000, winning the Greyhound & Petworld Open Unraced at Limerick in 2019 and the John & Mary Killeacle Dowling Memorial 570 at Tralee in 2020. To highlight his versatility, he also ran up the last ever Irish Grand National in 2020.

Greyhound likes Razldazl Monarch don’t come around too often. In a career that contained eighty-five starts, he tasted victory twenty times, was second on twenty-two occasions and third a further seventeen times. That means he made the frame in almost sixty of his eighty-five starts. Have a long healthy retirement, Monarch. You deserve it.