Rooster booster for Clare syndicate

Members of the Rooster Syndicate from Scariff got the Christmas holiday period off to a good start when their Noel Mullins-trained Somebody Special won the final of Western GOBA Members A4 575 final at the Galway Greyhound Racing Stadium on December 22.
In a fairly open contest, the black son of Westmead Hawk-Ms Firecracker put in a storming finish to hold off the challenge of Knockdine Dazl, owned in Miltown Malbay by Helen O’Brien to win by three parts of a length in a time of 32.42.
Clare owners won the first three races on the card and the fourth went to a Loughrea-owned dog trained by Stephen Murray of Sixmilebridge.
The first race of the night was won by Breda Be Slick, the new runner owned by Cooraclare’s Tommie Gallagher. The daughter of Hondo Black-Bling Bling Flo), who was the 5-4 favourite in trap six, held off the challenge of Lurgan Twister in the run-in to win the race by two-and-a-quarter lengths. The time was 29.78 for the A9-graded 525.
It was then the turn of Miltown Malbay owner Helen O’Brien, whose Knockdine Ash was also the 6-4 favourite for an S8-S9 graded sprint race. The fawn son of Hondo Black-Fastaway Baby was drawn in trap four and after a lively break, he led all the way to the line to win by two lengths in 19.77 from Reporttostation, owned by Liam Hogan, c/o Pat Hogan.
West Clare owner John Mulqueen won the following race, the final of the Christmas Party S5 graded 350 final, with Clare Yank, who was back on the wining trail after finishing runner-up in his last two races. The son of Droopys Scolari-Lemon Yank was a trap five runner and after being placed second for most of the race, he got up at the line to beat Confused Mark (Gerry Manley, Cratloe) by a neck in a time of 19.42. In the all-Clare finish, Mythical Tar, owned in Ennis by John Keane and Frank White, was a length-and-a quarter back for third spot.
Sixmilebridge trainer Stephen Murray was on the mark in the following race, an A6-A7-graded 525 with Cill Dubh Range (Bruce Ali-Pinnyday Lucy). Leading at the first bend, she remained in front for the remainder of the trip to win by nine-and-a-half lengths in 29.31 from the Monivea-owned Micks Buff. Third place went to A Little Cuckoo, owned by the GPJR syndicate in Killimer, c/o JJ O’Dea.
Tom Flanagan from near Ennistymon continued with his amazing strike rate at this venue. His black bitch Contentious (Droopys Kewell-Coldwar Baby) won for the third time on the trot, this time winning an A5-graded 525 yards race from trap one, The 6-4 favourite challenged at the third bend and went clear to win by five-and-a-half lengths from Kilcormack Boy in a time of 29.29. Third spot went to Carrowgarriff, owned in Gort by Eleanor Mullins and Emer Curtin.
Placed third in the WGOBA Veterans 5125 was the Noel Mullins-trained County Hurlers, owned in Gort by Sean and Mike Mullins. Also third home in an A4-graded 525 was Manus Fawn Fairy (Siofra McInerney, Manus).

No Clare winner

There was no Clare winner from Limerick on December 22 when there were 11 finals on the 12-race card.
The nearest was Inagh owner Noel Hehir, whose Shift Ivy Hill was runner-up to the two lengths and 32.86 winner Carrowkeal Zak (Killahahan Phanter-Pony Plan) in the Formula One A2 600 final.