TRAPRISE - Kuba fastest in Magical Kirby quarters

Having claimed maiden victory in a stacked second round heat of the 2022 Con & Annie Kirby Memorial at Limerick Greyhound Stadium, the Westwell Racing Club Syndicate’s Magical Kuba (Magical Bale-Impact Miami) found further progress in his short career start while producing the fastest run of the competition in the opening quarter final on Saturday.

Under the same ownership as that of his wonderful sire Magical Bale, the newest Moneygall racing sensation is of course trained by Pat Guilfoyle and honing his racing skills with each passing round of the Kirby, Magical Kuba delivered on all previous promise when confirming suspicion that he could well harbour the rarest latent abilities.

An improved start from trap 6 saw the May 2020 whelp immediately establish a lead in the early exchanges of Heat 1 and displaying smart pace on the approach to the bend, the wide seed was afforded the opportunity to chart his own course around the turns for the first time in his career and a one length lead over Da Bold Freddie quickly increased from the crown of the bends. Four lengths to the good at the second bend, the Guilfoyle pacesetter extended clear with a powerful gallop along the backstraight and had the verdict as good as settled while Da Bold Freddie continued to shade second passing halfway. Relentless out front, Magical Kuba was enjoying a solo passage and was as far clear at the line as at any other point of the race as he held seven lengths over Da Bold Freddie, with three parts back to the fast-finishing Crafty Kokoro, in a sensational time of 28.02 for the 525-yards!

That sizzling winning time puts Magical Kuba at the top of the Kirby tree for now but reduced to just twelve semi-finalists, victory will not come easy after an impressive session of heats on Saturday. Next best on the clock, three-time winning trainer Pat Buckley saw his Ballinabola Ed lower the colours of Deadly Showtime in 28.15 before Jennifer O’Donnell’s Scooby Prince led home Buckley’s Lenson On Ice by a length in their 28.30 clash.

The remaining quarter final went to Peter Cronin’s Kildare in 28.45 and that rival will occupy trap 5 in this week’s opening semi-final, with Magical Kuba on his outside in a suitable trap 6. The inside traps house a host of smart early pacers and from the rails out, Deadly Showtime, Swords Rex, The Other Kobe, and Da Bold Freddie will scramble for supremacy in a likely tight early tussle which will dictate the qualification places.

A natural trap 6 runner however, there is again a plausible path to clear racing room for Magical Kuba and as has been the prediction in this column each week while tempering expectation, the Guilfoyle hopeful can secure qualification at the very minimum!

Boss can Mount Supersprint challenge

Stalwarts of the Open sprint scene, the Rafferty kennels of Ballingarry turned attentions to Curraheen Park for the 2022 Greyhound & Petworld Supersprint 330 with both Millrose Melody and Coolemount Boss advancing to last Saturday’s semi-finals at the Cork venue.

Approaching veteran status, Leanne Rafferty’s Millrose Melody endured a luckless passage in the second heat when contesting third position at the opening bend, the May 2018 speedster was baulked out of contention while turning. However, there was greater fortune in the opening semi when the Four Culchies Syndicate’s Coolemount Boss (Iso Octane-Coolemount Bally) secured his final berth with back-to-back second place finishes in the heats.

Housed in an ideal trap 1, the Rafferty charge broke behind the fast-starting Bartlemy Logan and contested for second place on the inside of a line of three runners on the long run to the opening bend. A tight squeeze on the rail then saw Coolemount Boss denied clear racing room by the advancing Ballymac Miranda but bravely maintaining forward momentum, he kept qualification hopes alive to the home stretch as the field closed right up on the tail of the pacesetter. Always a strong finisher over sprint trips, Coolemount Boss powered to the line thereafter and losing nothing in defeat, ceded a tight one length victory to Ballymac Miranda in 17.96.

The opposing semi-final was claimed by Ireland’s latest sprint sensation Flashing Willow for Pat Buckley as he posted a fast 17.46 ahead of Ballymac Art and he will enter trap 5 as a warm favourite for final victory this coming Saturday. From trap 2, the immediate task for Coolemount Boss will be to lead rails runner Ballymac Miranda for command of the inside at the corner, which will be crucial in his bid to upset the odds. However, should the Rafferty charge produce his best break, the strong finisher can most certainly threaten more fancied rivals and is no forlorn hope ahead of the prestigious sprint showdown.

Crakl continues to confound

Outside of Open competition action, Saturday’s Galway fixture returned a brace of highly impressive local winners, Paul Hogan’s near incredulous veteran racer Five Alley Crakl (Skywalker Puma-Maldini Pops) was up to his tricks again when claiming a third win from his latest four starts while emphatically stamping his authority over younger rivals with a thrilling last to first performance.

Missing his break from trap 1 in the A1 525, the September 2016 whelp trailed the entire field on the run to the corner. Sneaking a run on the rails, the wily Hogan charge used his track craft to good effect while advancing a couple of places before setting sights on the leader from three lengths adrift at the top of the backstraight. Always a strong stayer at the trip, Five Alley Crakl duly reduced his arrears to the closing bends and having ranged up on the outside of the leader at the final turn, skipped readily clear to an ultimately comfortable two and a half length verdict in 29.18 (-20).

Few superlatives remain that could accurately capture just how impressive this sustained level of performance is on the approach to his sixth birthday, but Crakl and all connected deserved much praise for what continues to be one of the most enjoyable racing campaigns in the sport.

Another local favourite bouncing back to winning ways on that Galway card, Tom & Charlie Bourke’s Ballygraigue Jim (Silverhill Shay-Newlawn Minnie) produced a career best performance to land his A2 575 contest.

Breaking well form trap 1, the Vincent McKenna trained powerhouse could be called the winner when reaching the opening bend with a one length advantage and duly drew clear to a four-length winning margin while posting a brilliant 31.56 (-20).

The July 2019 whelp will now return to Open class for his next outing but with a hugely admirable strike-rate of eleven wins from his 27 career starts, the Bourke stalwart will not fear the upgrade.