BRIAN Redmond owns M50 Skip Hire at Santry, and the annual M50 Skip Hire Pace is obviously more than a straightforward sponsorship for him.

The businessman treats the weekend like one big party for his friends and competitors. Redmond deserves great credit for staying on as a backer in the current crowdless environment, albeit the prize money has been scaled back.

At close of racing on Sunday this enthusiast told The Irish Field: ‘”We’ll do it right next year, the June bank holiday weekend.”

The Oakwood Stud of Co Offaly kept up their sponsorship of the Sire Stakes. Fittingly their New Zealand-bred stallion Foreclosure ruled the roost with a clean sweep of the four divisions, although he did father most of the entrants.

The purses may have been cut back significantly but you wouldn’t know that to look at the action on the track.

More than once the reduced crowd drew a sharp breath as legs and wheels went perilously close in the all-important battle for position on the first turn.

On day one Erin Flanagan ended a long fallow period when she won aboard the steady mare Epopee Du Layon. Erin (20) gave the chesnut an enterprising drive from the front.

She pressurised her mare for the final lap, coaxing and tapping like Christy Foran and the six-year-old kept pulling out more. The cheers from Meadowbranch head groom Sidney McKnight could be heard in Malahide.

Wayne McNevin also dictated the pace in taking the E and F pace aboard Laneside Louis who has flattered several times this season without actually sticking his head in front. A 2.00.5 was the clock, with Immortal John (Mark Kane) the support act.

Eliminator

The M50 sponsorship was split by trot and pace. On day one, the first eliminator for square goers went to the exciting Eva Dairpet driven by Alan Wallace junior. This mare is one of those unusual trotters with speed like a pacer. She is temperamental though.

She broke in the first quarter, lost about 50 yards yet had the turn of foot to round the field. The run made her favourite for the Sunday final.

Monumental

The other trotting heat saw a monumental scrap between Curly Du Layon (Martin Loughran) and Feugeres Erem under Sean Kane. The Omeath runner had the advantage of the inside on the final bend but the tiny Feugeres Erem found the reserves to get up by a neck. Tellingly this heat was two seconds faster in 3.09 for 12 furlongs.

This column has made much of the longevity of the Trotteur Français in recent years. Over the weekend, it was the turn of the Standardbreds to show their durability. In the first heat for pacers Master Plan (aged nine) held off Tarawood Messi (aged 10). Heat two went the way of Fairdays Western (also 10 years of age).

In heat one Patrick Kane junior and Master Plan got a rare front line draw. The former Scottish-based gelding led out and made all, with Charlie Bennett’s roan Tarawood Messi challenging in the straight for driver Alan Richardson.

Heat two saw the by now familiar sight of Fairdays Western and Jonny Cowden taking off like a scalded cat and going further and further clear. A shade under 2.00 was the clock with North To Alaska (Noel Ryan) trailing in his wake.

John Richardson does not have a real free-for-all calibre horse this year but won a weak-looking G grade pace with the three-year-old Meadowbranch Rio. The son of The Panderosa will be put to the cellar to mature soon.

Patrick Kane jnr was the only coachman to pick up a double on the day. His second winner came in the last race, another mile-and-a-half contest, where Ella Du Fosse opened her Irish account.