IF the strength of a sport can be measured by the standard of young people coming through, then harness racing in this country is in rude health. Over the well-supported Barney Joyce Memorial weekend the headlines belonged to the youth.
On Saturday 18-year-old Eoin Joyce took the heat and final of the big handicap sponsored by M50 Skip Hire with Streamside Star. On Sunday 16-year-old Luke Kelleher of the well-known Macroom family outfoxed no less than John Richardson and Jonny Dunne as he took the Free For All with Meadowbranch Demon, some would say his family’s readymade pension fund.
The trotting fraternity attach a lot of pride to winning “my father’s race.” In other words, for sentimental reasons they all seem to want to win such races, which they generously sponsor and name after deceased loved ones.
The Joyces and their cousins the Roches cleaned up at their own event. Admittedly, their horses had been lightly campaigned (you might say laid out) in the weeks approaching the ‘Barney.’ However it would be disingenuous to begrudge the Joyces their success, as every race on the card was hotly contested.
The biggest race on the card in terms of both kudos and prize money also went to a nephew of the late Barney Joyce as Billy Roche rattled Rhyds Rival out of the gate to some tune and the rest never saw a hair of his tail. JR came in for a catch drive aboard the Scottish-owned Rhyds Cocoa and the combination briefly flattered but never looked like catching the winner.
The Porterstown barn pulled out yet another old fashioned debutant in the shape of third-placed Tarawood CJ, a typical Christy Dunne slow cooked special.
I counted 54 people in the winner’s circle photo last week when young Marcus McAleer drove his first winner. On Monday this week I counted 64 people in the shot where Eoin Joyce collects his trophy. The Joyces and Roches are great harness racing fans and meet triumph and disaster with the same cheerful look on their faces.
GREAT STRIKE RATE
In the fillies’ division, York-based Vicky Gill kept up her great strike rate at Portmarnock as the speedy Rhyds Mystique got on top from the ‘3 hole’ and like the male division winner (both from the same leading Welsh stud farm) was never headed. Chinatown Katie (J Richardson) and IB Coyote (D Murphy) salvaged some pride for the home team in second and third.
In the supporting events, the Baltimore yard of Tadhg Murphy made the long journey a profitable one. Firstly, they took the opener with the pacer IB A Magician under brother Donal. Foxfield Tom (A Mc Coy) was a creditable runner-up. The Inish Beg outfit also took the top grade trot as Tenor Meslois, bought last year from Gwenan Thomas in Wales, ran out a convincing winner. Some Ardee accents could be heard calling this one home.
El Tejar keeps improving for Alan Wallace and he took a division of the French three-year-olds. The lowest grade three-year-old French race descended into a bit of a ‘hop, skip and jump’ race as every one of the babies went off stride at some point. The stewards deemed that seven out of the eight runners had galloped for at least 15 strides. Therefore Ederleezi (P Kane jnr) was awarded the race as only official finisher. It was an unnusual result, and was questioned by some who felt that a void race would have been a fairer call.
Social media this week was full of criticism of the lowest grade trotters. I see the races as a positive development and the fact that the least mature of the 2014 foals are still hitching and hiking only serves to show the skill attached to rigging and balancing a young trotter. Those that knock these sprawly-gaited youngsters have probably never driven one.
HEFTY BETS LANDED
Esles Du Bocage (Simon Duggan) is many people’s idea of the best ‘E generation’ trotter in the country. The Tyrone-based filly saw of the decent Epsom Des Corves (M Loughran) to land some hefty bets in the ring. Billy Roche started the day well when Balzac de Villiers took a competitive looking Grade E trot.
The Joyce weekend features some prep races for the Vincent Delaney Weekend. These prep races are where big reputations can be enhanced or ripped to shreds, and there was much to-ing and fro-ing around the ante-post boards at the track.
Clive Kavanagh drove his own Robyn Camden to score in 2.03.1 but the Baltimore filly Reclamation (D Murphy, 5’s into 3’s for the August race) made her work for it.
Before the colts’ division, my mole in the Meadowbranch yard spoke well of Monsieur Bibeau. The little son of Betterthancheddar, with looks straight out of a US trotting magazine, was unlucky in a rough contest. The Flanagan runner could only manage second behind Stakes On The Pan (P Kane jnr) but still deserves to be VDM favourite.
Clarkes Carriages provided two beautiful Friesian outriders for the post parades. Late on the Sunday card six-year-old Tommy Gosson got a rousing cheer as he drove his 10.0 hh hobbled pony Notorious in full race gear to lead a post parade also. Tommy looks ready but Notorious is carrying a bit of condition.
OVERJOYED
On the Saturday undercard, Donal Murphy helped Rebel Rouser shed his maiden tag for US-based co-owner Bill Donovan. Stephen Wallace looked overjoyed to drive his first winner, heat one of the handicap with Newtown Terror. Yet another promising young driver coming onto the scene, JR will be looking over his shoulder.
Eoin Joyce enjoyed the middle leg of his treble as Rhyds Rival was smartly away. This race saw Donal Murphy beaten for a change, after he drove IB McGregor. In heat four Gavin Murdock drove Blackwell Hall Star to beat John Richardson’s charge Meadowbranch Ideal (led throughout) with the minimum of fuss.
The right faces backed Rohan Des Theron’s (P Kane jnr) in the clockwise trot. After a resounding victory it was the layers, not just the horses that were going the wrong way.
Billy Roche took a conventional trot (Grade E/F) with Valiant de Gorham from Buster Gilligan aboard Aram. In the Grade D Donal Murphy had Bolero De La Fye always prominent and Aidan Hayes’ chesnut contributed to Murphy’s haul for the weekend (four winners over two days).
Tamalou Perrine and Socrate du Noyer are not in their first flush of youth, but they both trot like young things. This week was the turn of Tamalou Perrine (JR) to reverse the placings with Socrate du Noyer (C Brickley).
In the Zellwood Junior Free For All, JR prevailed by a head with Bath Lane’s full-sister, She’s Got An Attitude, although Rhyds Boots (Simon Duggan) put up a spirited defence. I don’t know what the mare did at the breaking stage to earn her name, as the only attitude we see from her these days is a willing one.
Selected results
M50 Skip Hire Pace Final – 1 Streamside Star E Joyce 2 IB Mc Gregor D Murphy 3 Rhyds Rambler B Roche Dist 6l 4l Time 1.59.4
Truck and Trailer Works Free For All – 1 Meadowbranch Demon L Kelleher 2 Bath Lane J Richardson 3 Porterstown Chris J Dunne Dist 2l ¾l Time 1.58.7
Mather Transport / Track Bookmakers A Grade Trot – 1 Tenor Meslois D Murphy 2 Ultimo d’Ouville A Wallace 3 beach de Bellouet N Ryan Dist 3l 3l Time 3.06
Joyce Family Fillies – 1 Rhyds Mystique V Gill 2 Chinatown Katie J Richardson 3 IB Coyote D Murphy Dist 7l 6l Time 2.00.3
Joyce Family Colts – 1 Rhyds Rival B Roche 2 Rhyds Cocoa J Richardson 3 Tarawood CJ J Dunne Dist 1½l, ¾l Time 1.58
Results are available at www.irishharnessracing.ie