LIMERICK BRAKES DECIDER CAN GO THE WAY OF HUNTER

Peter Farrell

Aside from the concluding first-round heats of the TIME Club Derby, the final of the Limerick Brakes A1 550 takes centre stage on tonight’s card and Tiermana Hunter gets the narrow vote to land the spoils.

The brindle son of Ballyhimikin Jet, trained by Colm Fitzgerald for the Supping-Away Syndicate, has become a familiar face in these major finals and once again underlined his quality last weekend when making every yard before seeing off Made To Measure in a rapid 29.76. A Connacht Derby finalist, the powerful performer possesses both the class and experience to secure a twelfth career victory from an ideal draw in trap three. Made To Measure looks the chief threat once again for Patrick Norris and Mark Lowther. He stayed on strongly in the semi-finals and was finishing to good effect late on, though he faces a more difficult assignment this time from trap four on the outside of the early-paced selection. A Charda is another with major claims for Vincent McKenna. The son of Orchestrate boasts an excellent record of six wins from just eleven starts and also dipped under the 30-second barrier in the semi-finals. A strong-running performer by Droopys Sydney, he is certain to be doing his best work late, although he may need to reproduce his smart 2.85 sectional to keep in touch with the pace early on. Kevinsfort Hardy is another worthy of respect. A proven Limerick winner, the John Byrne-trained runner is ideally housed along the fence and could represent value with another solid display. Headleys Hoff and Daleroad Best are also far from without hope and both are capable of outrunning their odds in what promises to be a highly competitive decider.

Overall, this looks a terrific renewal of the Limerick Brakes A1 550 and credit must go to Limerick Brakes for their generous sponsorship of the event.