ANNAGHMORE on Saturday past offered a typical early season scrappy card. Hopefully more runners will come out of the woodwork for the Irish-American meeting tomorrow.
Patrick Kane jnr’s good start to the season continued, as he picked up a double with Cash Is King in the opening Grade G pace and yet another top-class trot with Harry Knows. Mark Kane reckons the latter has ‘at least 50’ career wins.
On the opening pace, Patrick was content to track Simon Duggan on Coalford Look At Me. When he asked Cash Is King the response was impressive. The Tyrone mare was second, not a bad run behind a gelding older than her. The race pulled up in 2.01.7.
Cash Is King opened up an across-the-card treble for the Holgate family from Yorkshire. They also won the Prix Kirkby Stephen at Appleby, Cumbria on Sunday with Giant Pyla driven by top Scottish reinsman Will Greenhorn and the Prix Penrith on Monday with Imperial De Socery driven by that man again, Patrick Kane jnr.
Search online for the Prix Kirkby Stephen (Race 7 on Sunday) to see an impressive piece of trotting by Giant Pyla, who gave 50 yards to the useful Heliot Des Baults (Rhun Wilson). Performances like that make it worth the £15 admission fee.
JR off the mark
Back to Annaghmore, where John Richardson got off the mark for 2026 with the chesnut mare Jelina Benoit (5/2). The mare has a daisy-cutting action and certainly did enough to see off Grande Galaxie (Freddie Kavanagh) and Isba Quick (Adam Corey). The race was a Grade D to F trot.
“She can be a bit hot, but seems easier to work with this year,” said 20-time champion driver John.
The third of four races on the card saw Newtown Major (2/1) give Calvin McAleer his first driving win in the Grade C to F pace. The tough little 13-year-old also got Calvin’s brothers, Marcus and Troy, started on the winning ladder, he owes the family nothing.
“I’m over the moon,” said the 19-year-old St Margaret’s man.
Sweet Pa (Jonny Cowden for Neville Martin) was installed as favourite. He galloped when mounting a challenge. Larry Camden did not come up to his mark, and the stewards called in the driver.
Appleby success
This column stated that Finbarr Quill’s Oakwood Dessie was the sole Irish runner at Appleby. ‘Dessie’ was third to a hot favourite.
I missed Wots A Wash, owned by Gui McCullough from the Ards Peninsula. McCullough’s three-year-old gelding overcame a difficult draw to win Sunday’s maiden pace. The son of Cattlewash was 3/1 joint-second favourite and was driven by Vicki Gill.
From Cloghy to Cumbria, Gui McCullough (pink shirt) with Wots A Wosh and connections at Appleby Sarah Thomas Equine Photography
Vicki, based at the York track, won the weekend’s feature race with Lost Out West. The sire Lost For Words came out the wrong side of a titanic battle with Wiggleit Jiggleit in the 2015 Little Brown Jug. Lost For Words stood in Limerick for a few seasons and is now with Gary Maw in Sunderland.
With Oakwood West Beach as the dam, there was a strong Irish connection to the first Group 1 winner of the British Season.
John Gill (Vicki’s father) told compere Sarah Park that ‘his mother didn’t want to do a day’s work, but this fellow is the opposite’.
Commentator Darren Owen publicly thanked the Bousfield family for putting the meeting on, as their track and some property had been damaged by some mindless vandals, thought to be connected to the sport.
Results
Irish fixtures and results are on Irish Harness Racing Association social media. IHRA’s You Tube channel shows race replays. Annaghmore stages their first premium meeting of the year tomorrow with Manch, Cork scheduled for Monday, June 1st.
Manch Sunday \ Tim Kelleher
AYR Harbour followed up the previous weeks win to land the top-grade pace at a sun-baked ‘Cornfield Oval’, Manch last Sunday.
Only four went to post with Get Me Out Of Here attracting the support in the betting ring. Ayr Harbour, with Schull-based reinsman Mike O’Mahony in the bike, was quickly away from IB Paddington with the favourite losing early ground.
Not much changed up front for the opening half mile, but Get Me Out Of Here was now second with IB Paddington outside him. Turning for home, Ayr Harbour looked a sitting duck, but stayed on to win by two lengths. The winner is owned by Mike Healy from Dunmanway and trained by Conor Hurley.
This was the second leg of a driving double for O’Mahony. In the IHRA/Department of Agriculture Future Broodmares Trot, Hippie Sisu and Comete Des Landes were the early pacesetters. On the final circuit, Hotesse Du Chassin took over and still had Hippie Sisu and I Want You Back for company. Inside the final 200 metres, O’Mahony produced Inspire Me with a well-timed run to win by three lengths from Comete Des Landes, who stayed on for second.
Dunmanway-based John and Vincent Healy own the eight-year-old with their brother-in-law TJ O’ Farrell.
“She got injured early in the year, so we had to mind her with a lot of swimming. She had no fast work as such and was good and fresh today,” the winning owners commented after racing.
Front runner
In the pacing division of the future Broodmares, IB Felicity was the front runner from Lady Lou and Anglesey Hall and the well-supported Emily Rose. IB Felicity was still to the good with two furlongs to go, but Lady Lou was now challenging and led turning in.
All the while, Emily Rose was easing into contention and hit the front in the final 100 metres to win by a going away three lengths. Drimoleague publican Derry McCarthy owns the five-year-old daughter of Lazarus.
Rewrite Sport got a well-overdue success in the opener, a Grade G and G1 pace. Matthew O’Reilly was not hanging around with this son of Sportswriter and led all the way to record a five-length win. Shane Crowley from The Halfway near Ballinhassig owns the winner.
“We have been waiting a while for this. He always had ability, but we changed a few things, and it seemed to do the trick,” Crowley was quoted.
Irish Good Dream gave another Drimoleague native, Niall Forbes his second win of the year in the Grade F to G trot. Like last week, veteran Brutenor was away into a five-length lead and was rolling along in front.
Down the back, the petrol gauge began to run low, however, he was still two clear turning in. Irish Good Dream arrived and won the sprint to the line by two lengths.
Laois leaders
Rathdowney in Co Laois may not be a hot bed for trotting, but Kevin Carey and his team are based there. The former Dublin boys gained a nice win with Lakeside Legend in the Grade E to F pace.
Rebecca Hurley and Oakwood Maestro were not hanging around early and led for most of the contest. Carey bided his time with Lakeside Legend and only hit the front in the final 100 metres to lead home Sexxy Socks.
“I could be wrong, but I think we are the only Laois-based stable in racing. Joe Haide, my grandad, moved from north county Dublin to Rathdowney a good few years ago and he is responsible for our set up at Wolf Hill.
“We are busy with youngsters and a few racehorses. It’s nice to get a win down in Cork and hopefully with the new track in Lyre opening soon, we will be down most weeks,” Carey told The Irish Field.
Jamie Hurley from Reenascreena has been having a great start to the 2026 season and the good run continued with Fandango De Nile in the Grade A to E trot.
The pair were in front from Homa and Halloway Road and, after disposing of those two, he had to contend with a late run from Empereur Souverain but was not for catching.