DEW MAINTAINS FAST-TRAP MOMENTUM AT GALWAY

Peter Farrell

The semi-finals of the Fast Trap A5/A6 525 provided the highlight at Galway on Friday night and, for the second consecutive week, Slipalong Dew set the standard.

Owned by Willie McDonagh, Slipalong Dew has rediscovered some of her best form in recent weeks, a resurgence underlined by a solid 29.25 performance seven days earlier. Fast forward a week and the daughter of Grangeview Ten overcame early adversity to recover brilliantly and register the sixth victory of her career.

Drawn in trap two, the 6/4 joint-favourite was away smartly but suffered a bump at traprise, leaving her rounding the opening bend closer to the rear than the fore. With around six lengths to make up, ‘Dew’ began to edge closer at halfway, halving the deficit around the bottom two bends. From there, McDonagh’s charge moved into full throttle, powering up the fence in the closing stages to storm past her rivals and score decisively. One-and-a-half lengths clear of Burnpark Shadow, the winning time was a respectable 29.44 .10f.

In the opening semi-final, Lallys Legacy justified even-money favouritism to also complete back-to-back wins in the competition.

Trained by Vincent McKenna for the Garrafrauns Syndicate, Lallys Legacy made all the running in the opening round when landing a one-length success and was again foot-perfect at traprise here. Drawn in three, the son of Droopys Sydney broke with intent, posting a smart 3.31 sectional to take early control. Holding a two-and-a-half-length advantage at halfway, ‘Lallys’ maintained a strong gallop throughout and stayed on well to repel the persistent challenge of Balrobuck Tom in second. The time was 29.60 .10f.

BEBETO QUICKEST IN NOVICE ACTION

Earlier on the card, the opening five heats of the ON2/ON3 350 provided the supporting action, with Noelles Bebeto emerging as the fastest qualifier following heat three.

Representing the Divilly kennel, Noelles Bebeto was sent off the 4/6 favourite but found himself in difficulty early as Lady Divine flew from trap five to dictate matters on the run to the bend. However, tracking smoothly around the bottom two turns, the son of Dromana Bucko began to gather momentum before switching into overdrive off the final bend. Finishing with real purpose, he flashed home to record a three-length victory over Lady Divine, stopping the clock at a brisk 19.31 .5f.