LENNIES DESIRE HEADS A TOP-CLASS CAMBRIDGESHIRE RENEWAL

Peter Farrell

There will be plenty of interest in proceedings at Limerick Greyhound Stadium tonight as the semi finals of the €4,000-to-the-winner Roma Casino Irish Cambridgeshire take centre stage, featuring some of the country's finest six-bend stars.

Kindly sponsored by Dan Flynn, although the competition didn't attract the advertised quantity, the quality is there for all to see and Lennies Desire is likely to head the betting in outright terms. The Paul Hennessy-trained runner, owned by Lee Craze, has taken to the marathon trip effortlessly and his recent clocks around Shelbourne have been nothing short of sensational. Drawn in four tonight, he faces some top-class rivals but expect the son of Signet Ace to produce another polished display for connections and set the standard ahead of next week's decider. Indeed, Paul Hennessy boasts a tremendous record in this event, having previously landed the prize with Hello Hammond and Jaytee Japan, and Lennies Desire will bid to follow in the footsteps of those brilliant performers.

COLA A THREAT

Of his rivals, Blackstone Cola rates the obvious threat. Trained by David Flanagan for Matthew Derrick, this lady lowered the colours of Lennies Desire in the final of the valuable Deise Plastering 730 at Waterford on her latest six-bend outing and will look to repeat that display. The daughter of Dromana Bucko looks ideally housed in trap one and it would come as a surprise were either she or Lennies Desire not to prevail. Of the remainder, Fire Height Kai ran a good race at Tralee last time out and looks likely to get involved in the early exchanges for Brendan Maunsell.

MAP TO FIND A WAY

In the opening semi final, Droopys Map gets the vote as he bids to go back-to-back over the six-bend trip for owner Con Guiney.

A winner of this year's Kilcolgan Castle Connacht Derby 550 at Galway, Droopys Map has developed into one of the best performers in training in recent months and can be expected to improve considerably on his 42.14 clock at Tralee on his marathon debut. On that occasion, the son of Droopys Sydney took control in the closing stages, but he possesses enough early pace to lead from the outset despite a tricky draw in trap five.

DROMBEG BIDS FOR THREE-IN-A-ROW

Of his rivals, Drombeg Flash looks the main danger for Evan McAuliffe in trap two. The son of Grangeview Ten is two from two over six bends and it's worth noting that he improved by some fifty spots on his latest outing, suggesting he has even more to offer with regular exposure to the trip. Just a June whelp, expect a bold bid from 'Flash', though whether he can live with Droopys Map remains to be seen. An interesting contender is Toolmaker Dynamo in six. The Robert Gleeson-trained charge impressed when clocking 29.90 over 550 yards last time out and, being bred in the purple, could prove anything if taking to the marathon distance.