Top class line up revealed for Saturday’s Time Greyhound Nutrition Dundalk International Race

Top class line up revealed for Saturday’s Time Greyhound Nutrition Dundalk International Race

One of the most prestigious events in the Greyhound Racing calendar in Ireland, the Time Greyhound Nutrition Dundalk International Race, has attracted a top class field for this Saturday’s renewal.

Fresh from his stunning all the way success in the final of the Time Greyhound Nutrition Three Steps To Victory at Sheffield on Sunday, trainer Jimmy Fenwick has his eyes set on landing some more of the sponsors money as he heads to Dundalk with the 2024 GBGB Greyhound of the Year, Wicky Ned. 

Having been left off since taking a fall at Towcester in the first round of the StarSports/TRC Greyhound Derby, Wicky Ned showed that he is back to his best again on Sunday, and he will be looking to add another big race success to his list of Category One titles from 2024, including the Bresbet Gymcrack, Time Greyhound Nutrition Northern Flat, Bresbet Steel City Cup, and the Premier Greyhound Racing All England Cup Final.  Fenwick doesn't think that the lack of a look round Dundalk will be a problem for Wicky Ned as he explains:

“He hasn’t had a look round be he’s a good railer and he will be fine out of one. He’s been out of one plenty of times and if you look at the race, the dog in trap two Callaway Knegare isn’t that fast away at the traps so he should have a nice run going into the first bend"

"If he handles the track alright and comes away like he did on Sunday, then he could find himself in front. Obviously it’s a completely different track and boxes, but the first time we took him to Newcastle he did a 16.79 which is a fabulous run, we took him to Sheffield as a puppy and he equalled the track record in his first trial, so it’s nothing new to him going to a strange track for him and recording a fast time". 

"In that elite company you need to get everything right and get a great start like he can do. One thing about him is that he is very strong in front, so if happens to hit the front then it will take a good one to pick him up but there are some very very good dogs in the race, and you can never say what will happen. We just hope he can break well on the inside and he would have a great chance"

I asked Jimmy if Dundalk was always on the cards for Wicky Ned or whether it was a last minute decision

"Yes it was always the plan to go there. We looked at the calendar and a lot of the race are clustered up. There are only four days from the run at Sheffield to the start of the Northern Flat at Newcastle which he won last year, and although he’s come out of the race well,four days rest after six bends we thought might be too much".

"There’s a lot of longevity left in this dog yet and don’t want to push him too hard. 20,000 euros for one race is very appealing and it’s nice to get into the competition. Brookside Richie ran well for us the last time we were there in 2023, and he led for a long way until picked up by Raha Mofo. He was only beaten a length and a half or so after leading but Wicky Ned is much much stronger so if we can go close with Brookside Richie, then there’s no reason why we can’t have a right good go with Wicky Ned"

Owen McKenna last won this race back in 2007 with Si Senor, and he will be hoping to bring that run to an end as he is represented by the strong running Callaway Knegare. He tasted big race success last year when going unbeaten to land the Time Greyhound Nutrition Juvenile Derby at Shelbourne in impressive style, but also reached the final of the Boylesports Irish Derby, finishing third behind Bockos Diamond.

Patrick Guilfoyle has won this race on three occasions, twice with Definate Option in 2010 and again in 2011, and with Explosive Boy in 2022. Guilfoyle will be looking to taste success for a fourth occasion and is represented this year by Daleroad Duke, who recently made the Semi Final's of the BoyleSports Champion Stakes at Shelbourne Park in his bid to repeat his heroics of 2024 where he took the honours. He also ran in this contest last year when finishing fourth behind winner Droopys Mandolin, and Guilfoyle will be hopeful of a bold showing from his charge.

 He said "Duke is in tremendous form as shown by his recent track record breaking run of 27.85 at Tralee. He has done two brilliant trials around Dundalk in recent weeks and couldn't be happier with him. Already a Champions Stakes winner, he's more than capable of winning a Dundalk International. Time have been amazing sponsors in Ireland and the UK and as an industry, we are so lucky to have a feed company like them"

Murt Leahy is another trainer who has had previous success in this race In the past. In fact it was in 2023 where his runner Raha Mofo got the better of Ballinabola Ed in land the 20,000 euro prize, and Leahy will be looking to add to that victory here with Lemon Joey

Having been a finalist in the IGOBF National Puppy at Shelbourne in December last year, Lemon Joey made the Semi Final of the Con & Annie Kirby Memorial before gaining his first big race victory when landing the final of the Carrick Aldo @ Stud National Produce Stakes at Clonmel.

Leahy this afternoon said " Lemon Joey is in good order now, he had a bit of a kennel cough when he came back from his last run at Shelbourne a few weeks ago but he's got over that now and is in good form and is raring to go"

Pat Buckley has also won this contest three times. Having first won it in 2006 with Droopys Electric, setting a new track record in doing so, Buckley then won it in back to back years. 2015 saw Paradise Silva landing the spoils, and then the following year in 2016 saw another track record breaking performance when Droopys Roddick recorded a third victory. 

This year, the kennel have Ballinabola Joe flying the flag and they will be hoping it’s a case of away and gone for this lightning fast trapper, just as it was at Shelbourne Park a couple of weeks ago when making all the running to land the Shelbourne Champion 550 Final. He also caught the eye in the the UK, when making all the running in the first two rounds of the StarSports/TRC Greyhound Derby at Towcester and may prove tough to reel in with a decent lead.

Emma Buckley, daughter of Pat said " Joe is in great shape at home, he's bouncing and he's working very well. He ran brilliantly to win the Championship 550 at Shelbourne as it took him a couple of runs to settle back into the Irish boxes as we expected."

"We are happy with the draw and with how he handled the track in his prep trial so everything crossed now for Saturday"

Graham Holland has surprisingly failed to add the Dundalk International to his large c.v of big race successes, but will be looking to change that here as Cheap Sandwiches represents the Holland kennel. 

"Sambo" as he is known by in the kennel , last raced when finishing fourth in the final of the StarSports/TRC Greyhound Derby behind Droopys Plunge but is deserving of a bid race success of his own having finished runner up twice behind kennelmate Bockos Diamond in the final of the BoyleSports Irish Derby last November and the Time Greyhound Nutrition Aa0 Final last October, as well as finishing runner up behind De Lahdedah in the Winter Festival Championship in December. 

"Sambo has been in great form at home" said Holland. "I’m really pleased with the way he trialled and handled the track Saturday. It’s a great International and he’ll need to break very well but if he does they’ll have to catch him!"

This in the third year that race the Dundalk International Race has been sponsored by Time Greyhound Nutrition and Willie Rigney, from Time Greyhound Nutrition spoke to me regarding the bid race as well as their continued sponsorship, not only in Ireland, but in the UK.

“It’s a fabulous line up and draw wise it’s a fair spread with two wides, a middle and three inside runners. I think everyone will be pretty happy with their draw. I’m happy to see Wicky Ned drawn in one as he hasn’t been round before and at least if he breaks then he will be in a safe pitch, and if he does break, then he should get a great run." 

"I think Callaway Knegare will be happy in the blue jacket and Daleroad Duke ran from trap three in last year’s race. Lemon Joey has his draw in four and the two wides Ballinabola Joe and Cheap Sandwiches look to have their draw as well"

"As regards to the betting, I think they’ll probably make Cheap Sandwiches favourite. It’s very hard to price up, I think they might want to take Wicky Ned on as he hasn’t been round. Calloway Knegare is exceptionally fast, and he was a couple of lengths inside the clock in a recent trial in 28.01. Lemon Joey is a Produce Stakes winner, Ballinabola Joe has won the Champion Final and the other two have trialled well so it’s really tough to price up, and I don’t think there will be any fancy prices knocking about for any of the runners". 

"I think Cheap Sandwiches will be the slight favourite, maybe around the 6/4, 7/4, 2/1 mark. But they are all quality Greyhounds and I think whoever gets the clearest run could win. Ballinabola Joe could lead but there are some strong Greyhounds in the race so whoever gets a clear run, they could go close"

Rigney continued "Sponsorship wise we are doing plenty and we are doing very well. The GRI and the GBGB are very supportive in what we are doing. We are hoping the customers on the ground appreciate what are doing as well because we are the only food company that’s putting some money back into the game. We were at Sheffield at the weekend for the Three Steps To Victory, and we are also involved at Sunderland and Star Pelaw."

"We are sponsoring the Northern Flat at Newcastle which starts on Thursday and the final will be shown live on Gone To The Dogs in a couple of weeks time. We have been trying to meet people and see what their requirements are, and hopefully we will see the merits of getting involved."

"We’re sponsoring at a few tracks and are looking at a few others later on in the year. We’ve got a pretty hectic schedule coming up. Friday night we’ve got the Juvenile Derby kicking off. That should be a very interesting competition as there’s a very strong crop of young pups in Ireland at present and that looks as though it will be ultra competitive"

"Our products are top quality and it will be nice to get some support. While it’s great to sponsor competitions you need the support and once we get some support, we will commit to sponsoring, but if we don’t get the support, then we won’t be able to sponsor"