Big Isle, Letterkenny
ADRIAN Browne staged his traditional Letterkenny meeting in association with the North West Racing Board at the Big Isle on Sunday last.
Thankfully Donegal escaped the torrential downpours that lashed most of the country and the track was in tiptop shape for an outstanding day’s racing.
Reese Holohan was the man to follow with four winners and he will be eagerly looking forward to the trip to Dingle next month.
The highlight for the Mountrath, Co. Laois jockey was surely the victory of Tommy Tango in the two-mile contest. Shane Crabbe’s strapping gelding made it three wins on the bounce here when proving too strong for the talented Tommy K in a fast run event.
Tommy K looked a real threat a furlong and a half down before Tommy Tango found another gear to forge away in the closing stages. Both the first and second along with Verstappen and Caro Quintero currently head the charge for next month’s Lee Strand Dingle Derby.
Reese quickly made it a double for the Shane Crabbe yard when another big Dingle contender Dell Boy put up a stellar performance to win the mile, three-furlong race. Always travelling sweetly, Dell Boy quickened away from the furlong pole just as he did in Athea to win in style. The winner is likely to head to Scotland before making the trip to Dingle.
Three wins
Reese made it three wins for the day when Dream Dancer continued his fine season when landing the 15hh contest for the McGinley Racing Syndicate.
The easy-to-back winner proved far too strong for the market principles Not Another Horse and Little Man in what looked like a red-hot contest. Winning connections nominated all three 15hh races in Dingle as Dream Dancer’s festival targets.
Reese capped yet another wonderful day at the office in the concluding non-winners race when Diamond Nation made it a double for McGinley Racing. Check It Out was all the rage here to give the organisers the perfect end to the day but Diamond Nation quickened impressively up the straight for a stylish victory.
Fine Fiddlers
Kian McNally initiated yet another double in the opening 13.2hh contest when Little Fiddlers continued her winning march back to Dingle for the Finnerty family.
This top 13.2hh pony in the country put up another hugely impressive performance here to beat Aishling’s Charm and Levi Williams.
Five Stone Of Lead, who suffered a rare reverse in Port Salon last week, regained the winning thread in the 14.2hh contest over 11 furlongs. The queen of Dingle for so many years ran out an easy winner over Lesson Learned who caught the eye for the future in second spot. All roads now lead back to Dingle for Five Stone Of Lead.
Nina Doherty continued on her merry winning way when Here We Go Again came right back to form to land the one mile, six-furlong event. Now in the care of Leona McLaughlin, the dual Dingle Derby Trial winner put up a taking performance to account for Right On Time and Camillus Byrne in snug fashion.
Camillus had better luck half an hour later when Coastal View just came out on top in a four-way gripping finish to the mile race. It was a case of heads up, heads down, as Coastal View touched off Jacob in the shadows of the post.
Meath jockey Paddy Finnegan continued his fine breakthrough season when Little Chief further extended his winning sequence in the 10-furlong 14h contest.
The Brady family have a tremendous record at the Dingle Festival and Little Chief will be at short odds to repeat last year’s victory in Ballintaggart.
Fixture Notes
THE Midlands Racing will stage their traditional eve of Galway Races meeting tomorrow at Errismore, Ballyconneely, Clifden with a 1pm start.
The North West Racing Board will stage the Ballintra races at Murvagh, Co. Donegal on Bank Holiday Monday, August 4th at 2pm.
The Omey Strand Races scheduled for Saturday, August 2nd have been cancelled.
Results
13.2HH (1M): 1, Finnerty Families LITTLE FIDDLERS (Kian McNally); 2, T. Beegan’s AISHLING’S CHARM (Levi Williams); 3, O. Finnegan’s FAR Q (Thady Finnegan).
14HH (10F): 1, J. Brady’s LITTLE CHIEF (Paddy Finnegan); 2, P. McGill’s SWILLY SPIRIT (Thady Finnegan); 3, A. Doherty’s WILD VENTURE (Nina Doherty).
14.2HH (11F): 1, McNally Racing’s FIVE STONE OF LEAD (Kian McNally); 2, K. Cromwell’s LESSON LEARNED (Thady Finnegan); 3, Holian Syndicate’s WEE BUCKS (Camillus Byrne).
15HH (12F): 1, McGinley Racing’s DREAM DANCER (Reese Holohan); 2, O. Finnegan’s NOT ANOTHER HORSE (Thady Finnegan); 3, D. Gildea’s LITTLE MAN (Kian McNally).
Open Horse Race (1M): 1, Irish Angle Syndicate’s COASTAL VIEW (Camillus Byrne); 2, L. Bergin’s JACOB (Paddy Finnegan); 3, I. Worrell’s THE GLEN (Kian McNally).
Open Horse Race (1M 3F); 1, S. Crabbe’s DELL BOY (Reese Holohan); 2, Team Browne’s SHAKE ME (Kaceylou Carberry); 3, D. Ferry’s ROONEY (Brody Ferry).
Open Horse Race (1M 6F): 1, L. McLaughlin’s HERE WE GO AGAIN (Nina Doherty); 2, Holian Syndicate’s RIGHT ON TIME (Camillus Byrne); 3, McGinley Racing’s SECOND VIOLIN (Kian McNally).
Open Horse Race (2M): 1, S. Crabbe’s TOMMY TANGO (Reese Holohan); 2, L. McLaughlin’s TOMMY K (Nina Doherty); 3, Irish Angle Syndicate’s WAGON WHEEL (Jared Huggan).
Non Winners Race (10F): 1, McGinley Racing’s DIAMOND NATION (Reese Holohan); 2, Team Browne’s CHECK IT OUT (Kaceylou Carberry); 3, L. McLaughlin’s SOUND OF SILENCE (Nina Doherty).