SANTIAGO CAN CLAIM TIME CLUB FEATURE AT GALWAY

Peter Farrell

The €1,200-to-the-winner TIME Club A5/A6 525 is the feature at Galway Greyhound Stadium tonight and it shapes as a two-dog affair, with Noelles Santiago and Drombeg Milo meeting for the first time.

Both arrive at the final following unbeaten passages through the competition and have already shown they will be operating in stronger company than A5/A6 when they next appear. Noelles Santiago, owned by Noelle and Johnnie Divilly, brings a best of 28.94 into the contest and has displayed notable strength from halfway, particularly on his most recent outing. The son of Dromana Bucko made it three wins from four starts on that occasion and, while he may once again need to come from behind, he has shown a powerful engine and clear scope for further improvement as a June pup.

Of his rivals, Drombeg Milo is the obvious danger for Evan McAuliffe in trap four. The son of Run Happy entered the stake without a victory to his name but has thrived at this level, amassing an aggregate winning margin of close to ten lengths. While he may have a little to find on Noelles Santiago on overall time, he boasts the superior early sectionals and could set a strong gallop into the back. Should that scenario unfold, a thrilling finish could be in store.

Away from the leading pair, it is difficult to build a strong case for the remainder in terms of landing the prize. Rosshill Point will be finishing with a wet sail and could claim a podium finish, while Hollywell Gypsy does not win frequently for Alison Coxon but represents a kennel in excellent order and is well housed in trap two. Burkos Breeze and Poppy Oreo complete the line-up and, while both bring solid form, will need to produce career-best efforts to enter the reckoning.

ALBERT TO LAND CHRISTMAS CRACKER DECIDER

The €600-to-the-winner Christmas Cracker A7 525 final provides the supporting feature on the card and Lakeside Albert looks the one they all have to beat following a strong semi-final performance.

After stopping the clock in 29.42 .10 slow last time out, Lakeside Albert appears to have a clear edge over his rivals and anything close to that level should prove sufficient. Jack Mahony’s son of Laughil Blake may be a March ’22 whelp, but he has been a model of consistency and it would be a surprise were he to fail to bring up a dozen career victories from trap six. The main threat appears to be the improving Leavethattome in trap two. The well-bred son of Dana Point finished strongly in the semi-finals but will likely need to race more prominently on this occasion if he is to follow up and make it back-to-back wins.