Rural Hawaii can complete an unbeaten run through the Con & Annie Kirby Memorial Stake over 525 yards at Limerick with victory in Saturday’s final.
The son of Head Bound has improved with reach race in the stake and as the only wide runner in the final has a plot draw.
In the semi-finals he clocked the quickest time of the competition when going clear from the first turn to beat Droopys Braedon by five lengths in 28.22sec.
He is the youngest in the race and still improving and is fancied to be in control as they enter the back straight and land another major final for his in-form trainer Graham Holland.
Droopys Braedon suffered his first ever defeat in the semi-finals, after which he reportedly came off sore. Before that the son of Sparta Maestro had reeled off a seven timer.
Robert Gleeson’s dog probably has the best early pace in the race and is capable of blasting out of the traps.
He clocked the fastest time in the quarter finals with 28.35sec and although he’s not the strongest coming home he’s the type that could slip the field.
Maurice Heffernan’s Country Legend is the best drawn railer in the race.
He hit top form in last week’s semi-finals when leading from start to finish to beat Beaming Boost by four lengths in 28.33sec and another fast start would make him a big runner.
Kingdom Derby runner-up Beaming Boost will be hoping to go one better for trainer Pat Buckley.
The Tullymurry Act dog has won once in the competition so far and has also ran well in defeat.
However he could be found wanting in the early stages surrounded by both Country Legend and Droopys Braedon.
Noel Hehir’s Ivy Hill Bart will go off as one of the outsiders.
The Makeshift dog has won once in the competition when clocking 28.63sec but will need to step up to figure.
Brendan Matthews’ Cable Bay is the only dog in the final not to have won a race in the competition as he tends to give himself too much to do with slow breaks.
1 Country Legend 6
2 Beaming Boost 6
3 Droopys Braedon 3
4 Cable Bay 14
5 Ivy Hill Bart 14
6 Rural Hawaii 5-4
