Greenane’s win is clear as Crystal at Sheffield
Last night’s 500m greyhound racing card at Sheffield Greyhound Stadium was as busy as it was exciting. Greyhound racing fans were treated to an action-packed 12-race card that featured some great races, and some close finishes.
The first race of the day was an A7 race that was held at 11:11. Odds makers listed Greenane Crystal as the 6-4 favourite to win before the race, and the predictions proved to be true. Greenane Crystal pulled off a fantastic victory atop the standings with a great finish of 30.77 seconds out of trap six. He held an early pace, but was always leading the pack. The pup’s record has been up and down throughout his two years at the races. He has had very few first-place finishes in his career, and each one was usually by a very small margin.
Only ½ a length separated first place from second, with Wiguagainduck (3-1) finishing in 30.81. Foxhall Hero’s (4-1) heroics were enough to give him a third-place finish 30.91, 1¼ lengths behind the second-place finisher. Foxhall Hero was substituting for Ballybun Blue in trap four. The number four spot went to Hondo Betty (3-1), who finished the race 1¼ lengths behind Foxhall Hero in 31.01.
Stormy Kenny (7-1) was a substitute in trap three for Ashvale Glory, who did not participate in the race. He placed fifth with a time of 31.05, which was only ½ a length behind fourth. Stormy Fortune (7-2), sibling of Stormy Kenny, finished the race in last place. Stormy Fortune finished 1½ lengths behind his brother in 31.17.
The A6 race at 11:28 was an interesting one, as it featured joint favourites. Going into the race, Swift Luas and Glenegat Hoover were both staked at 5-2 odds, making for an interesting result. However, it was Swift Luas who emerged victorious in the race, finishing in 30.89. He was substituting in trap one for Leahs Tiny.
Second-place finisher Dromand Boy (4-1) was three lengths behind the winner, and finished in 31.13. The race’s other favourite, Glenegat Hoover, ended up in third place with a finish of 31.17, ½ a length behind Dromand Boy. Knoppogue Master (4-1) finished in fourth with a time of 31.83, which placed him 8¼ lengths behind third place. Fifth and sixth place went to Express Style (7-2, 31.87, ½ length) and Tilly Jane (7-2, 34.27, dist), respectively. Express Style replaced Angie Ruby in trap five.
The 11:42 A5 race featured some close finishes, as the top four dogs were separated by only fractions of a second. The first- and third-place finishers, Runaround Ronnie and Ronnoco Rory, respectively, were ranked as joint 5-2 favourites pre-race. Runaround Ronnie finished in 30.44, while Ronnoco Rory finished in 30.46, a shoulder behind second place. Behind first place by only a head was Grandad Jim. Despite his name, he didn’t look old at all, as he managed to finish the race in second, with a time of 30.45.
The fourth position went to Bodell Alpha, who finished just a shoulder behind third place. He matched Ronnoco Rory’s finishing time of 30.46. Jessie James’ (7-2, 6½ lengths) attempt at robbery was foiled with a fifth-place finish in 30.98, while Deanos Zidane (5-1, dist) could not head butt himself into the top spot. He finished the race in 33.38 to claim last place.
The greyhound racing action at Sheffield continues on 27 August with yet another exciting 12-race card. The first race is scheduled to begin at 11:11pm GMT.
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