END OF THE ROAD FOR BRILLIANT PATRIOT BUT NEW CAREER AWAITS

Ian Fortune

As we look forward to the start of the 2025 Juvenile Classic at Tralee, it’s fitting that last year’s brilliant winner Ballymac Patriot is in the news. After suffering defeat in the opening round after a slow start and early traffic, he would go unbeaten through the remainder of the competition, establishing himself as one of the fastest and most exciting youngsters in training.

Sadly, he would never get the chance to fulfil his immense potential on the track as just four races later, the impeccably well-bred son of Ballymac Cashout and Ballymac Wisdom found traffic in what would turn out to be his final start in the semis of the 2024 Kirby Memorial at Limerick.

NO COMEBACK

Liam Dowling spent much of 2024 attempting to nurse him back to full fitness and was on he was on the verge of a comeback on more than one occasion but it simply wasn’t meant to be.

Indeed, he had a sprint trial at Tralee just before Christmas in the final attempt to get him back to racing action but a recurrence of the injury forced Liam Dowing into an inevitable decision.

A NEW CAREER ON THE HORIZON

After just eight career outings in which he took on and beat many of the best in training, his racing career is over with a new career on the horizon.

With so many sires on the ground in Ballymacelligot, including Patriot’s own sire Ballymac Cashout, Dowling has sent Ballymac Patriot up to another area with a rich tradition for producing top class greyhounds, county Kildare. 

PATRIOT THE NEWEST RECRUIT AT THE COONOUGH KENNELS

Ballymac Patriot is to join the ever-growing stable of sires on offer at Richard and Michael Cully’s Coonough Kennels in Carbury.

Given his brilliant speed, pace and strength, as well as his supreme pedigree, Ballymac Patriot is likely to be of real interest to breeders.

It may be very disappointing that we won’t get to see Ballymac Patriot in racing action again but we look forward to seeing his progeny hitting the track in the future.