It is a busy weekend with runners at Shelbourne Park and Limerick, including four in the semi finals of the Easter Cup.

I guess I got my comeuppance at Shelbourne when moaning about how the competition was put together but wouldn’t have Wolfe or Murts Boher still in it without the first four qualifying.

I thought Wolfe ran exceptionally well in his heat, particularly along the backstraight after getting crowded on the run to the first bend.

Although I would have preferred red, this looks a better draw for him and I am pleased he is on the inside of Ballymac Anton.

Ballydoyle Valor ran an absolute cracker in his heat (3 below). He didn’t trap but looked the winner going into the third bend but didn’t get through.

I said last week that Newinn Lester would improve with every run and I think he showed exactly that. I would expect him to come on again as he reaches full fitness.

It is a very good semi final, and I honestly think that all our three are classy enough to be in an Easter Cup Final. But you look at the rest of the field, particularly Ballymac Anton, and you know he is also more than good enough to be there next Saturday. So we can only keep fingers crossed.

Murts Boher is in the second semi final which looks a bit tricky to call. I thought he was a bit unlucky in his heat when the three took his ground.

Ballyanne Sim certainly doesn’t want to be right out there in six and I can imagine Boylesports Xtra cutting across to the rail from the traps.

Although Murts Boher will also edge inwards, I would be quite hopeful of him getting a decent run to the bend and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him win it.

 

With have other runners on the Shelbourne card with Newinn Session in a particularly good trialstake for the Con & Anne Kirby stake at Limerick.

Session clocked 28.76 there on his first look. It was a decent run considering the strength of the gales on the day.

We also plan to run Newinn Taylor of course, though he is having a couple of weeks off.

 

 

I was more than satisfied with our two runners and trialists at Nottingham last Monday.

Even though Lenson Blinder and Clonbrien Prince are both seasoned open racers with experience of the track, they both showed that Nottingham is still a tough place to run. I am undecided what to do with them next, though we do have the option of the 600 yard competition at Shelbourne before the Derby, and that will definitely suit them better.

As for the trials, Graham Box asked me what I would hope to see from Lenson Bocko on his first look at the track and I said ‘29.80’. So I was delighted with a 29.50, considering the mistake he made around the first two bends.

I really wasn’t surprised to see Lenson Austin do 29.29. His record isn’t great, I think he has only won two races, but he has loads of ability. His problem is that he doesn’t have the early pace to go with his overall speed and he was taking on the best 525 yard pups in Ireland. I think he showed what he is really about when he went over 575 on the Night of Stars.

We will be back at Nottingham a week on Monday with trials and possibly a couple more for trialstakes, including Lenson Whelan, though I will make final decisions closer to the time.

We only have space for a maximum of 54 greyhounds, and including dear old Riverside Ester who is twelve years old.

We normally have dogs waiting to come in, so when their racing days are over, we need to move them out fairly quickly, and that can be quite sad.

We have just retired two lovely dogs in Blue East and Clonbrien Swift. As I think I have mentioned before, ‘East The Beast’ is a real favourite among the family and the guys who work here. He is a real handful, a bit demanding, but a lovely affectionate dog.

If we didn’t have a houseful already, The Best would end up with us. As it stands, Graham Howson takes them in for me until Finula Carey can take them into the Irish homefinding scheme.

Swift will be going to Graham for a couple of weeks, but Mark Halley, who already has Drive On Tipp at home, is looking after Blue East, ‘temporarily’.

If it all sounds a bit ‘uncertain’. . . . . . that’s because Mark hasn’t told his wife yet!