MICROCHIP CAN MAKE ALL IN TIME CORK CUP DECIDER

Barry Drake

MICROCHIP, for the kennel of Mary Clarke, can bounce out in front and make every yard of the running in the €5,000 to the winner Time Greyhound Nutrition Cork Cup at Curraheen Park on Saturday night.

The selection has really hit top form in recent weeks, clocking wins of 28.41 and last out, a smart 28.53 from a tough-looking draw, out in trap five. The rails pitch is always the place to be at Curraheen Park, and the in-form selection is expected to produce another flying start. In doing so, he should lead early, and he shouldn't be for catching.

 Made To Measure, trained by Pat Norris for Mark Lowther, is next best. He is another who has caught the eye in recent weeks. Back-to-back wins in 28.69, he ran another big race last week, showing plenty of pace from a tricky draw, in trap four. He can start and stay, and he's the obvious danger to the selection. 

Trainer Dean Harpur has two in the feature final; his best chance lies with Ballycowen Archy. The Debbie Doyled-owned runner ran well behind Microchip last week; however, he will need an explosive start to slip around in front tonight. Of the others, Daring Diamond, for James Maguire, has stunning early speed, but he will need to improve on the clock to land the spoils. Harpur's Ballycowen Moon and John O'Connor's Ugo, both outsiders, make up the sextet.

In the opener, the first semi-final of the Talking Dogs Podcast Unraced, Drive On Flint can record back-to-back winning performances for Christopher O'Donovan. The September puppy made an eye-catching debut, winning in 28.79, and he can get first run on All About Glam, a strong running 29.17 winner on debut, who is trained by Kieran Lynch for William Rigney.

In the second semi-final, Annual Tornado, trained by Graham Holland for John Wilson, can make all the running from the rails pitch. The January puppy ran well behind Drive On Flint in the opening round, and this looks like a good winning opportunity. Barnfield Jigger, trained by Kevin McLean for Tomas Leahy, is next best. The August puppy ran well on debut, and with improvement expected, a big performance is on the cards.