Irish Sprint Cup Final Preview: Rathdown Molly can do it for the girls
Rathdown Molly, winner of the second semi-final, is the pick to win the Bar One Irish Sprint Cup
As heralded here last week, the final of the Bar One Racing Sprint Cup final is the feature of the second half of a dual-purpose day of racing at Dundalk Stadium later today. The horses go to post this afternoon, and then later in the evening the longtails have their say.
The Sprint Cup is a Classic, carrying a first prize of €20,000. It’s been won by some very fast ones in the past. Others, such as Forest Natilee, got pipped in the past, but just weeks later won the Sporting Press Oaks at Shelbourne Park.
This year’s renewal attracted a top-class entry, all of the country’s biggest kennels taking an entry. There’s none going better than Graham Holland’s, and for the first time since winning the competition in 2012 with Cambushmore, the English-born, Co Tipperary-based handler has been represented.
So, too, has Liam Dowling’s Co Kerry establishment and Pat Buckley’s, in Limerick. Peter Cronin has been successful in the past, and like Dowling has a runner in tonight’s final. Both, however, will be hoping to create an upset with their charges.
Vying for favouritism are Rathdown Molly and Who Have I, both around the 7/4 mark. That’s at the time of writing, which is important to say since prices can fluctuate fairly rapidly.
The decider has only been reasonably good for the market-leader over the years. In the 19 years since the first running, in 2004, when Larry Dunne’s Sycamore Dan justified short odds, five favourites and two joint-favs have prevailed, the most recent of the first choices in 2019, when the Donegal Dynamo, Ardnasool Jet, became the first to retain his crown.
No-one should take offence from the use of the word ‘bitch’ in a greyhound story. Any time one of them has lined up for a final, she hasn’t been successful, the aforesaid Forest Natalee being the one to go closest, short-headed by the Carrickmacross runner, Heisman six years ago.
That record, however, might be put right this time. As her name suggests, Rathdown Molly carries the flag for the gender, and she has a right good chance of crossing the line in front.
Northern-owned, Molly runs for the Swords kennel of Des and Marie Gilbert, and here’s a couple who deserve a place on the Sprint Cup podium.
Back in the 2009 final they had the hot favourite in Aho Tony, but on a night of surprise their charge finished down the field behind 9/2 chance, Inny Blue.
There would be no more popular winner if Rathdown Molly were to succeed. She’s favoured by a trap 3 draw, and if reproducing her semi-final winning run can reward connections.
She’s the daughter of Droopy’s Sydney and Some Ginger, and anyone who’s been following the game, particularly the breeding part of it, will know that Droopy’s is to greyhound racing what Galileo was to horse racing, or, back in the day, what Newdown Heather was to coursing.
There have been 25 races in this competition to date, and Droopy’s Sydney has been responsible for 14 winners.
Another statistic: only four of those races have been equally divided between traps 1 and 6, while 4 is out in front with seven winners, one more than 2.
Keep those stats in mind if you’re heading for the stadium tonight – and the best of luck.
