MONTANA WITHSTANDS MAL TO LAND KASKO DECIDER

Peter Farrell

A ten-race card was headlined by the final of the Kasko Dog Feeds ON2/ON3 525 at Thurles Greyhound Stadium on Saturday night and it was Zaconey Montana who bounced back from his semi-final defeat to land the €2,100 first prize on offer.

Kindly sponsored by Kasko Dog Feeds, Zaconey Montana (Ballymac Cashout - Windy Love) was one of the stars of the opening round as Niall and Eric Foley’s runner clocked a brisk 29.15 on a track rated .40s slow on the night. As a result, he was heavily fancied to land his semi-final assignment, however, it wasn’t to be on that occasion as the strapping tracker was forced to settle for second behind the impressive Lemon Mal. However, ‘Montana’ was to exact revenge on the night that mattered most as he narrowly edged his rival in what proved a far from straightforward decider.

Drawn in five, Zaconey Montana didn’t trap as fluently as he can and looked to have plenty on his plate on the run-up, with both Da Lucky Lad and Lethal Jack disputing for supremacy. However, traffic was building on all sides approaching the opening bend and this saw several greyhounds impacted, including eventual winner Zaconey Montana. The latter cushioned the bumps brilliantly, however, using his momentum to swing around runners before immediately reeling in Da Lucky Lad in six.

Shooting into a four-length advantage approaching the penultimate bend, the winner looked home and hosed for the Foleys and, while Lemon Mal flew out of the pack to give chase, his efforts were ultimately in vain. Zaconey Montana stuck to his guns well up the home straight to cross the line with half a length to spare over his fast-advancing rival.

The time, although largely irrelevant given the traffic encountered, was 29.43, and both greyhounds are sure to have plenty more to offer going forward. Congratulations are extended to Niall and Eric Foley, while thanks also go to Kasko Dog Feeds for their continued support of Thurles Greyhound Stadium.