KURSK ON COMEBACK TRAIL

Ian Fortune

When Friday’s card at Shelbourne Park was released late on Wednesday evening, there was one very notable name that appeared on it.

In 2024, Elite Kursk established himself as one of the best early paced greyhounds in training, pushing the recently retired Broadstrand Syd to the pin of his collar in the final of the Bar One Racing Irish Sprint Cup.

It was a number of brilliant performances from the talented son of Elite Black that year. Sadly, after just three more starts, Elite Kursk would pick up a career ending injury or so it seemed. Nursed back to full health over the past year by Myles Roban, a couple of brilliant recent trials suggest he is as good as ever as he prepares to return to racing action.

He flew around Enniscorthy in mid-September, posting a rapid 18.68 for the sprint trip before going one spot faster in his latest trial at Shelbourne Park last week. Plans for running him on Derby final night had been scrapped due to the sprint running as a two-run competition but we didn’t have to wait too much longer for his return.

On Friday night, he will wear his beloved stripes in a €1,000 one-off sprint and despite his long absence, he will be fancied to go close. Win or lose, it’s some effort by those closest to him to get him back to the track and we wish the flying tracker the very best of luck. One suspects, if he can recapture his best form, the Winter Racing Festival Championship Sprint will be the plan.