O'Donovan run continues while familiar names land 4th Classics
05/06 - Tralee: Race Of Champions - Ballycowen Frank
BALLYCOWEN FRANK continued trainer Michael O'Donovan's incredible big-race form with a sensational track record victory in the €15,000 Callaway Pro Am @ Stud Race of Champions final over 550 yards at Tralee's Kingdom Stadium.
O'Donovan had already landed the Kirby Memorial at Limerick with Bouncing Monarch and Clonmel's National Produce Stakes with Berlin Trilogy in the previous seven weeks and another member of his 'B' team gave an A+ performance when it mattered.
Having won in 27.60sec over 525 yards at the track prior to the event, he was then beaten by Solo And Go in the heats but reversed that form in the most emphatic fashion imaginable.
The 4/1 chance, owned by Dean Harpur and Debbie Doyle, crucially made a fast start from trap two and was just able to clear Solo And Go into the opening turn.
Turning it on along the back straight, he was some three lengths ahead at the third bend and proceeded to extend that advantage with every stride, eventually scoring by seven lengths from Solo And Go in 29.01sec, eight spots inside the previous track record set by Seven Beach in the final of the same event in 2025.
13/06 - Shelbourne Park: Irish Oaks - Lennies Ash
SEVEN days after landing the English Greyhound Derby at Towcester, trainer Paul Hennessy added a fourth Sporting Press Online Edition Irish Oaks title to his cv when Lennies Ash came out just on top in an absolute thriller over 525 yards at Shelbourne Park.
Like Towcester hero Lennies Eddie, Lennies Ash is owned by Lee Craze - in this case in partnership with Brendan Cocoman and Ian Cunningham - and she also defied market expectations having been sent off 14/1.
Ballymac Kamala (11/10F), the only finalist unbeaten in the €25,000 event, had a narrow lead over fellow fast-starter Clan Sapphire going into the first bend but did not quite clear that rival who took advantage to lead narrowly into the back straight.
It then proved a race for the ages with the duo giving their all but being tracked in behind by Lennies Ash, who was not fazed when having to check slightly at the penultimate turn.
Racing room became very tight off the last but the Hennessy bitch found a way through and her strength saw her join then pass the gallant Clan Sapphire close home for a head victory in 28.39sec with Ballymac Kamala just a half length further back.
Hennessy had previously won the Irish Oaks with April Surprise (1998), Locnamon Bridie (2013) and Jaytee Jordan (2018), while it was his second major Shelbourne victory of the campaign after Coloursaregreen, also owned by Cocoman and Cunningham, landed the Tote Gold Cup in February.
13/06 - Shelbourne Park: Summer Cup - Newinn Spot
NEWINN SPOT, trained by Graham Holland for Kenny Glen, bounced back to his early career best to land the €10,000 Shelbourne Summer Cup final over 525 yards.
The two-year-old had made a flying start to his career early in the year at Clonmel, but then had to wait until the first round of this event for a next victory some four months later.
He had to settle for third in the semi-final but a fast start saw him quickly in command in the decider and he was always holding favoured pair Shanahee Boomer and Carrick Becks, going on to score by two lengths and the same in 28.13 for the 525 yards.
27/06 - Shelbourne Park: Corn Cuchulainn - Singalong Polly
SINGALONG POLLY produced a stunning performance as she dominated throughout to land the €10,500 final of the Donal Beatty Memorial Corn Cuchulainn over 750 yards at Shelbourne Park.
Trained by Pat Buckley for Gilbert Anderson, the 5/1 chance was marginally out-trapped by Priceless On Ice but outsped that rival to the bend and quickly raced clear.
Odds-on favourite Lennies Desire moved into second but was already struggling to keep pace with the leader when having a slight coming together with her kennelmate Glengar Silent at the third bend and the race was effectively over as a contest early in the back straight.
Powering on, Singalong Polly came home fully eight lengths clear of a staying-on Ballymac Chantry in clocking 41.23sec with outsider Highview Air taking third as Lennies Desire weakened late.
It was a fourth success in the Classic for Buckley after previous victories with Droopys Ike (2007), Javielenko (2018) and Braveheart Bambi (2025).
27/06 - Shelbourne Park: Open Unraced - Ballymac Pacman
THE €12,500 final of the Celtic Cooling Refrigeration & Air Conditioning ON1 over 525 yards went the way of Graham Holland's Ballymac Pacman (6/1).
There were two key moments with long odds-on Ballymac Hitman slowly away and never able to get competitive after being forced to check at the opening turn, then the winner running a brilliant second bend to drive past Anothercupoftea into the lead.
Given that he had been picked up in the semi-final, Ballymac Pacman still had work to do but the Bev Lochead-owned youngster did it well and held on comfortably by three and a half lengths from Anothercupoftea in 28.68sec with Freeway Bruce third.
29/06 - Harlow: SIS British Bred Sprint - Moaning Hearns
MOANING HEARNS impressively gave start and a beating to fellow 6/5 JF Sunnyside Ted to land the £3,000 final of the SIS British Bred Sprint over 238m at Harlow.
One of three representatives for local handler Darren Whitton, the Dean Perkins-owned winner was a couple of lengths behind his pinging rival out of the traps but had made up the ground by halfway.
Slipping through on the inside to challenge and edge ahead approaching the second bend, Moaning Hearns went on to claim the prize by a length from Sunnyside Ted in clocking 14.97sec with Whitton's Moaning Mai Tai fully seven and a half lengths back in third.
