MORE DERBY ACTION AT KILKENNY

Ian Fortune

There will be plenty of interest in the action at Kilkenny with the second round of the Lennies A1 Derby the undoubted feature, although it is backed up by the opening round of the Stephan Behan Memorial A3 525.

Fastest opening round winner Boylesports Paul takes his place in Heat 2 where he faces a tough test with fellow opening round winner The Other Wild amongst his rivals. The latter is a high-class tracker and former winner of the Rural Kennels Open Unraced at Clonmel. He possesses stunning early speed.

Should the Jennifer O’Donnell trained son of Ballymac Wild make another fast start, he could well dictate the pace into the back straight. That could prove the difference and he is selected to contain Boylesports Paul to maintain his unbeaten status in the event. Of the remainder, Kilgraney Bob is perhaps best equipped to take advantage should either of the big two make any mistakes.

CAN KUDOS FIND THE GAPS?

The round opens with a very competitive contest.

None of the six managed to win last weekend, although there is plenty of quality on show. Both Kishlawn Kudos and Mystical Ranger will finish at speed and have obvious claims, while Kilgraney Nike is also fast enough to play a big part from two. Much will depend on the early exchanges but Kishlawn Kudos is long-overdue some luck. If she can find the gaps at the right time, she can finally double her career tally.

HONOR GETS NOD IN RED-HOT CONTEST

In terms of last week’s clocks, Ballygur Vernon is the one to beat in Heat 3 but this is far from an easy task.

Rallying Billy has an ideal draw on the fence and will fly to the turn. He tired last week and was picked up late but he is very capable of setting a strong pace.

Glengar Blitz also went up fast last week but had no answer to Droopys Honor. Both are capable of getting involved, in particular Droopys Honor, who displayed enough to suggest she has a bright future.

Biorra Prince is also very fast. He has fine pace from start to finish and is also capable of racing prominently, while Mission Control completes a top class line-up. The latter has an incredible record around Kilkenny and has to be respected. It’s a really competitive contest but the pin fell on Droopys Honor.

If securing a good pitch around the opening two bends, she can pick up Rallying Billy in the second half of the contest.

DIAMOND TO SHINE IN FINAL HEAT

The final heat is also packed with quality.

Da Bould Johnjoe has an ideal draw on the fence and is likely to go close to following up his opening round success. The same can be said for Hey Tornado in the stripes.

Throw in the talented Oriental Diamond, Berry On Faya, Cracking Cody and the veteran Barefoot On Song and anything can happen. Slight preference is for Oriental King, although she needs to come away on terms.