Liam Dowling finally got his hands on the BAR 1 Betting Irish Greyhound Laurels on Saturday night, as Ballymac Kamala delivered a superb front-running performance to land the €30,000 feature at Curraheen Park.
The Tralee-based handler is renowned as one of Ireland’s leading trainers and breeders, having landed the English Greyhound Derby in 2024 with De Lahdedah, who set a track record in the process. The “Ballymac” prefix is widely recognized as a stamp of top-class breeding. Some of his most prominent and historic racers have proudly carried the title, and they now include a Laurels winner in Ballymac Kamala.
The Kerry handler had come agonisingly close to Laurels glory 12 months earlier, when Solo And Go suffered a photo-finish defeat in the final. This time, there was no denying Dowling as his homebred star produced a brilliant display to secure a long-awaited first victory in the prestigious competition.
Ballymac Kamala, a daughter of Droopys Sydney and Ballymac Pete, has enjoyed an outstanding 2026 campaign. After finishing third in the Irish Oaks final in July, she claimed the Champion Stakes 550 at Shelbourne Park before adding another major title to her collection in Cork.
Sent off at odds of 13-2, the talented bitch flew from trap five and never looked back, holding off kennelmate and pre-race favourite Ballymac Setanta by four lengths in a fastest-of-the-night 28.05sec over 525 yards.
Dowling had already enjoyed success on the undercard, with Solo And Go dominating a supporting open race in 28.07sec.
Speaking to Will Reilly after the final, Dowling reflected on the significance of his breakthrough triumph.
“It’s my first Laurels. It’s been a long time waiting, but you have to be patient for these things to come true. Thank you to BAR 1 for the generous sponsorship and to all the people here for a brilliant reception.
“To have a dog who can compete in the Laurels is a blessing in itself. Lately we’ve been producing dogs who can do that, but we’ve hit the post a couple of times. We’ve been knocking and now we’re here.”
Dowling was full of praise for his champion, while acknowledging the quality of the runner-up.
“She loves it here and at Shelbourne too. She won the Champion Stakes [at Shelbourne] and is a brilliant bitch. Setanta is a class dog, but she was the better tonight.
“We’ve no hard plans for her, but more than likely it will be the Night of Stars at Shelbourne next. A big thank you to all the Ballymac team who work hard behind the scenes, including Shane my son and Jane, my sister, who is the backbone of the set-up.”
There was a much tighter finish in the BAR 1 Betting Irish Laurels Consolation, where Mary Clarke’s Microchip made the most of an inside draw to lead for much of the contest.
However, Graham Holland’s Romeo Alliance, a former British star, applied late pressure and went down by just a head as Microchip secured victory in 28.57sec.
