A WILD CONCLUSION TO RURAL KENNELS UNRACED

Peter Farrell

The final of the €7,000 to the winner Rural Kennels Unraced 525 took centre stage at Clonmel Greyhound Stadium on Friday night and it was The Other Wild that maintained his unbeaten run through the event with a masterclass of front-running for the Born-Wild-Syndicate.

Kindly sponsored once again by the very generous Helen O’Dwyer, this event is always a superb way to kick-start the greyhound racing year and it’s fair to say that the 2025 renewal has served as a real eye-opener to the quality of young talent set to grace all the major events throughout the year. The likes of Faypoint Ranger and Toolmaker Josepe have looked very special throughout the duration of the stake and no doubt both will flourish as the coming months, however, the night belonged to the Jennifer O’Donnell-trained The Other Wild as he once again showcased his explosive early speed to make it four wins from as many starts.

At the outset, it was Faypoint Ranger that went to traps as the 6/5 favourite and The Other Wild and Toolmaker Josepe were installed as the 9/4 joint second favourites thereafter. The race to the bend was always going to prove crucial given the abundance of early speed in the contest but The Other Wild was on a different level at traprise as he bolted from his striped berth to race into a commanding lead early doors (2.77 sec).

Brideside Bill was expected to be prominent in the early yards and it was Graham Holland’s charge that followed ‘Wild’ into the bend, while Getup Me Girl disputed with Faypoint Ranger for bronze. As the greyhounds rounded the turn, the favourite found himself in fourth and despite making brisk progress to move into third, he still had a mountain of work on his plate in order to reel in the scorching gallop set by The Other Wild. Brideside Bill was not going away in second however, and he continued to press the leader to within one length as the duo hit the penultimate bend.

Stopping the sectional clock in a sensational 16.00, The Other Wild and Brideside Bill were in a league of their own out in front and as they rounded the bottom bend, the decider was very much still up in the air. At this point, Faypoint Ranger’s efforts to bridge the gap came to an end as he was running on empty on the run for home, while Brideside Bill was running out of time in his attempt to reel in the relentless The Other Wild in front. With just twenty-five yards to go, The Other Wild had done the damage early and he was to be rewarded in style as he maintained a powerful gallop to cross the line with one and a half lengths in hand over the gallant Brideside Bill in second. Toolmaker Josepe came through for third and he is one who will flourish when stepped up in trip, however, the night belonged to Jennifer O’Donnell’s son of Ballymac Wild and Whitings Gift. A blistering early-paced performance saw him stop the clock in 28.49 and that was a fitting end to another terrific renewal of the Rural Kennels Unraced.

BLACKY JUSTIFIES FAVOURITISM IN CONSOLATION

Clonmoyle Blacky was the hot favourite to land the consolation final and he justified his price tag to seal victory for Adam Dunford and Alex Antoniou.

Sent off as the 4/6 jolly, it looked a beaten docket early doors as despite breaking well from four, Clonmoyle Blacky immediately shipped a bump from trap three. However, he then benefited from traffic at the opener to improve into fourth and very much still in the mix as a result. Up front at this point was Saltees Royal and she held a five length lead midway down the back as she stopped the sectional clock in a rapid 16.15. That said, Clonmoyle Blacky was absolutely flying at this point as the son of Mallogs Marley improved into second and within the blink of an eye, he was all over the leader rounding the final bend. Now in full throttle, ‘Blacky’ soared to the front and he was to power past the gallant Saltee Royal to quickly develop a three length lead crossing the line. Another with a very bright future, the time was 28.84.