'Cupid' looks perfect match in Tralee feature
'The 30-second mark has only been broken once in the competition this year but that dog, Slippy Ronan, was sold to England and was withdrawn.' Stock photo: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
There seems to be a glut of major open racing at the moment and the pending English Derby is set to commence next Thursday. But the Irish racegoers also react to the classy confined competitions and there are few bigger than the Lee Strand 550 which reaches the quarter-final stage at Tralee this evening and has a prize of €9,000 awaiting the winner.
The Lee Strand goes back to the late 1970s when it was originally known as the Bloom 550 and among the more famous winners were Shanagarry Duke, Radical Prince, Irish Derby winner Joyful Tidings and Puppy Derby winner Fortune Mike.
