SHUDA GIVES DRUMANTINE A BRIGHT START AS A SIRE

Ian Fortune

Drumantine is a greyhound you may never have heard of but you will recognise his pedigree and he could yet make a few headlines as a sire if his first ever runner is any indication.

The October Monthly Novices @SPK ON2 525 got underway at Shelbourne Park on Thursday and the Brendan Matthews trained Shudacudawouda looked a real prospect as he came home eight lengths clear in a rapid 28.53 to set the standard.

A black and white son of the aforementioned Drumantine and Pennys Lauren, he overcame a moderate start to shoot to the front into the bend. From there it was all one-way traffic as he opened up to win from another eye-catcher, Jacktavern Turbo.

For the record, the second heat was won in 29.25 by the well-bred Button It. The Robert Gleeson trained son of Droopys Flytline and former National Puppy Stake winner Up The Style was always prominent before seeing off Unquestionable.

As coincidence would have it, he is closely related to both the runner up Unquestionable and Drumantine, the sire of Shudacudawouda. Unlock Unlock is the dam of Unquestionable, the granddam of Button It and also happens to be the dam of Drumantine.

THE DRUMANTINE STORY

Drumantine was a serious prospect for Brendan Matthews in 2023.

The first mark on his card was a 28.72 trial around Shelbourne Park. Incredibly, that came off a very slow 2.78 sectional after he displayed all manner of inexperience at trap rise before the penny dropped.

At the same trial session, a certain Coolavanny Hoffa posted 27.94 off a considerably faster start. It just went to highlight just how impressive the trial of Drumantine was. 

The son of Grangeview Ten and Unlock Unlock had the Matthews family dreaming of big things but it wasn’t meant to be. In his third public trial, he would sustain a career ending injury before it even began.

He never got the chance to fulfil his potential on the track but given his obvious talent and superb pedigree, it was no surprise that he was offered the opportunity to service a couple of bitches.

As we speak he has only three 2024 litters on the ground but a few have clearly shown promise. Shudacudawouda was the first of his pups to hit the track and he made a fine impression. Damien Matthews was certainly happy with the run, emphasising that he felt he wasn’t far enough forward to go as quick as he did.

As a result of going so fast, he has been eliminated from the final for time-finding. It’s a good complaint. One suspects, despite his low numbers in the ground, we could be hearing more of Drumantine as a sire in the coming weeks and months.