Teenage Trainer Guides 20/1 Drombeg Banner to Irish St Leger Glory

St Leger glory at Limerick for 18yo Evan McAuliffe

Drombeg Banner was not for catching in the final of the Callaway Pro Am @ Stud Irish St Leger at Limerick last night. Trained by 18-year-old Evan McAuliffe, it was not his first big win, guiding Drombeg Pearl to victory in the Galway Oaks last December.

This was the biggest success though. A €30,000 competition like the Leger is a marquee event and a great feather in the cap of the Athlacca handler. Early pace is the weapon of choice for Drombeg Banner and once he had turned in front, there was no way back for his rivals.

His starting price of 20/1 was more indicative of the opponents he was facing rather than his own ability. Clonbrien Treaty lined up looking for a third straight win in the contest, while Hello Diego was sent off the 11/10 favourite. 

It was another outsider in Flight Club who closed the winner down to a short head at the line. A lesser break than is often the case cost Clonbrien Treaty his chance at a hat-trick of wins in the race but he lost nothing in defeat, showing huge speed to get himself back into a challenging position by the third bend before his run flattened out. 

Elsewhere on the card Toolmaker Josepe made a nice step up to a stayers contest for the first time. Robert Gleeson's litter brother to Droopys Kathleen over 525 and 550y at the track and the move to 750y proved no issue.

Newport Pier produced a 29.44 run in a Boylesports Irish Derby trial stakes, just three spots off the fastest time of the year so far. She tends to save her best for this track, third behind Ower Cracker when the 600y track record fell last summer.

Picture from Limerick Greyhound Stadium X feed

Broadstrand Syd still on for back-to-back Sprint Cup wins

Although a winning time of 20.91 was not Broadstrand Syd quite at his electric best, it was still more than enough to see him into the final of the Bar One Racing Irish Sprint Cup final with the quicker of the semi-final times. 

He had to work hard at times later in the competition last year after his spectacular track record breaking performance in the opening round but he got the job done then and will go off as the favourite once more next week.

The other semi-final went to Droopys Patriot who is only just out of puppy stage but has shown serious speed to twice duck under the 20.90 barrier in this competition. He is drawn to the inside of Syd which is going to make things interesting in the final given that after just seven career starts, he is open to plenty of progression.

That is a comment that can also be made about Ballymac Brandan who remarkably has made it to the final of this competition after making his race debut in the first round. By far the youngest in here, whatever happens, he is going to be one to take from this for the future.

It would not be right to count out any of the other three. Stonepark Browne ran Broadstrand Syd to a length and a quarter in the semis with Epic Ace the same distance further back. Both have sub 21 second runs on their cards. The final is completed by Southfield Wild.