Spruce Meadows aims to bloom again on Polytrack On the greyhound racing front Dundalk staged one of its highlights when the final of the Bar-One Racing Irish Sprint Cup was run at the venue on Wednesday night. Quality is again in evidence as horses return to the Co Louth track on Friday. Bookmaker Bar-One show their support for Dundalk on this card also, sponsoring three of the eight events, but it’s the Irish Stallion Farms EBF ‘Red God’ Handicap that takes precedence with its 50,000 Euro prize-fund. Spruce Meadows won this extended 10-furlong contest last year. He is back again, and being a four-time winner here on the Polytrack the Intikhab gelding deserves strong consideration for John Feane and Gary Halpin. Ger Lyons has Tennessee Wildcat and The Kid Bobby B in the mix, whilst other notable contenders are Ballydoyle’s El Greco, and Jim Bolger’s ultra-consistent Dawn Approach filly, Dawn Hoofer. Whatever the fate of his duo in the feature, Lyons could well get his evening off to a good start with Burmese Waltz in the Foran Equine Irish EBF Auction (Fillies) Maiden. She was in against the boys last time when beaten by her stable companion Inverleigh, at Leopardstown just over a week ago. The daughter of Showcasing has evidently come out of that race in decent nick, and drawn well here back against her own sex she might be capable of a victorious all-weather debut. Lyons and stable jockey Colin Keane have their chance in the Bar One Racing Mourne Handicap as well, with Blue Uluru, but Captain Power may be the one to focus in on for this sprint. Eddie Lynam’s charge finished third in this event twelve months back, behind Reckless Endeavour. Market-leader on that occasion, Captain Power was doing his best work at the end, and off a lower mark here he could go a couple of places better. The complication is that Lynam has the six-year-old in at Leopardstown on Thursday night as well.
