IRISH PERFORMANCES OF THE WEEK

The classics are coming thick and fast with the Produce Stakes at Clonmel and the early rounds of the Oaks at Shelbourne Park.

In the capital, the Saturday night card was dedicated to the bitch’s classic where Ballydoyle Rossa set the standard in 28.17. For those struggling to keep an inventory of the Ballymac winner factory – Rossa is a litter sister to Bockos Melody and Ballymac Cashout – a full younger sister to Ballymac Syd, Ballymac Tas, Pentajali and Kingsbrook Glyn, and therefore a half sister to Smallmead, Ballymac Inspeed, Banabane and about a dozen and half more top class hounds.

On Friday a selection of the best sprinters in Ireland lined up for a show-down call the Islandbridge Open Sprint Final where Deadly Big Show won for the fourth time in a career of six races.

At Clonmel, Good Cody was quite outstanding in the quarter finals of the Produce Stakes with a 28.20 run – a time only bettered once in 2020 – Newinn Session (28.15).

We make no apologies for a certain level of repetition this week with Grangeview Mac once again featuring at Kilkenny where he remains unbeaten going into the final of a very decent unraced stakes.

Meanwhile nobody has still told Ballymac Rule that coursing dogs don’t succeed on the track as the 87 pounder made it 9-in-a-row in the Lee Strand semi finals at Tralee. (On current form you’d want short odds on a Ballymac winning this year’s Crufts).

The week kicked off last Sunday with Amazing Alice landing the Irish Cesarewitch. Regularly mentioned in this feature, the 2020 runner-up is a sister to Newbridge record breaker Droopys Curio.