WHILE we have many opportunities to write about Donegal-born jockeys, there are not so many when it comes to Donegal-born trainers and considerably fewer when it comes to successful Donegal trainer/jockey partnerships.
Step forward Letterkenny’s Paul Sweeney, who engaged Luke McAteer to ride his first winner as a trainer, the eight-year-old Kingdom gelding Ransom, in a handicap over Guineas weekend at the Curragh in May, and gave Paddy McGettigan the leg-up on the second, Pillar Of Hope, in the Apprentice Derby at the Curragh last Friday evening.
This was a sixth success of the season for Ballyare native McGettigan, who is apprenticed to Johnny Murtagh, and, sticking to Donegal for the present, there was a win at Nottingham last Thursday week for Ballybofey-born apprentice Kyle McHugh.
Rathmullan native Luke McAteer rode a winner at the Curragh on both Friday evening and Sunday afternoon, while Letterkenny’s Dylan Browne McMonagle visited the winners’ enclosure at the Curragh on both Saturday and Sunday.
Over jumps, Brian Hughes rode a winner at Cartmel last Friday while Danny McMenamin recorded a double at the same track on Sunday.
On Saturday, the colours of the Dewsweepers Syndicate were carried to victory in an extended 12-furlong handicap at Newcaslte on the Tony Martin-trained 7/4 favourite Pralognan who landed a near two-mile, two-furlong handicap hurdle last time out at Downpatrick.
On Sunday, at the Curragh, the premier handicap over a mile was won by the five-year-old Awtaad gelding Slieve Binnian who is now trained for Castlewellan’s Paul Rooney by David Marnane. The grey was ridden by the aforementioned Luke McAteer.
IT’s going to take some months for Toni Quail to recover fully from the injuries she suffered in a fall at Punchestown on June 8th but she is up on her feet, walking the roads with her mother Donna and visiting some horsey events.
Quail, who fractured the C1 and C2 vertebrae in her neck and the T5, T6 and T7 vertebrae in her back, spent nine nights in Tallaght hospital on the outskirts of Dublin and will be in the halo she is modelling in the photo for three months. It will be replaced for a time by a neck brace and plenty of rehab at RACE.
Toni had hoped to be working at the recent Tattersalls Derby Sale but, instead, had to settle for a visit to the Co Meath sales complex for a day when she met many of her friends.
Last Saturday, she took on the more undulating ground at Tullylish where the Stevenson family hosted an Eventing Ireland Northern Region two-phase event.
Serious task
Pleased to meet her eventing pals, Quail had the more serious task of videoing her mare Wellan Summertime who, ridden by Molly Evans, competed in the 1.10m class. Things didn’t exactly go to plan but the owner wasn’t too worried.
“There’s no pressure on Molly,” said Toni. “This is a new partnership so they are just getting to know one another.”
Evans and the 15-year-old Mermus R mare are among the entries for today’s Northern Region one-day event at The Clare where 13 thoroughbred horses are due to start including the Evans-partnered Son Of Tully.
This eight-year-old Sageburg gelding failed to finish in the first three in a bumper and six hurdle races between March 2021 and December 2022 when trained by Paddy Turley.
CALEDON trainer Andy Oliver maintained his good run when, at the Curragh last Friday, he saddled the Roving Swan Partnership’s Our Friend Mouse, a three-year-old gelding by Zoustar, to win the 10-furlong maiden in the hands of Billy Lee.
With Co Down’s Clare Abbott taking time out to have a baby, Oliver has had to find a new rider for his event horse Cortynan.
We saw that the seven-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding by S Creevagh Ferro, who was bred by the late Ronnie Hollinger, had a run around Frankfort Stud last Sunday in the hands of his new Co Carlow-based partner Nicky Roncoroni.
CAFRE held a graduation ceremony for its equine course students last week during which the Tullyraine House Cup was awarded to Amy Rowlands from Coleraine as top student on the BSc (Hons) Degree in Equine Management programme.
Amy, who graduated with a First Class Honours Degree, also received the DAERA Prize and Vaughan Trust Prize. Additionally, she was presented with the Irish Draught Horse Society (Northern Region) Cup for attaining highest marks in the dissertation module.
Photographed above with Amy are Tullyraine House’s Hugh Suffern MRCVS and CAFRE lecturer David Downey. More CAFRE graduation photographs are carried on pages 16 and 17.
THE ‘Family Fun Raceday’ at Downpatrick is almost upon us and, if you have to, it’s going to be very difficult to choose between the many activities, both indoors and outside, being advertised for Monday, July 14th.
With wonderful sponsorship from local firms, many of these activities are free as are the goodie bags which will be presented to young racegoers on arrival.
Old racegoers are advised to ensure the goodie bags are available by booking entry tickets in advance and they should also check out the times of the activities, as some will have to stop before racing starts.
And yes, here we go again, just four days later, on Friday, July 18th, y’all can make your way to Down Royal for ‘a night of racing, country tunes and a good time!’