LADIES Day at Portmarnock tries hard to address the imbalance at a venue where around 95% of drivers are male.
The organisers arranged a pace and a trot, both in sulkies, for female drivers only. In previous years, the ‘ladies’ have contested competitive mounted races for both gaits and it would be nice if the saddles got an airing before the end of the season, which is now entering its final third.
The women were all familiar to the regulars at Portmarnock. The indefatigable Kane sisters, Gail Nicholson part of the stable in form, Leah Nevin one of the youngest drivers in the sport, Erin and Charlie Flanagan and Rebecca Kelly, a key cog in the Gavin Murdock set up.
Charlie Flanagan won the Ladies Trot for the fourth year in a row when Biniou du Beuvron showed an uptake in form to come from behind and run down the gallant Epopee du Layon with Charlie’s cousin Erin. Regular coachman John Richardson needs to watch his seat!
Another driver who is carving out stats on Ladies Day is Gail Nicholson from Cootehill. Gail has now won two of the last three pacing races confined to female drivers.
Gail borrowed Walter Stewart’s Ladyford Dollar. Strong support in the ring would indicate that connections thought that Gail wasn’t just out for a spin.
Emma Kane gave Mooreside Captain a typical determined drive for second but the Coleraine-based Ladyford Dollar kept on to the line. The roars of the drivers as they encouraged their charges up the straight would wake the dead at nearby Balgriffin!
Easy victory
Race one saw a second easy victory in three weeks for the Damien Behan-owned Bits And Pieces. Driver Alan Richardson was seen at his deadly best here. ‘The Iceman’ sensed a lull in the pace at Peters Paddock first time and quickly took five lengths out of the field. By the time some of the other drivers responded, the war was over.
The wins will be all the sweeter for the Behans as the four-year-old filly is a homebred from the useful Tailgate Princess.
The Meadowbranch trotting filly Immaculata is well-named as she trots immaculately. The longer distance on grass in Lyre proved her undoing the previous weekend. Back to familiar surroundings the daughter of Rachmaninov Seven took the three-year-old trot with ridiculous ease.
Amongst the ‘grown-up’ trotters (B to D grade), 18-year-old Luke Timlin from Derrylin, Fermanagh was a popular winner with the talented but fickle Epsom de Corvees. Luke and his father Darren have nurtured Epsom de Corvees (now seven) right from the four-year-old series in 2018. Boyardo ran with honour under a front running drive from Freddie Kavanagh.
The closing G to F trot was the heaviest populated race on the card with nine runners. The green glens of Antrim were calling as Seamus Corey’s Flash Mac de Couet got his Irish career off the ground.
The Glengormley veteran has good faith in the Kane yard and Sean Kane was in the bike. Darren Timlin was a staying-on second with the Roche second string Urbano des Selles.
Coalford Ollie picked up many admirers in 2019 and 2020 following a sequence of gutsy wins. The gelded-based Gabriel Mc Donagh deserves great credit for sticking at it.
Gabriel jnr gave the winner a clever drive to beat IB Mc Gregor, another runner-up for Freddy Kavanagh.
Finally, Ladies Day is not complete without a best dressed competition. Again, course-and-distance form rose to the top; Natasha Sheridan from Nikki Gilligan was the ‘official result’ although there were many eye-catching outfits in the enclosure.
Demi Joyce and Eliza Kane won their respective pony races before the main card.
Duggan Caravans, Black Horse Supplements, the Kelly Family, Moorside Equestrian, Matrix Windows, Nicky Hannon and family were all sponsors.
ON the UK bank holiday on Monday, 21-year-old Drimoleague lady driver Chelsie O’Driscoll brought The Irish Field harness page a pleasant surprise.
Chelsie’s name was hard to pick out on the start sheet for a 13-race card at the Brough meeting at Appleby, traditionally a late season highlight in England.
It turns out that the intrepid Chelsie has been on a working/learning assignment with the successful Gill yard near York.
“I was unlucky a month ago with another drive at Cannock. Thanks to John Gill and John Mycock for putting me up on horses. I won a race at home in Cork with Rhyds Dilemma so this win with GD’s Honey makes it two so far,” a delighted Chelsie told The Irish Field.
THE 15th annual Breeders’ Crown UK night took place at Tir Prince, North Wales on Saturday, August 28th and yet again Ireland was amongst the winners.
Meadowbranch Aine won a heat of the three-year-old fillies for Mark Kane and owner Neville Martin. Marks brother Patrick broke the two-year-old pacing track record with Rhyds Scoundrel clocking 1.59.9.
The Nicholsons from Cavan prefaced Gail’s win in a ladies’ race on Sunday when Bernard drove the top-class Churchview Frankel to the three-year-old title. The Gavin Murdock-trained All Bets Are Off was not disgraced as runner-up in her division.
The Breeders’ Crown was conceived by Edinburgh harness distributor David Wilson. Oakwood Stud of Offaly picked up leading stallion for Foreclosure and leading sire of two-year-olds for Sweet Lou.
IHRA National Leading Driver Award 2021
sponsored by The Irish Field
As at September 1st
Pat Kane jr, Trim 32
Sean Kane, The Naul 21
John Richardson, Dublin 20
Donal Murphy, Baltimore 19
Jonny Cowden, Belfast 18
Billy Roche, Dublin 16
Gavin Murdock, Belfast 12
Darren Timlin, Derrylin 10
Luke Kelleher, Macroom 10
Oisin Quill, Kenmare 8
Patrick Hill, Leap 7