72 greyhounds started the competition, but only 12 contenders remain in the hunt for glory in the 2024 Bar One Racing Irish Sprint Cup.
Saturday night saw the Quarter-Final heats take place in Ireland’s premier greyhound event for sprinters, with the spectators at Dundalk Stadium treated to a sublime night of action.
There was drama from the get-go as the first Quarter-Final heat went down to the wire with a photo finish. Meenagh Monito claimed a first win of the competition when getting the better of former Derby runner-up Ballymac Finn in a winning time of 21.05. Despite losing his unbeaten record in the competition, Lauhil Bruce made it through to the Semi-Finals by claiming the bronze medal in third on a night where attendees were also keeping a close eye on Kellie Harrington’s successful semi-final bout at the Paris Olympics.
Heat two was billed as the race of the night, given the presence of competition favourite Broadstrand Syd and the defending Champion Carrick Aldo, and the 9:20 pm contest didn’t disappoint. Turning for home, a ferocious battle developed between the two heavyweight hounds with Carrick Aldo gunning down his big rival to maintain his unbeaten record in the heats. Blacknose Clover made it through in third with the winning time posted by Carrick Aldo an impressive 20:84.
Speaking to Bar One Racing after the Quarter-Final heat, Carrick Aldo’s trainer David Murray revealed he would have been happy to finish second before the race but was naturally delighted with the performance of his Greyhound.
Carrick Aldo isn’t the only unbeaten hound heading into the Semi-Finals after Elite Kursk‘s impressive fourth-length victory in heat three with the Myles Roban-trained dog stopping the clock in 20:89 on Saturday evening. On The Nose and Trinty Junior both progressed from the heat for trainer Peter Cronin.
The big headline of the night was still to be written as the Derby Champion The Other Kobe was eliminated from the competition at the Quarter-Finals stage. Graham Holland‘s kennel star fell out of the boxes in the final heat of the evening but remarkably rallied back from trap one to force a dramatic photo for third with Dynamic Force.
However, it was the dog in the stripes who got the verdict to advance to next weekend’s Semi-Final heats with the race won by Holland’s other runner, Romeo Taylor. The two dog reversed the placings from last week’s heat with Pat Buckley‘s Road Exile with a winning time of 20:99.
Following a thrilling night on the track at Dundalk Stadium, it was then time for the Semi-Finals trap draw to take place. Greyhound enthusiasts can look forward now to two spectacular heats with the draw pictured below.
Outright betting is now available ahead of the Semi-Finals on Saturday night at Dundalk Stadium with the one-two from the second Quarter-Finals heat, Carrick Aldo and Broadstrand Syd sharing favoritism at 5/2.
Trainer Graham Holland hasn’t tasted success in the Bar One Racing Irish Sprint Cup final since Cambushmore prevailed in 2012 but the 2023 English Greyhound Derby-winning handler is represented at the business end of the competition by 3/1 chance Romeo Taylor.
The unbeaten Elite Kursk is 5/1 to go all the way for Enniscorthy’s Myles Roban while Champion Stakes winner Trinty Junior is 13/2 with the market showing 8/1 BAR.
Follow @BarOneRacing on Twitter/X for further updates throughout the remainder of the competition.