We have a busy weekend starting with the heats of the Gold Collar at Shelbourne Park on Friday night.
We have six runners for what is really an A1 stake over the 550 yard course and worth £3,000 to the winner.
Most of the dogs in it are seasoned winners. We have two ’18 whelps, Sweep The Yard and Black Parachute. Sweep The Yard already has 29.47 over the course and distance but has been knocked back by a bit of sickness.
Black Parachute was my original fancy for the Munster Juvenile at Clonmel which was was actually won by his brother Rathcoole Fox. They are from the Top Honcho litter out of Ballydoyle Honey.
I like the Top Honcho pups but I have always found that they take a little while to mature. These are January pups and are now at the age that I expect them to start to put it all together.
On Saturday we have five runners in the FOL Irish St Leger at Limerick.
The first heat looks the toughest of the three with the two at the top of the ante post market, Run Happy and Wolfe, drawn alongside each other. We also have Murts Boher next to them.
This really is one of those ‘I’d take qualification now’ kind of races. Music Tour Ears is thankfully drawn in red, because from any other trap, we would definitely move in. I expect two-to-four to all go to the bend in a straight line. With Run Happy drawn on the inside of our pair, I can’t say I am going into the race with any confidence. I am happy with the condition of both our runners but it really is too tight to call.
Clonbrien Prince has been a bit below par in himself in the last couple of weeks. We have had some sickness in the kennel but he seems to have missed that. He certainly ran on okay last time out, though at his peak he would have got closer than he did. I would withdraw him if there was any question over his health though how close he is to his best we will only find out during the race.
We have two runners at very different stages of their career in the last semi final. Totos Park is a warrior. He is four years old, has competed at the top level for most of his career and is just happy to be here. He may be at the point of competing a bit less in this level of company, but still has enough class to win his share of decent opens.
Lenson Austin is a young dog, and event at 550 yards, it might be on the short side for him. I would hope that he could get on the bunny and put in a good run though. If he led, I don’t think they would catch him. Realistically, I think they both have Laughil Josh to beat.
We are also strongly represented at Shelbourne Park with 11 runners. I guess the two that will get most attention will be Newinn Taylor and Lenson Blinder.
We have a number of exciting pups for next year but they don’t really get much better than Newinn Taylor.
In his first race, the hare broke and he had to be taken out of the traps. But it didn’t phase him one bit. For his second race, they needed a runner in the open and they put him in. He came out and did 28.23 which was the fastest time of the night.
I like everything about Taylor, but particularly his attitude. I am not convinced that red is necessarily his box, but he has enough quality to go very well here. It is a high quality puppy competition but you would have to make him among the leading fancies.
We will also get the chance – hopefully – to see what Lenson Blinder can do over 750 yards. His run at Perry Barr fell into the ‘what could go wrong, went wrong’ category.
Despite checking at the pick-up I thought he looked all over the winning coming around the last bend when he was fought and knocked over. But he seems none the worse for the experience and has galloped well at home. I expect a big race out of him.
We will also be trialling Lenson Bocko over 525 yards on Saturday night. He remains in good shape and the plan is still to run him on the Night of Stars in two weeks.
I don’t like to bring dogs back too fresh for major races so I am hoping that the racing manager will be able to find a race for him next Saturday. I am sure the Dublin punters would be keen to see him.
As some of the readers will know, we have two ex-racers living in the house with us, Clares Rocket and Garryvoe Bobby.
Well there is now a third addition to the household, a chocolate lab puppy called Cadbury. I think it is fair to say that the two old boys didn’t know quite what to make of him. You see the three of them together and its a bit like:
Cadbury: Guys, guys, great news, I’ve got a toy! Let’s play
Bobby: Yes, I might be up for some of that. Not too strenuous
Rocket: You know, I really don’t think so!
Give me a break, I said ‘No’ Ohhhhhh!
I wish you were as good at playing as you are at sleeping
All photos courtesy of Rachel Holland
