A
prestigious feature event on our annual Open race calendar, the 2017 550
Yard Golden Muzzle will crown a new champion tonight on a wonderful night
of final action made possible through the generous and continued sponsorship of
the Greyhound & Petworld.
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| Ivy Hill Bart 2015 |
Won last year by Skywalker Leaf, the stake carries a
winner’s prize of €4000 and has provided some thrilling fare in recent seasons
with a 2015 victory for track regular Ivy Hill Bart after the redoubtable
Limerick favourite Ballyana Foxtrot claimed the title in 2014. The success of
The Greyhound & Pet World has benefited many across the greyhound racing
spectrum as Dominic, Kathleen and their team sponsor events at various venues
and across all grades. Their influence on the sport is no more evident than
here at Limerick tonight and their continued support is hugely appreciated and
greatly valued by the greyhound racing community both in Limerick and nationwide.
Topping the bill on an exciting undercard will be the final of
the Peter Magnone Memorial A3 525 Yard Stake where Playmistyforme, Tyrur
Minister and Marcus Aurelius will vie for favouritism after what have been
closely fought and thrilling early round heats. Also sponsored by the Greyhound
& Petworld the event is staged in memory of Dominic’s nephew and offers an
attractive €1500 for the winner.
Good News the headline act in semis
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| Sandra Guilfoyle with Good News |
Certain to start favourite for the final of the Golden
Muzzle is the Pat Guilfoyle trained Good News following his sizzling semi-final
display when laying something of a Limerick ghost. Having battled through
bumping to secure a qualifying third place in Round One, a first clear run in
his fourth Limerick outing saw the recent Scottish Derby finalist return a
sparkling twelve length victory over Cheer For Me in the competitions fastest
time of 29.49!
A rails draw in Trap 1 is unlikely to hinder his chances
tonight and although certain to be a very short price for victory, is an
obvious selection who will prove very difficult to repel if finding an adept
break to defend his rails pitch. There are always dangers however and there can
be value in the market for those seeking to oppose the favourite with the
obvious starting point being our sole unbeaten finalist, Dream Mover.
Robert Roberts strong runner has taken well to a track which
ideally suits his racing style and he has displayed a remarkable battling
quality in the heats thus far. His Round One victory in 29.83 came after
suffering a bump upon leaving traps before clever track craft at the bend
brought a telling back-straight challenge. Breaking better in his semi-final,
he appeared to have the race settled before reaching the opening bend before
his attempt to turn at pace brought a drift towards the outside and a
significant bump with eventual second Gulleen Billy which greatly affected both
runners in a winning time of 30.04 as Dream Mover prevailed by two and a half
lengths.
Good News must repel a Dream Move
It may appear as though there is a mountain to climb for any
of his rivals to mount a serious threat to Good News in the final given the
vast difference in semi-final times and while it will admittedly take a big run
to cause an upset, the deficit is not as vast as it may seem at first glance.
The likely scenario is that Good News breaks well, holds the inside line
to the bend and completes victory thereafter but he will have to break well to
ensure victory for there are plenty to rival him on the run to that first bend.
On his immediate outside in Trap 2 is Lone Bullet who
possesses slick early pace for the 550 yard trip and a reproduction of his
smart break when gaining a Round One victory in 29.98 would serious complicate
the favourite’s task while bringing last year’s winning trainer Michael O’Donovan
a realistic win claim of his own.
Another finalist who warrants plenty of respect is Tim
Gilbourne’s local favourite Gulleen Billy who has charted a path to the
final without victory but remains a huge threat to all as true Open race
standard bearer at Limerick. Filling second place in both heats without clear
passage, Billy is a tenacious performer and if finding his best break can
significantly reduce the time differential if leading to the opening bend,
dismiss him at your peril!
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| The Muzzle |
With six inside seeds for the final, those drawn in the
middle traps could consider themselves unlucky in the draw and a fast break
will be essential for the chances of Black Farren or Cheer For Me. The
former is an improving youngster who opened with a pleasing second to Derby champion
Rural Hawaii before battling from last place to earn a qualifying position
behind Dream Mover and Gulleen Billy last time but while he will certainly be
doing his best work from halfway, the fear is that he may be a touch too far
adrift of runners who will cede little late on.
In the context of this particular race, a Trap 5 draw is far
from ideal for Cheer For Me and his 2014 winning trainer James Roche. He
threw himself into outright contention with a brilliant early paced display in
Round One when defeating Gulleen Billy in 29.85 but while gamely negotiating
his way to second place from a horror draw in Trap 6 last week, he actively
sought the rails on that occasion and likely to repeat that move now, his
claims for a clear run are under much threat.
It’s a long standing adage in racing that often it can prove
best to be drawn on the outside in a race with all inside seeds and there could
definitely be merit to the old saying here. Dream Mover would
undoubtedly prefer a pitch closer to the rails but he broke well from Trap 3 in
Round One, even better from Trap 4 last week and a repeat could plausibly see a
clear run now. Running off the bend last week when holding the inside line, he
may be better coming from wider out to sweep the turn at pace and with Cheer
For Me almost certain to move left, the room could be available to reach the
bend in a prominent position before delivering his formidable back-straight
challenge.
A wonderful breeding success for Robert Roberts, he is sired
by the kennels twice raced Some Sleeper with this his first litter. A talented
crop, the litter also includes Urban Rock who was narrowly eliminated from our
semi-final and a victory for Dream Mover would further vindicate a wonderfully
successful breeding venture for the Roberts family.
FINAL DRAW: 1) Good News 2) Lone Bullet 3) Gulleen
Billy 4) Black Farren 5) Cheer For Me 6) Dream Mover
Verdict: Good News is well drawn in the context of
this final and is the selection for victory by defending the inside against
Gulleen Billy which can set up his back-straight attempt to settle the race.
Dream Mover can fare best of the outside challengers in the early exchanges and
with these three expected to cut out the running, it will be difficult for the
remainder to mount a telling effort. There is not as much to make up on the
clock as the semi-final times would suggest and both Gulleen Billy and Dream
Mover are realistic threats to the favourite, however, always a likely
superstar of the sport, Good News is taken to convert a highly realistic chance
for a prestigious stake victory. 1-6-3
