ELOUISE CAN BOUNCE BACK IN GAMMELL CARS KENNEDY CUP DECIDER

Peter Farrell

Another big pot lies in wait at Limerick Greyhound Stadium tonight as the final of the €3,000-to-the-winner Gammell Car Sales Kennedy Cup 525 goes down for decision and, although tasting defeat in the semi-finals, Magical Elouise gets the vote to bounce back on the night that matters most.

Kindly sponsored by Michael Gammell, this competition never fails to deliver and we arrive at the decider with six very worthy finalists, who have produced some brilliant performances over the past number of weeks.

Despite tasting defeat in the semi-finals, Magical Elouise remains the one to beat for Pat Guilfoyle and she should be aided by a draw out wide in six. The daughter of Signet Ace - Burgess Sarah set tongues wagging in round one as she came from off the pace to clock a sizzling 28.45 and that was a clear indicator of her capabilities when afforded a clear passage. While she could manage only third last weekend, her performance in defeat was one of grit and determination and she remains a worthy favourite in the decider. That said, she can ill-afford to reproduce the 1.46 sectional posted seven days ago.

Of her rivals, there is no shortage of encouraging, lightly raced improvers. Ingortroe fits that bill perfectly for Liam Hayes, Denis Linehan and William O’Sullivan. With just three races under her belt, the daughter of Coolavanny Hoffa has caught the eye in her last two outings and she has a lovely draw in two from which to race prominently from the outset. Another with strong claims is Owen McKenna’s Duty First in four. Owned by Tom Smyth and Paul Duffy, he comes into the final as the only unbeaten runner in the stake and it is worth noting that he improved by over six lengths on the clock last weekend. Should he continue to take chunks off the clock, the son of Ballymac Cashout can emerge as a serious player. Vigorous Xana represents Ronny Wuyt’s kennel and she landed her semi-final assignment in fine style last weekend, coming from off the pace to post 28.80. That represented a career-best performance from the daughter of Dorotas Wildcat and she will benefit from a perfect pitch in trap one tonight. While she is not the quickest of starters, if she can nestle into a favourable position around the opening bend, she will be a threat to all from the halfway mark. The remaining finalists are Maybe in trap three and Bright Malachi in five. Maybe, trained by Corona Ryan for John Edwards, posted a rapid 28.64 in round one before being collared late on by Vigorous Xana in the semis. She is another runner open to plenty of improvement and looks a likely leader in the final. Indeed, her 1.26 sectional is unrivalled up to this point and, if she can replicate that, expect a bold showing from this superbly bred daughter of Swanley Chick. Bright Malachi, meanwhile, is the old stager of the line-up at over five years of age. Mary Lynch’s runner continues to be a superb servant to the kennel and retains plenty of ability, as evidenced by his sub-29.20 clocks in both rounds up to this point. Although facing a tricky draw in five, his experience will be invaluable and another strong showing is expected from the son of Malachi.

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