CON MURPHY BOOKMAKERS SEMI FINALS ON OFFER AT LIMERICK

Peter Farrell

Limerick Greyhound Stadium hosts the semi-finals of the Con Murphy Bookmakers A1 525 tonight, with fiercely competitive action expected as the field is whittled down to the final six ahead of the €3,300-to-the-winner decider.

Kindly sponsored by Tim Spike Murphy, the competition has proved ultra-competitive to date and the second semi-final, in particular, looks red-hot. The obvious starting point is Scattery Beauty, who posted a rapid 28.57 last time out, building on a 28.81 opening-round victory. She bids for a hat-trick of wins from trap one and the daughter of Ballymac Cashout has shown strong pace from halfway. Well drawn to secure a favourable early position, she rates as the one to beat despite the depth of opposition. Ballinabola Otis broke his maiden tag in fine style for Pat Buckley last time and that success could act as a springboard to further progress. The son of Glengar Bale displayed a smart change of gear at halfway on that occasion and appears capable of going quicker, although a potentially awkward draw in five may complicate matters. Drawn outside him, Ballymac Riddick looks set to play a prominent role for Liam Dowling. While second best to Scattery Beauty last time out, the son of King Elvis is trending in the right direction and should race handily from trap six. Of the remainder, Glengar Blitz boasts considerable power and her 28.54 opening-round effort remains the fastest time recorded in the stake. Drawn in four, she looks the likely pace-setter and could blaze a trail for Bradley Canty and Pat Buckley. Rockstar Willie also commands respect. John Byrne’s charge finished strongly to take third in the semi-finals but produced an eye-catching display in the opening round when clocking 28.59 in defeat. Gortkelly John completes the line-up from trap two; Andrew Murray’s runner has early speed to cause problems but will need to find further improvement on the clock to feature prominently.

JIM CAN GO ONE BETTER

While Jim By Two has been reeled in late on his last two starts, he remains a major player for Brendan Maunsell and is a narrow selection in the opening semi-final.

The reigning Tipperary Cup champion is undoubtedly a class act, though whether he retains all of his former force remains open to debate. Owned by Noel Griffin and Peter Kelly, the son of Droopys Sydney has shown brilliant early pace in his last two outings, but the usually strong-running tracker has been collared late on both occasions. Nevertheless, he is one to treat with caution and, well housed in trap two, could yet go one better this time around. Of his rivals, Foxwood Macgowan rates a serious threat for Denis McGrath from the red jacket. The classy brindle also possesses sharp early speed and an intriguing duel for early supremacy could unfold between himself and Jim By Two. Clonnloch Cliste, trained by Owen McKenna, is another with solid claims. The white and fawn finished strongly to reel in Jim By Two in the quarter-finals and, if able to overcome a potentially awkward draw in five, should be in the mix at the business end. Of the remaining semi-finalists, Zenith Efendi ran a commendable race in defeat for Corona Ryan last time out and looks capable of making the frame, while Drombeg Jet and Kevinsfort Spice will need to bring their A-game to the party if they are to enter the reckoning.