Fanore Rebel wins Benefit Nights final

The final of the Benefit Nights at Galway A8 graded event, won by Fanore Rebel, owned by Fanore publican Pat O’Donoghue, was among the six Clare wins in Galway on Friday night.
Trained by Pat Guilfoyle, Twosugaralice in trap five was sent off the hot 4-6 favourite for the final but he was slow away and Brickhill Bonny, trained by Clare native Albert Long and owned by the Bogey Boys syndicate from Ballyhaunis, was the front runner from the second bend. However, in the dash for the line, Fanore Rebel (Ace Hi Rumble-Killonaghan Gal) came with a renewed effort to snatch the lead and win by a neck from Brickhill Bobby. The time was 29.46.
Third home was Killuran Polly, owned by Gary Cooney, Killuran, O’Callaghan’s Mills.
Kevin Fahey from Kiltartan, a runner-up the previous night, fared better on Friday night with victory in the first race of the night. He was represented in trap two by Corker Soviet (Droopys Maldini-Soviet Victoria) who managed to take the lead at the second bend and race on for a four-and-a-quarter lengths win in 29.84 from Moneypoint Ray, owned in Gort by Madeleine Walsh.
Knockdine Ash (Helen O’Brien, Miltown Malbay) finished two-and-a-half lengths behind Unknown Power, the 19.38 winner of an S8/S9 graded sprint.
Noel Coote from Ennis had the first Clare winner of the night with his Drimeen Brownie in an S4-graded sprint. The son of Catunda Harry-Rathmeehan Angel got to the front at the opening bend and stayed there to beat Joinedupthinking, the money-on favourite owned by Martin Keane, Kilmihil, by two and a quarter lengths The time was 19.27.
Ciara Burke from Miltown Malbay was the second Clare winner with Malbay Bawn in the next race, an S3-graded sprint. The son of Royal Impact-Rith Saor was slight favourite and after challenging for the lead in the run home, got up to win by a length-and-a-half in 19,36 to beat the Albert Long-trained Brickhill Lubos.
The next Clare win was in a semi-final heat of an A6-graded 550 event. First to cross the line was Pat Be Slick, owned by Cooraclare native, Tommie Gallagher.
Slow to get away from trap two, the 4-5 found his true form as the race progressed and with a strong finish had a length at the line from Hanover Blaze. The son of Hondo Black-Bling Bling Flo had a time of 31.06.
The concluding three races were all won by Clare dogs, Pat O’Donoghue winning a final with Fanore Rebel followed by Knoppogue Mate (Kinloch Brae-Climates Kewell) winning an A4-graded 525 for owner-trainer, Donie Duggan from Rylane, Tulla. In second place for most of the A4-graded 525 race, the black came with a storming finish to overtake Spiddal Princess and win by a neck in 29.32. Third place went to Hold It Hades, owned by Liam Shannon in the Burren.
Ennis owners Anthony Brigdale and Margaret Burns had the final say with their Blaze Phanter winning the last race on the card. Leos Bettina and Mine Echo enjoyed spells in front at the opening and second bends but Blaze Phanter (Hondo Black-Knockdrum Lady) got in front where it mattered most to win by one length in 29.30 from Mine Echo, owned in Quin by Frank Browne.

Donie double in double-quick time

A blistering 28.79 run by the Donie Duggan-trained Tae Milis was all the talk at the Galway Greyhound Racing Stadium on Saturday night.
In what was his very first outing, the son of Greenwell Storm-Class Time had tongues wagging by the manner in which he stormed home to victory in an A6-graded 525. The money-on favourite in trap five won the race to the opening bend and gradually pulled away from the rest of the field to win by six-and-a-half lengths with a very fast clock. It was a great win for trainer Duggan from Rylane, Tulla and Quin owner, Gerry McNamara. The runner-up was Hold It Heather, owned by Liam Shannon, Burren.
The Rylane trainer had a great night at the College Road venue as he also had Peadars Touch in tip-top shape to win the top-graded race of the night for Shannon owner, Peter Russell. The even money favourite also had a fast clock – 28.97 – when winning the A2-graded 525 by four-and-half lengths. Like Tae Milis, he led at the opening bend and raced to a four-and-a-half lengths win from Outback Hotchner. Third was Knockdine Black (Michael O’Brien, Miltown Malbay).
Kevin Fahey from Kiltartan again got his name among the winners as a result of his Corker Maldini crossing the line first in an A6-graded 525. The son of Droopys Maldini-Soviet Victoria was another who headed the field at the opening bend and race on for a five-and-a-half lengths win in 29.46.
The recent run of good luck being enjoyed in Galway by Sean Hehir from Dunsallagh, Miltown Malbay, continued on Saturday night, his Dunsallagh Pride (Droopys Scolari-Dunsallagh Lucy) winning for the third time on the trot over four weeks. The money-on favourite showed great early pace from trap one to stretch into an early lead and go about his business for a six-length win in 19.23 in the S4-S5-graded sprint race.
It was also a good trip from Inagh for owner-trainer Colman O’Loughlin, whose Pal Duke returned to winning ways in an A4-graded 525. Breaking from trap five, the son of Droopys Scolari-Cathy of Inagh was the one they all had to catch once the traps lifted. None succeeded as Pal Duke led all the way for his 29.32 win and in the process beat Winter Dream by a length and three quarters.
There was a Gort win in the third sprint race of the night, an S6-graded affair. Slow from the start but going like a train in the run home, Forest Delight (Droopys Maldini-Forest Ghost) won the race by half a length in 19.73 for trainer Maurice Mullaney and owner Philip Mullaney. Runner-up was Bees Wing, owned in Ennis by Frankie Sheehan and Michael Lillis and third place was filled by Fast Fit Mandy (John Quinn, Gort).
Third home in an S8-S9 graded sprint was Evelyns Fancy (Michael Finn, Doonbeg) while I Remember Paddy (Frankie Sheehan, Ennis) was runner-up to the four-and-a-half lengths and 30.44 winner of an A20 A3-graded 550 yards race, Tyrur Sammon.

Another Tornado has arrived

The Ennis-owned Shes a Tornado was one of three winners for trainer, Paul Hennessy, who dominated first-round heats of the McCarthy Insurance Group Cork Oaks in Curraheen Park last Saturday night.
Owned by Michael Hogan and Peter Mulligan, Shes a Tornado – a daughter of Droopys Scolari-Forest Holly – came to the Cork track with a fine reputation and was installed as the 4-7 favourite in heat two. She came away fast from trap one to lead all the way for a five-and-a-half lengths win in an exciting 28.83 from Galtee Mandy.
Shes A Tornado has won five of her seven races at Shelbourne Park, all with very fast clocks.
Her winning clocks for open stakes were 28.62, 28.51 and 28.85.
The Ennis owners won last year’s Irish St Leger in Limerick with What a Tornado, also trained by Paul Hennessy.
The Kilkenny trainer completed his treble in Cork last Saturday night with Bryan and Kathleen Murphy’s Priceless Spark (28.79) and the John Brosnan-owned Tailteann Queen, who had the fastest first round clock (28.98).
Draw for the semi-final heats next Saturday night: heat one, 1, Tailteann Queen, 2 Priceless Spark, 3 Smoke Pixie, 4, Shes a Tornado, 5 The Other Year, 6 Cougar Ping; heat two 1, Galtee Mandy, 2 Ballymac Cair, 3 Tiovoli Maeve, 4, Newlaw Martina, 5 Ballinclare Meg 6 Lass Cause.
Uncle Eoin, owned by Kieron Fallon, Ballinruan and James Robinson, Athy, bowed out of the College Causeway-Killahahan Phanter Easter Cup at Shelbourne Park last Saturday night.
He was well down the field in heat three, which was the race of the night, with a great tussle between Broadstrand Lad, the winner and Piercestown Sand.
The winning distance was half a length in 29.81.