New track record at Lifford Stadium

by Chris Ashmore

GIZMO Cash smashed the track record for a sprint over the 325 yard distance at Lifford Stadium on Sunday evening.

The three-year-old dog produced a stunning run to clock 17.17 seconds in the first semi-final of the new Bar One Racing Crystal Vase SS0 325 competition.

And in doing so, he broke the record set way back in May 2002 when Fishy Boy returned a time of 17.24.

In the previous round, Gizmo Cash - owned by Meath based Jamie McGee and trained by Keeley McGee - was just outside that record as he finished in 17.25, but on this occasion he was even faster.

Jamie’s grandfather is John ‘Ginger’ McGee, one of the country’s most successful greyhound trainers, was in attendance.

A native of Tyrone, he is well known at the Lifford track.

Racing out of trap one, once he hit the front there was only going to be one winner, and he had a four and a quarter-length advantage at the line over Stronger with Newline Blake up for third to bag the other place in next Sunday’s eagerly awaited final which has €4,000 for the eventual winner.

The second semi-final saw the 5/2 shot Zaconey Vulcan storming to a three length victory in 17.37, ahead of the fancied Hullraiser, with Toolbox Talk, for Lifford’s Cathal McGee, more than five lengths adrift in third.

Gizmo Cash has now completed a hat-trick of track records, having set the bar over 350 yards at Shelbourne Park in 18.28 while in Mullingar he did 21.06 in a 400 yard race.

Without doubt, one of the top dogs in the country, Gizmo Cash has now won 25 of his 50 races, and has 16 other podium finishes.

Meanwhile, in the opening race, an S4 325, Markstreet Flo (3/1), for Tyrone’s Charles Ferguson, clocked up only her second win in 17 starts, having a length and a quarter to spare over Galliagh Darkie to cross the line in 17.83.

Lynseys Maddog (5/2) won the second race, an S2/S3 325, in 17.69 for joint owners Richard Morrow and Jason Atcheson.

The third race was an A1 Shootout 525 with three dogs going to the traps. Stefans Storm (7/4) obliged for Shea Campbell by winning handsomely in 28.92, having taken the lead at the first bend ahead of Wilms Blake while Cornamaddy Venom finished a distant third.

The odds-on Its My Bucks won the Patsy and Mona Loughrey Memorial SS0 Shootout 525 for Newtowncunningham based Charles Coyle in 17.46.

Quivers Shadow registered 29.49 to win an A3 525 contest while in the penultimate race Malouni Jet (4/5) ran a very good 17.43 with the final race, an A2/A3 525, being won by Last Regards (4/1) in 28.74.

In Friday’s racing, Stefans Kid set the fastest time in the first round of the North West Greyhound Owners’ and Breeders’ Association A5/A6 stakes with a run of 28.76.