INTERTRACK BRAGGING RIGHTS UP FOR GRABS AT LIMERICK

Peter Farrell

Bragging rights are at stake at Limerick Greyhound Stadium tonight as the opening night of the Intertrack Challenge between Limerick and Galway gets underway.

Night two will see Galway enjoy home advantage next weekend, but Limerick play host to the opening leg tonight, with five races boasting increased prizemoney and points awarded based on finishing positions. Kindly sponsored by the Limerick and Clare GOBA and the WGOBA, the initiative is sure to generate plenty of interest across both venues over the next couple of weeks.

The first of the five races is an A4 contest and it looks wide open. Bosra Bono is well drawn on the inside for Maurice Mullaney and has the experience to make a bold bid. He contested A3 company last time out and this drop in grade should suit the son of Broadstrand Bono. Hail Mary is just a January ’25 whelp and her qualifying campaign clearly points to plenty of ability. Still searching for a maiden victory, Fionnula and Aoife O’Meara’s youngster can get involved from trap five.

An A3 525 follows in race six and Lissatouk Robbie gets the vote for Seamus McMahon. The Galway raider arrives after winning an A2/A3 contest at Galway last time out and has regularly posted times in the low 29-second range. As is well known, Galway is notoriously a slow-running circuit, so if he reproduces his best form at Limerick, the son of Droopys Sydney could prove difficult to contain. Confused Kiely also has claims, while Lemon Arnold looks the main Limerick hope for Liam Jones from a favourable draw in red.

Next up is an A2 525 and Rosshill Ciara arrives with some eye-catching performances around the Connacht venue. Her recent 29.21 .20s effort in particular stands out and, while the daughter of Grangeview Ten steps up in grade, if she can transfer those slick 3.32 sectionals from Galway to Limerick, she can make a bold bid. Keep an eye on Long Walk Luke in this contest. The Stephen Murray-trained charge won on debut in a rapid 28.63 .10f and a recent sub-19-second trial suggests he remains in fine fettle. Meanwhile, Nine Ball also boasts some strong form and, although luckless in recent starts, has plenty of scope for improvement as a December pup.

Race eight sees an A1 525 take centre stage and Company Man is the selection for Michael Keating. The strapping black boasts a huge finishing kick, as evidenced by his 30.28 victory over 550 yards last time out. Prior to that, he dipped under the 29-second barrier at Galway and is clearly in fine form coming into this contest. Code Four returns from Cork fresh from a 28.71 victory and also boasts strong claims, while Silver Side Eye has clear ability and is another to consider.

Another A1 contest completes the Intertrack action and Lissatouk Sydney looks the one to beat as he bids for a hat-trick of victories for Brid McMahon. The son of Deerjet Sydney clocked a terrific 28.83 .10s at Galway last time out and anything approaching that level of form would make him difficult to contain. With just five starts under his belt, he remains open to considerable improvement and could go very quickly if taking to his new surroundings. His rivals include the pacey Boozed Wish, who rarely runs a bad race for Gary Pepper and Paraic Campion, while You’re The King was narrowly denied in 28.54 last time out and should again be prominent on the evidence of that performance.

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