ANNAGHMORE’s final fixture of the 2019 season saw some close finishes in front of a small crowd.
IB A Magician continues his relentless pursuit of Pacer of the Year honours. The six-year-old gave a 30-yard start and a beating to the Meadowbranch runner Kick Up The Dust who could only finish third. Master Plan and his owner’s father Walter Stewart took second place.
IB A Magician was driven on this occasion by trainer Billy Roche and is owned by Wayne McNevin.
The horse must be the most improved in the country. Earlier in his career he was thought to be a confirmed front runner but as on Saturday he now seems to be equally as happy coming from behind.
John Richardson started the meeting in a better vein.
The season wouldn’t be over without at least one workmanlike win ground out by the tallest pacer in the country, Meadowbranch Ideal who rarely wins on the bridle. Foxfield Magician (Simon Duggan) stayed on well for second while the favourite Kiki Girl and Billy Roche faded having made the running, and filled third.
JR brought up yet another double when Dragons Den overcame a 10-yard trail to come round the dependable Earnies Dream (Alex Cuffe). Earnies Dream is the only standardbred campaigned out of Co Sligo at the moment. He always manages to find one too good for him. Alex is getting good fun out of Earnies Dream.
Sean Kane’s string are finding their form in late season. Batingo does not look an easy drive but Sean has him trotting well. The obvious danger Epsom Des Corvees (Darren Timlin) jumped it off on the first turn.
Billy Roche also drove a double on the card. The tall reinsman is convinced that Cheikh De Retz is a right-handed specialist and he has campaigned the seven-year-old almost exclusively going the ‘wrong way’. The ploy is paying off and Cheikh De Retz (5/4 to 4/6) rewarded his backers after Avenir Du Vauvert and young Luke Timlin cut the pace.
Race of the day
The concluding top grade trot was the best race of the day. The Omeath runner Typhee (Brendan Morgan) bravely attempted to make all. He was ambushed on the line by man of the moment Jonny Cowden on Seamus Corey’s Amitie Briangault. Best Of Burois and Wayne Swindle put in some performance although only officially finishing third.
Passing the farm last time around, Best Of Burois was behind a wall of horses. He was only beaten a quarter length and a half-length, a mighty run in horrible conditions.
The track at Annaghmore is thought to be easier to get round than Portmarnock. A glass-fronted bar and diner should be ready for next season. Full compliments to Ivan Swindle, Sean Duggan, Jonathan Nixon and other team members on keeping the venue open.
Racing resumes at Portmarnock tomorrow (2pm start). There will be a full card of trotting and pacing and some children’s races, the Tiny Hooves series. The track is off the R107 near Kinsealy Chapel. Newcomers welcome.
Results and information can be viewed at www.irishharnessracing.com
DONAL Murphy and brother Tadhg worked their way up the ranks starting with old Schell Smoke, a Walter Cunningham special over 30 years ago.
The brothers could not have imagined that Donal would end up at the shoulder of a leading buyer at the Lexington Fall Sales, year after year. The brothers have formed a Willie Mullins/Rich Ricci type success story with Bill Donovan of Florida.
“Bill calls me his second set of eyes,” Donal told The Irish Field from Kentucky during the week, “we like to walk round all the yearlings he has ringed in his catalogue.”
Donal and Donovan checked out the two first million dollar yearlings in the harness industry. “Both were impossible to fault,” said Donal. The $1.1 million colt is a full-brother to the top three-year-old over here, Greenshoe. The $1.0 million colt is a full-brother to Propulsion who is a hard-knocking racehorse in Scandinavia.” Neither colt will be coming to Portmarnock, the buyers were Canadian trucking magnate Bradley Grant and a Swedish syndicate respectively.
The more expensive of the two is a Father Patrick and the ‘only’ $1 million colt is a Muscle Hill. If you’ve strayed here from the thoroughbred pages believe me that’s blue blood in trotting pedigrees.
As for the Donovan shopping list: “Bill bought around 10 yearlings. I really hope he sends the Betting Line colt to Baltimore for breaking,” continued Murphy.
Donal was leaving Kentucky to spend a few days with Ballydehob man Robbie Cleary who is enjoying great success stateside as a trainer for Bill Donovan and other owners. Robbie is based at White Birch Farms in New Jersey. The training tips that the two swap over the dinner table could well affect results in Ireland in 2020.
STEVIE Lees, originally from Walsall, has many friends in Ireland. The mercurial driver, often called ‘The Little Genius’ in this column is loved by racing followers on both sides of the Irish Sea for his never-say-die approach to racing.
Stevie Lees celebrates / Nadina Ironia
His path has not always been conventional and he has been hired and fired time and again. These days Lees is enjoying a resurgence in his career.
For instance, he won the Famous Musselburgh Pace 2019 on board a catch drive, namely Matticulous. Stevie has an able helper in the shape of Stevie junior who is also an accomplished commentator.
Harness racing was once strong in the English midlands but these days is on the wane.
Fortunately leading owners the Fletcher family from Wolverhampton have organised the facility at Dunstall Park for an almighty end-of-season party in recent years.
Last Sunday’s renewal featured an 11-race card and Stevie won an amazing six races. The highlight was the win by Ayr Regal in the highest grade pace as the horse has battled away in the top tier all season.
Cumbria-based Huschka Brothers owned two of Stevie’s winners and another three partnered by other drivers. Harness racing has (so far) not managed to make it into the SP chains despite various approaches. As the combined odds of Stevie’s six timer were 39,929/1 Ladbrokes and Paddy Power will be glad it was far away.