Ballymac Shane dominates Sunday’s Stan James Bookmakers Stakes at Oxford
Ballymac Shane cruised to a convincing win in the Stan James Bookmakers Stakes, hosted at Oxford on Sunday, February 12, 2012. The black dog kept his dominance right through the 450 metre long Grade A1 heat, and earned a cash prize of £80.
G. Hepden’s trainee proved that greyhound racing is not all about speed, rather a well-planned out and executed strategy also plays a key part in the victory.
Alongside maintaining a decent pace, the hound made the right moves at the right time to defeat the rest of the line-up comprehensively. Ballymac Kewell’s son, out of Emma Kate made the best use of the inside rail of the track to retain his advantage.
After getting out from the red box, the veteran clocked the distance in just 27.52 seconds, winning it by two and a quarter of a length. His powerful win would have come as a surprise to some punters, as the black hound was holding the odds of 9 to
2.
The runner-up place was grabbed by Price Tag, carrying the winning chances of 3 to 1. After making a slow start, the white and blue dog returned strongly to show a clear run. The R. Hannan-trained avoided being crowded in the mod-stretch, and arrived
at the post in 27.74 seconds.
Aint Misbehaving, who was the most favourite with 5 to 4 betting odds, ended up third in the list. The brindle and white hound picked up an early pace, but getting crowded badly in the middle took the advantage away from him.
Consequently, Westmead Hawk’s son, out of Dash On Lucy, remained behind by a short head’s margin. His trainer, T. Atkins would have been slightly disappointed to see his dog perform below-par.
Up In Lights sent at 8 to 1 snatched fourth place by covering the area in 28.34 seconds, falling short by 7 ½ lengths. Hard Luck Emma with the odds of 8 to 1, and Ballyer Bullet at 5 to 1 sealed the last two slots on the table.
M. Massey’s trainee reached the post in 30.74 seconds, whereas Ballyer Bullet’s running time was 33.14 seconds.
After a couple of ordinary performances, Ballymac Shane has regained his winning momentum. It was his fifth victory out of eight outings. With such a tremendous record, the black dog is not far from being regarded as the top dog in the sport.
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