EXILE AND ELLE EMERGE ON TOP AT KILKENNY

Ian Fortune

Pretty Exile and Burnchurch Elle secured their place in the final of the TIME Greyhound Nutrition & KGOBA A3 525 at Kilkenny on Friday night.

Both impressed in their respective semi-finals with the latter going fractionally faster when obliging at 10-1 in 29.37.

Only fifth into the back straight, victory didn’t seem likely for Michael Cullen’s daughter of Grangview Ten and Blackstone Time but she had other ideas. Closing with each stride down the back straight, she cut through the pack to move third as they began to turn.

Buster Eight was in front at this point but ran out of steam. Burnchurch Elle took up the lead on the run in to contain the rallying Glenhead Jack and Coolemount Get by a half length and a short head.

EXILE RAZOR-SHARP

Pretty Exile was a far more straightforward winner of the opening heat, showing superb early speed to build a massive lead to halfway.

Andrew Lynch’s daughter of Broadstrand Bono and Glowing exile may have tired in the closing yards but there was no way she was going to surrender her advantage.

Sliabh Bladhma stayed on in second but was still four lengths adrift. Pretty Exile stopped the clock in 29.39. Woe Meohmy was best of the remainder in third, some three lengths further adrift.

SWEETHEART LEAVES IT LATE

Sober Sweetheart claimed a narrow victory in the final of the Danny & Ellen Norton Memorial, getting up on the line to deny Bogger Tommy.

The latter made almost every inch but Sober Sweetheart was too strong.

Trained by Murt Leahy for Sean Malone, the daughter of Droopys Sydney and Droopys Sweet powered home to win by a short head in 29.20.