De Lahdedah ends his career on a high at the Winter Festival
Saturday night was the second night of the Winter Festival at Shelbourne Park where De Lahdedah bowed out with a win and English raider Droopys Flare lit up Dublin.
De Lahdedah wins in his final race. Picture from Shelbourne Park X feed
De Lahdedah headlines an outstanding Shelbourne Winter Festival
There were 12 exceptional contests at Shelbourne last night but the best was saved until last as De Lahdedah was victorious in the 600y contest to close out his career in winning style for Liam Dowling.
Coosane Pickles had almost misread the script but she failed to claw back the 2024 English Derby champion by a short head. Dowling made the announcement after the race that this was it for his veteran son of Lenson Bocko. He's a dog who has turned up at every big event, making a second Derby final at Towcester this year. A model of consistency, he is a true superstar of the sport.
Speaking of superstars, there was a win on the night for the current Irish Derby champion Cheap Sandwiches. Graham Holland's wide runner is a similar type to De Lahdedah, a model professional who just doesn't know how to run a bad race. Ballymac Setanta had really put it up to the Derby winner until looking to take an off step at the three-quarters mark and checking up a touch.
Perhaps the next Holland Derby star could be Shotgun Dez who landed the final of the IGOBF National Puppy in a smart 28.17. He went unbeaten through the competition, with his early pace standing him in good stead with each round. Faypoint Ranger made it a treble for the Holland kennel with a win later on in the card.
Sean Parker was rewarded for his taking of Droopys Flare over to Shelbourne with her win in the 750y contest. Runner-up to Mongys Wild in the Premier Greyhound Racing St Leger, she had beaten Vhagar twice at Dunstall Park, and in that sort of form, she proved far too strong for her rivals.
Magical Mag was exceptional at the track through the Irish Derby and picked up a win in one of the bitches races by the widest margin of the night. The other went to Glengar Martha, one of the top performers in the division for a good while now, a month after her fourth birthday.
The evening began with a success for Getup The Boy, fresh off his appearance in the semis of the National Puppy. He had chased home Shotgun Dez in each of his last three races, his fourth-place run last week the only time in 13 career starts he has finished out of the first three home.
A sprint on the card went to Sogna Ancora. He kicked off his career with six straight wins before a march to the semis of the Bar One Irish Sprint Cup at Dundalk.
Daniel O'Rahilly showed off a skill beyond his years once more to produce Droopys Faithful spot on to claim a win in a race that contained the likes of Bombay Pat. His guidance of 2024 Kirby winner Knockeen Dazzler marked him down as a young man to watch.
An 850y race went to Oll The Doll, while Mydras Opinion proved too strong for a 550y field to round out the winners on the night.
