This year’s Broadway Pet Foods, McCalmont Cup, has again attracted a high quality entry, all keen to challenged for the €4000 first prize on offer. While it is not the competition it was when Paddy Dunphy's The Grand Champion won it 3 times in the 1950's, it will still take a lot of winning.
The first heat should see the Tony Howard owned Olympic Rockstar the fav on the boards. A dog, that debuted around Kilkenny in last year’s Red Mills, he has since recorded 28.67 around Shelbourne. However, Kilkenny specialist Princess Gael has he favoured trap 1 and she will be hard to catch if she leads up. While Pat Buckley’s young Paradise Tequila is a superbly bred dog with huge promise.
Murt Leahy will fancy his big white hope, literally, Sawdust Terry to scorch around the outside at the opening bend and take the second head, but Nikitia's Scut, a strong running Newbridge Oaks winner, and 2011 Derby runner will keep him honest here.
Another Local Dowd, Willie Hanlon's Ballygur Ted will not relish T5 in the third round, and his supports will be happy to see him qualify. The main competition to Ted here will come from the early paced duo of Faithful Man outside him, and Jennifer Howards, Shes Only Saying in Trap2.
Heat 4 is mega competitive. Mickeys Trickster is struggling to find his 2011 form, but if he does reproduce that he is the one they all have to beat. But, they sure will be lining up behind him. Droopys Comedian, a 2011 Irish Derby Heat winner in a huge 29.68, is a massive danger, and if he takes the Kilkenny circuit he will take some stopping. All this before we get to Guinness Trophy winner Oakfront Aga, and Sean Meade's pacey Paradise Siesta. This heat is a dinger.
Heat 5 includes a future star in Priceless Sky, but he is up against a huge jump in class and the experienced duo of Neon Charlie, and John Duggan's Pure Paphos will test this young dogs credentials.
It doesn’t get any easier in the sixth and final heat, with Trap 1 being filled by a classic winner, 2011 Leger winner What A Tornado. Despite his obvious pace he has never really shown it in St. James' Park, and this heat looks to favour the perfectly housed, Jack De Man, from the Jim Morrissey kennel, who time and time again has produced big runs in Kilkenny.
With 4 to qualify from each heat for the quarter finals, it promises to be a great nights racing.
