Joint first-place finishes occur in a Short Time at Shawfield
Shawfield Greyhound Stadium was home to several high-powered 480m HP races yesterday. Greyhound racing fans were entertained by the fast-paced action provided by the eight-race card.
The first race of the night, held at 20:00 sharp, featured joint first-place finishers, a rarity in this sport. Rockforest Toby and Short Time trumped the competition by tying for first place in 30.29. Pre-race odds listed both dogs at 3-1, but neither one was billed as the favourite. Short Time was also a substitute in trap five for Selecta Comet, who did not participate in the race.
The third-place finisher, Radiant Star, carried the same odds and finishing time (3-1, 30.29) as the winners, but placed third by a shoulder’s length. Finishing in fourth place was Barney The Devil, who despite being a 7-4 joint favourite with Keselowski, failed to burn things up. He finished the race in 30.32, a neck behind Radiant Star. Keselowski placed fifth with a time a 30.46, which placed him 1¾ lengths behind Barney The Devil.
Mias Blue was definitely not feeling blue with his victory in the 8:13 race. He led the run in, and won the race with a finishing time of 29.90. Coming into the race, Mias Blue was listed as the favourite with 5-2 odds, and he managed to live up to his expectations. He has been active since 27 May, and has already racked up four wins in his short career.
Second place belonged to Optical Illusion (3-1), who finished 1¼ lengths behind the winner in 30.00. The third-place finisher was Charity Time (3-1), whose finish of 30.08 was just one length behind Optical Illusion.
Fourth place went to Pancho (7-2), who finished the race in 30.22, 1¾ lengths behind third place. Bringing up the rear was Wise Tom (3-1), who placed fifth. He finished the race 3½ lengths behind Pancho with a time of 30.50. Had Wise Tom, a two-year racing veteran, been a bit wiser, he might have won this race.
The excitement continued in the 20:40 race. Odds makers chose Areyesure as the 5-4 favourite before the race, but he could not deliver a victory for racing fans. He ended up with a disappointing fourth-place finish. However, it was Darries Girl who emerged victorious in this race. She led the run in, and finished with a great time of 29.80.
Shore Shine’s (2-1) lustre was enough to get him a 29.90 second-place finish, which was 1¼ lengths behind Darries Girl. Third place belonged to Barnagrane Jim, who finished one length behind second place in 29.98.
Favourite Areyesure surprised many by finishing the race in fourth position in 30.08. This placed him 1¼ lengths behind Barnagrane Jim. Buddys Wink’s last-place finish did not make him a buddy among racing fans. He finished with a time of 30.22, which separated him from fourth place by 1¾ lengths.
A card as exciting as last night’s will be hard to top. But for those looking for some more greyhound racing action, Shawfield Greyhound Stadium will be home to another action-packed eight-race card on 28 August. Doors open at 19:00, and the first race is scheduled to begin at 19:50.
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