SHAY ROONEY SEMIS HEADLINE LIFFORD CARD

Peter Farrell

Zenith Wizard stole the show in the opening round of the Shay Rooney Memorial 525 at Lifford and the semi-finals of the €4,000-to-the-winner competition take centre stage on tonight’s card.

The Michael Taggart-trained son of Out Of Range meant business from the outset last weekend, pinging the lids with a 2.58 sectional before stopping the clock at a rapid 28.98 .20 slow. That figure was comfortably the fastest of the round and he has been rewarded with a favourable trap one draw in the third semi-final. While the depth of opposition in this heat is significant, the April ’24 whelp is entitled to improve further and looks well placed to make it three wins from just four career starts. Among a strong supporting cast, Beebees Princess appeals most for Niall McGhee from trap two. She was also a trap-to-line winner in deteriorating conditions in the opening round and could pose a serious early threat to the favourite. The daughter of Grangeview Ten rarely misses the break and, if turning in front, will take plenty of catching. With just two qualifying spots available, this promises to be fiercely competitive, with the strong-finishing Greenmount Pearl and Hollywell Rhino likely to be closing late. Add in the likes of Pharis Syd and Innfield Trinity and it shapes as a brutal semi-final with little margin for error.

HOLYMAN CAN BOUNCE BACK

In the opening semi-final, Me Theholyman gets the nod after catching the eye in defeat last time out.

Trained by Eddie Hurson for William Hodge, Me Theholyman had scored in 29.11 the week prior, but his latest effort was arguably even more encouraging. Drawn in red, the son of Signet Ace is unlikely to miss the kick to the same extent and, with a sharper exit, should be firmly in the mix. Rolo Genie, trained by Barry Clancy, also ran well in defeat when finishing a close third in 29.14, though he faces a challenging task from trap four inside the early-paced Klassy Show. Out wide, Hollywell Merlin made a promising Lifford debut, showing strong pace down the back straight. Alison Coxon’s charge will have learned plenty from that effort and rates a major contender once again.

MAX TO GO ONE BETTER

The second semi-final is another wide-open affair, but Max Wago earns the selection following a smart opening-round display.

Another from the Barry Clancy kennel, Max Wago was unable to cope with the early pace of Klassy Shoe last time but finished strongly, closing the gap late on. Drawn again in trap two, the son of Droopys Sydney looks capable of going one better and should play a prominent role. There are dangers in abundance, however, with Kittys The Boss justifying strong market support in the opening round for John McMonagle. She again lines up in orange and, if repeating her 2.56 sectional, could prove very hard to peg back. Aidhm Eileen was an excellent second behind Zenith Wizard but will need a similarly sharp exit from six, while Stefans Boom, Diegos Manna and Avenue Queen will all need to bring their very best to feature in the shake-up.