IRISH PERFORMANCES OF 2021

Although she only went to traps on 19 occasions during the year, Susie Sapphire’s achievement of not only going through the Irish Derby unbeaten, but also being the first bitch to land the Oaks/Derby double (and the Puppy Oaks) will ensure that her Track Greyhound of the Year title is merely a box-ticking exercise.

Oh, and don’t forget, she was a puppy throughout.

With so much of Irish racing focused on Shelbourne, even treble selection misses many great runs (Open 550, Corn Cuchulainn etc) We would also have to include the fastest hound of the Irish Derby course during the year and that honour (doubly) goes to the superb lady, Ballymac Ariel with TWO 29.07 runs. Impressive Easter Cup winner Knocknaboul Syd gets the nod for the third slot.

A special mention in despatches too for littermates Front Amani and Rural Star who shared the joint fastest 525 clock of the year (27.94) and Ballymac Wild for a thrilling Open 600 win.

Good Cody would have been in the shake-up for the top performances at at least three tracks. Strategic selecting sees him recognised for his fabulous 20.86 (400) win in the Irish Sprint Cup Final at Dundalk. Explosive Boy is another conundrum with a 550 track record at Tralee and a 28.08 run at Limerick. In the end, he gets the Clonmel vote for the Produce Stakes. All of which allows us to swerve Good Cody’s Tralee form and acknowledge the brilliantly game Juvenile Classic winner Singalong Sally.

Explosive Boy was the beaten favourite in the €80 Kirby Memorial, with the ill-fated Stonepark Leo taking the decider. Such a shame his career ended in August. And what about Mark O’Donovan’s other star, Dromana Bucko? The pup had three races on his card, for three wins, including the two fastest times of the year at Cork (27.93, 27.89) when he failed to finish in the first round of the Irish Derby. Worthy Laurels winner One Time Only is desperately unlucky to miss out.

It was better news for Serene Ace, winner of the Champion Unraced at Kilkenny, runner-up in the Juvenile Derby and capping off the year with some sizzling sprint form.

Laurels runner-up Skywalker Barry was another in the thick of the action throughout the year but gets his chance after winning the Select Stakes at Waterford.

Mullingar’s biggest event of the year, the Irish Cesarewitch went to Good Cody’s kennelmate Amazing Alice.

Not all the best performances came in big races. Quill Minstral set a new 500 yard track record over Derry’s most used distance while Manalishi Chief was quickest over the standard at the other Six Counties venue, Drumbo Park.

The Michael Fortune Unraced launched a few notable careers at Enniscorthy but it was Kiltrea Brandy who clocked the fastest 525 later in the year. Sadly his 28.44 (-20) form has not yet been transferred elsewhere, though he has produced a very decent 550 back in Wexford.

Although Freedom Epic picked up the Tipperary Cup at Thurles, we’re going to go with the bitch who only raced eight times in the year. Five were at Thurles, she won four, clocked the two fastest 525s of the year, beat Explosive Boy over two bends and clocked the fourth fastest sprint of the year. The largely unheralded but brilliantly fast veteran Cabra Ava.

Ask any Galway regular to nominate the Best in the West in 2021 and puppy Dixie will surely be in everyone’s first breath. 15 races, 9 wins, 4 seconds and the fastest and fourth fastest 525 clocks of the year.

Newbridge staged an Unraced Bitch Stake earlier in the year which produced a number of very useful runners including the fastest hound of the year over the 525 course, Skywalker Angie. But we’ll give the nod to the winner of the final, who went on to frank the quality of the form, Good Diva.

Last but not least, the SIS workhorse that is Youghal. Very little in the way of competitions but Black Malibu was as hard to beat as any and posted the fastest time over the standard.