ANN CHEEVERS DECIDER FEATURES AT GALWAY

Peter Farrell

It’s an action-packed night of greyhound racing on both sides of the Irish Sea, with the Ann Cheevers Memorial 525 providing the headline act at Galway Greyhound Stadium.

With €2,000 on offer to the winner, a highly competitive final is in store and Magical Be Nifty is expected to head the market.

Kindly sponsored by the Cheevers Family, this stake is always fiercely contested and the 2026 renewal has proved no different. Several finalists have dipped beneath the 29-second barrier around Galway, no mean feat at the Connacht venue.

The standout performer coming into the decider is the Donal and Pat Guilfoyle-owned Magical Be Nifty. The June ’24 whelp has just nine races under her belt but has already showcased considerable talent, posting impressive returns of 28.52 and 28.59 in the opening rounds. Drawn in trap three, the daughter of Droopys Jet and Magical Poppy sets the standard. However, she can ill-afford any mistakes with quality opposition drawn close by.

Chief among her rivals is Laois Lightning in trap two. Trained by Donal Duggan for Gordon Vaughan, the experienced campaigner produced a career-best effort in the semi-finals despite approaching his fourth birthday. The son of Ballymac Anton retains plenty of ability and could pose a serious threat to the favourite in the early exchanges.

Another with obvious claims is Glengar Sofia, although she has a little to find on recent form. Gerry Holian’s charge can never be discounted in major finals and, while the daughter of Glengar Bale has yet to strike in this event, she boasts a smart 28.80 best around Galway. A return to that level would put her firmly in the mix.

Of the remainder, both Fiftycents Gar and Lissatouk Robbie are likely to be doing their best work late. Drawn in traps one and six respectively, they could capitalise should traffic problems arise among the early-paced runners. Portumna Syd also possesses early speed but, as the outsider of the field, may find one or two of these rivals too sharp on this occasion.