Thursday Apr 4th (Quarter-finals)
What a night we have to look forward to at Limerick Greyhound Stadium on Saturday with an astounding depth of talent amongst our 24 surviving challengers in the 2019 Con & Annie Kirby Memorial.
I've given my selections below but found it extremely difficult to decide on trio selections and it was fairly weird to be selecting runners to miss out that I have come to admire so much. So, best of luck with your selections and I would suggest that pretty much any trio or forecast combination is possible in all races given the tight margins and ultra-competitive nature within this epic Kirby renewal.
We also have the Sean O'Connor Cup to look forward to as the 24-runner consolation event commences and just like the Kirby, form students should be paying very close attention to an event which can also have huge bearing on future form as claiming the inaugural staging of this event last year, Ower Boy Bullet led home the likes of Clonbrien Prince, Burgess Paddy and Uncle Wexford.
Best of luck to all the GAA clubs that remain in chase of their €10,000 first prize and relish every minute of Saturday's action....because we only have seven Kirby races left before it's gone for another 11 months!
* For sectional analysis click HERE
HEAT 1
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Brilliant in the heats so far & repeat draw in red looks
ideal to defend rail for bold show.
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Smart early pacer hasn’t hit the front yet. Better to come if
so, can’t be dismissed lightly.
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Failed to lead latest but ran with credit, remains big player
if best break for lead to bend.
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Without heat win but catching the eye both rounds. Must trap
in tricky draw, respected!
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Has been brilliant in both rounds. Draw a slight concern but
obvious claim if trap smart.
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Quality Rd1 winner found bumps in this draw latest. May need
swift break for clear run.
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Far from a simple heat with many imponderables but
definitely the draw looks sure to prove crucial and therefore the selection
simply has to be Toolmaker Me Dad.
He showed ample early pace to defend the rails position in a
very similar scenario last week when the second fastest winner of the round. If
securing clear passage again, he could be front rank to the back-straight, or
even lead. In either situation, his finishing strength would see him home in
front.
With four remaining, Michael O’Donovan was bound to get some
sort of tricky draw and I’d suggest that’s what Deadly Diamond and Mucky Brae
have here. Both possess strong early pace and are arguably identical runners,
or very similar at least. Which leads the other? Do they arrive at the bend
together? If so, then what? I really think it’s down to the break between them
and would also suggest that the one who loses out in that battle will likely
lose out on qualification. Further complication is that Winetavern Don broke
brilliantly last week and if he does again now, the O’Donovan pair could be in
a world of hurt!
Between reviewing last week’s heats and preparing for this
draw, I was of the opinion that Winetavern Don could continue to advance in
this Kirby, almost from any quarter-final draw, and, I’m not going to abandon
that assertion. He showed plenty on the run to the bend last week and has
strong running abilities that can see him pass rivals late on. It’s a scary
draw but I’ll back his strength to get him through.
I am firmly in the Grangeview West camp for this Kirby and
I’d imagine many have joined me as the Michael Hogan bitch has been superb in
two quality heat victories. I would have preferred to see her drawn closer to
the inside but if repeating her improved breaks of late, Trap 5 may not be a nightmare
now. It will be a nightmare if she is slow to stride however because Cuore Di
Ferro did not want the stripes last week when moving left for a bump in the
early stages, so, Grangeview has to be out. I’m going to back her early dash to
keep her front rank to the corner while hopefully avoiding any runners that
move off the inside upon turning, which is a distinct possibility they way this
heat shapes up.
Like I say many imponderables. Cuore Di Ferro could trap
better this week and his exceptional early pace would dictate a very different
scenario in behind if he did indeed lead. Should Mucky Brae repeat his opening
round start, he would surely lead on the inside and again, all, including
Toolmaker, have very different tasks to qualify. Absolutely fascinating! 1-5-4
HEAT 2
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Gutsy Rd1 winner battled well again latest & rewarded
with plumb draw, player if break.
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Brave in Rd2 victory over T1 & can go faster. Early
battle looks crucial, claims if lead up.
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Slick Rd1 win & lost little in defeat to T6 latest, must
trap but big player if clear passage.
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Blistering early pacer has skipped clear in both rounds.
Obvious claim if lead up again.
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Better than bare figures in defeat last twice & could
track T4 for clear passage, respect!
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Quality early pace to win both heats. Draw a slight concern
but will make em go if break.
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Holy….you know what! These are scary heats and all six here
would have aspirations of leading, and, certainly would want to lead in order
to execute their best race. For a winner, I’m keeping it simple and going with
what I believe is the best early pace in the event.
Riverside Leo has all kinds of threat on either side here
but only moderately to stride last week, he showed serious gears to claim a
first bend lead and with his biggest early threat facing a more complicated
task in the stripes, having Skywalker Wonder to his outer and not on his
inside, is a big plus.
A first bend lead can see him through and I’ll select him
for victory because once sweeping the bend in front of runners, he could leave
carnage in his wake.
After that I really am struggling because I don’t know what
way Skywalker will go out of Trap 6. However, he ran such a straight line from
Trap 4 last time that it would lead you to believe that he can handle it. If he
did, he could contest the lead or at least be challenging Leo at the opening
bends. If they were to race independently, then both can qualify. I could stay
pondering all day but I’ll go with that.
Again this week it’s almost laughable, the quality of runner
that you are forced to select for elimination and even looking at Rattling
Conor, the only runner here without a heat win, he could get a lovely tow to
the back-straight on the tail of Skywalker and be in serious contention.
On the inside, I would make Deadly Storm the choice over
Josie with their draw from last week reversed now and certainly Deadly Storm is
a gutsy early pacer who does not give in off the final bend. I could be missing
a trick with him here but I’m going with Cabra Firmino to progress.
That 15.99 on the opening night was just too good to
dismiss. Last week was his first time in red and he didn’t break as well as he
did from a middle draw in the first round. Also, of the three inside traps, he
has the better finish which could prove vital if this heat does, as I suspect,
get a touch messy. 4-6-3
HEAT 3
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Without heat win but ran with credit each rnd & ideally
drawn again if trap to defend rails.
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Better than bare figures latest & retains claims now especially
if lead T1 on run to bend.
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Battled bravely latest after smart Rd1 win. Can trap faster,
real claims if win early battle.
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Flew from halfway in eye-catching 2nd last week.
Must turn handy for win, big late bid!
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Has powered from halfway in both heats. May need run ahead of
T5, chance if turn close.
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Scorching Rd1 winner battled bravely after bump latest.
Leading player if sharper away.
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For now at least, you can envisage a bit more shape to this
heat in the early stages than you could in the previous two and although
getting it wrong from the same box last week, I’m going for Ballymac Syd to
atone here and if I did have a Nap in the quarter-finals, this would be it.
For one, I would expect that with last week out of the way,
he can trap better form the outside box now and can certainly lead the pair of
strong stayers to his immediate left. His opening round win remains one of a
true Kirby challenger and he displayed his strong running battling abilities
when comfortably getting himself out of a precarious position last week.
Three of the four remaining wide seeds have been drawn in
the same heat here but I don’t really see that as a major problem, as we won’t
expect to see Redzer in the middle of the pack at the opening bend. The Brendan
Maunsell powerhouse has a trio of faster early paced runners to his inner and I
think it will suit him ideally come the first turn to nip around behind them
before launching his late challenge.
He along with Antigua Rum are the strongest stayers here,
although Syd isn’t far off, and I believe that there is a qualifying place for
either Redzer or Rum….but likely only one. I’m giving the nod to Redzer because
I can see the hugely respected Antigua Rum for Tom O’Neill arriving to the
corner in a dangerous position. Whatever doesn’t lead on the inside, is very
likely to be running off the bend for a look at the hare when crossed. I
suspect Antigua Rum, who can beat Redzer to the bend, could well be held up. At
that stage Redzer is likely to be last and in context, it could be the optimum
position to be in. That said, there are many different scenarios where Antigua
Rum can qualify with his big finish, but, I have to pick something.
On the inside, given that there is three strong runners on
the outer, I believe there is only one place up for grabs between three runners
with similar racing styles. I think whichever one leads, will have denied the
other two their chance to execute their best race and therefore will struggle with
such strong finishers in the heat. It could very well be decided at traps and
I’m going to make it as simple as trusting Tullig Footpad to remedy his break
now back a couple of pitches off the rail. 6-3-4
HEAT 4
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Improved start brought quality Rd2 win & ideally housed
for another bold show, player!
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Impressed in both heats with pace all round. Must trap to
ensure clear run, claims if so.
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Gutsy Rd1 winner ran a cracker behind T5 latest. Can start,
will stay, trio claim at least.
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Powerful strong runner flew down the back latest. Tight draw
but chance if find clear run.
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Supreme talent & fastest in both Rds. Toughest task yet
but be hard to repel if well away.
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Battled well with early pace shown in both heats. Ideal T6
but must turn first for chance.
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Well the obvious starting point here is the fastest runner
of the event, Ballymac Tas. With a wide seed to her right, she should be ok out
this far given that she is likely to out trap Killer Bee and clear racing room while
reaching full stride looks likely. Should that bring a clear run at the bends,
she is the natural choice for victory.
This is however her toughest assignment to date and she
won’t be able to afford any major booboos as this is a stacked heat which will
guarantee that at least two runners with plausible claims will exit the
competition.
Trying to predict the trio here, I narrowed it down to
picking two runners from the inside four, to join Tas in the next round because
I just can’t see Argentina getting around in front, and I would reckon he needs
to for qualification.
After the performance of Killer Bee last week, I said you’d
have to trip him up to knock him out and I’m going to stand by that. I can’t
even begin to create a clear run in my head for him but his pace from the
sprint box to home on Saturday was scary and he’s in my trio, that’s that!
This heat confirms the embarrassment of riches we have in
the Kirby and selecting Herecomesdahoney to advance is swayed by his ideal
rails berth. He gets the nod for a place and I’m not going any deeper into it
here because it doesn’t sit right with me that the consequence of my selections
means that I’m tipping Spoofer and Worseforwear to get knocked out after
admiring both over the past fortnight. A vicious, vicious heat…..5-4-1
BETTING
Riverside Leo 11/2
Toolmaker Me Dad 6/1
Ballymac Tas 7/1
Ballymac Syd 8/1
Killer Bee 12/1
Mucky Brae 12/1
Cabra Firmino 14/1
Spoofer 14/1
Grangeview West 16/1
Herecomesdahoney 16/1
Cuore Di Ferro 16/1
Tullig Footpad 16/1
Worseforwear 16/1
Deadly Diamond 16/1
Skywalker Wonder 16/1
Deadly Storm 16/1
Winetavern Don 20/1
Antigua Rum 20/1
Toolmaker Josie 25/1
Argentina 25/1
Redzer Ardfert 25/1
Jirano Classic 33/1
Rattling Conor 33/1
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