UISCE BEATHA LANDS 1XBET 550 DECIDER AT CLONMEL

Peter Farrell

The final of the 1XBET Series A1/A2 550 featured at Clonmel Greyhound Stadium on Friday night and, after a brilliant effort in defeat in the semis, Uisce Beatha built on that display as he made every yard of the running to win comfortably for Maurice Organ and the Blue-And-Gold-Racing-Syndicate.

A handy 64-pounder, Uisce Beatha was a big eye-catcher in the semi-finals as he went to within a neck of outright favourite Orderly Queue. As a result, it wasn’t surprising to see him installed as the 5/2 second favourite behind Liam Cahill and Tony Lacey’s runner (1/1). Drawn in trap two, a quick exit was paramount in order to get first run on the favourite in red and he did just that, pinging the lids to post a much-improved 4.23 sectional. In doing so, the son of Jaytee Taylor - Luna Rocket paced up well and held a one-length advantage into the back from Orderly Queue in second. It was all to play for down the back straight, however, the jolly found Uisce Beatha an incredibly tough nut to crack as he maintained his slender lead into the bottom two bends. Now in full throttle, this was where Uisce Beatha was only going to get stronger and he pressed home his superiority on this occasion, drawing clear on the Clonmel hill to cross the line two and a half lengths better off than Orderly Queue in second. The time was a rapid 29.88, in turn landing a deserved €1,700 prize pot for connections.

BROTHER THOMAS BACK TO WINNING WAYS

On the supporting card, there was a welcome return to winning ways for Brother Thomas in the Sporting Press Open 525.

Trained by Michael O’Donovan for the DV-Walsh-&-S-Cahill Syndicate, there is little doubt that Brother Thomas is one of the fastest in training when he gets it right, and he showcased his incredible power last night as he came from off the pace to win at his leisure. A generous 6/4 chance, ‘Thomas’ wasn’t too fluent into stride from four and, despite pacing up well, shipped a bump at the opener which left him in a close fourth. However, once straightening up, the son of Droopys Jet - Magical Poppy immediately took off as he sliced through runners like a knife through butter. Despite enduring a far from straightforward passage at the third bend, Brother Thomas shot clear around the bottom two bends and the powerhouse quickly put several lengths between himself and his rivals. Five and a half lengths clear of Bogcross Perro at the line, the time was 28.28 and, given the traffic he encountered, one suspects this tracker would have gone considerably closer to the 28-second barrier with a clear passage.