I attended my local track Thurles on Saturday night for what was the first round of the Tipperary Cup. The Tipperary Cup is an old and famous competition, and this year's entry is up there as probably the best of recent years.
Times were good on a warm night at the Towns Park and the biggest crowd of the year so far witnessed some great racing.
Impressive on the night were St Louis Spirit who came from behind to win in 28.60 - the fastest of the night, Lleytons Dote who put a disappointing performance in Shelbourne the week before behind him (when I backed him) to blitz his rivals in 28.74, and Magical Stan who despite only clocking a satisfactory 29.20, did it the hard way coming from last to first. I really did not expect that from this early-paced dog. He is a half brother of Bantiss Annie and a full brother (repeat mating Magical Captain x Aughavas ) of Irish Oaks winner Ms Firecracker, who I have just purchased a pup out of for the syndicate.
What impressed me was the ongoing maintenance of the racing surface througout the night. Track staff were taking no chances with the track drying out as the sprinklers were turned on at least four times during racing, and the tractor went around between almost all races. Well done to all at the track for what was a very enjoyable evening.
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