NO DROP IN STANDARDS AT SHELBOURNE
Ian Fortune
With the Bar One Racing Irish Laurels commencing at Cork on Saturday and the TIME Juvenile Derby just over, you would think we would be facing into a couple of quiet Saturdays at Shelbourne Park but that’s certainly not the case.
This Saturday coming, we will again remember a Shelbourne Park legend, Paddy Merriman. Paddy was one of the most prolific owners and breeders in the years before his passing in 2021. The latest renewal of the Paddy Merriman Memorial gets underway this weekend and should attract a very decent entry, leading to some superb action in the coming weeks.
Seven days later the Yvonne Barry Bookmaker Open 600 will commence. Given the emphasis on brute pace and power over the 600yd trip, the Laurels is unlikely to take away too many from the entry. The stake was won twelve months ago by Droopys Nice One and by another star in Bockos Crystal twelve months earlier.
And then on September 21st, the newest competition on the calendar, the Shelbourne Maiden Derby will start. This is for greyhounds that have yet to win in AA0 company, but it does leave the door open for those that have performed at the highest level over two and six bends as well as dogs coming out of ON1 company.
It could allow for some eye-catching entries. Certainly, if you take last Saturday’s Juvenile Derby final line-up, three of those in action would be eligible. They are the runner-up Innfield Destiny and the Paul Hennessy trained duo of Boylesports Blue and Hello Diego. It could be a nice stepping stone to a Boylesports Derby challenge.
With the full reopening of Shelbourne Park with its shiny new ground floor facilities on the horizon, it’s certainly an exciting time.