THE 2021 renewal of the M50 Skip Hire/Black Horse Juvenile series meeting was a roaring success at Portmarnock Raceway last weekend.

The crowd numbers approached pre-pandemic levels. The bar was open albeit with strict traffic flows in place. A live stream was broadcast on the IHRA Facebook page, and the organisation is gradually improving this aspect.

Main sponsor Brian Redmond had two branded lorries parked in camera shot, as they do in America. Entertainment was provided for young and old. Many faces were in attendance for the first time in 18 months. Perhaps there is a light at the end of the tunnel?

On the track, the man who never grew old, Alan Wallace sent some signals that his stable was in form with a double aboard Caenwood Tribute and A Kind Of Magic.

Happily, the winners on day one carried a few from the smaller yards, the all-important grass roots of the game.

Jonathan Nixon has kept faith in the imposing specimen Brooklyn Trixie who took the D and G Tyres trot. The men from ‘the ranch’ in Crossmaglen landed a touch when debutant Foxfield Da Vinci pulverised the rest in the Donaghy/Cool Cat pace.

Ronan Norton won a division of Le Trot three-year-old series with the forward-looking Iron Paddy, while Moorside Captain finally got his day in the sun for Stephen McHugh. Joe Caffrey grabbed the Gannon Grab Hire trot with Final Jihaime.

No small stables, no sport – so all is well in that regard.

Three winners

Gavin Murdock drove three winners over the weekend and took the opener with the Nixons’ Brooklyn Trixie. The strong nine-year-old was fit on his seasonal reappearance for the Ballycoan (Carryduff) outfit. John Nixon the elder has been racing since before Portmarnock opened in 1969.

Barry McEntee usually has a nice type about the yard and his runners are always fit. Foxfield Da Vinci won the Grade G wherein Larry Camden (Billy Roche) and Foxfield Ranger (Jamie Hurley) were well punted.

Unfortunately for the satchel men, the South Armagh men backed the newcomer at the last minute as well. The winner was impressive, coming from behind for the owner/trainer.

The stallion Rachmaninov Seven, has certainly composed a nice crop of 2018 foals. Iron Paddy won well for Ronan Norton and first time owner Rachel Stewart. “He’s 16.1 hands so I have to give him time,” was Ronan’s comment.

‘The Iceman’ Alan Richardson opened a double over the weekend in winning the Irish Metal Refiners Grade F pace with Moorside Captain. The little son of Kikicolt had form figures of 22242 coming into the event so was not winning out of turn.

The M50 trot and also a pace were the two ‘biggies’ on the weekend. The top 16 ‘square goers’ and also ‘sidewheelers’ in the country were eligible and they did not disappoint. Each competition had two heats with the first four going through to the day two finals.

Heat one of the trot saw a win by Limerick over Kerry when Cartouche Jemiska (Billy Roche) saw off Cakinap (Oisin Quill) following a tough battle down the straight. Limerick-born John Moloney paid into Le Trot scheme and picked this mare out of the hat, some find for a first time owner.

Jonny Cowden won heat two with K and T Rafferty’s Extrem Ryld who has great speed and came round Cowden’s mentor John Richardson who was on Columbia d’ Oysse.

Crowd hopping

The pacing version had the crowd hopping. Heat one went the way of favourite Transparency and Alan Richardson wining in 1.59.6 from Beat The Clock (Jonny Cowden). The son of Share The Delight was many people’s idea of the final winner. Alan’s cousin John Richardson has been entrusted with the care of Cash All, a big-money purchase in Scotland for the enthusiastic meeting sponsor and ‘the Ballydoyle of Irish trotting’, the Meadowbranch Stud.

The no-nonsense racehorse led out, made all to go within three-10ths of a second of Transparency’s clock. Game on for day two, as they say. Newtown Rock (Alan Wallace snr) was a staying on second after a horrible run where he was constantly obstructed. It pays to watch the beaten horses.

Caenwood Tribute and Alan Wallace snr won the Grade G pace for long standing Wallace ally Rory Bridgette. “I’ve had him since a yearling,” said Rory of the five-year-old. Wallace followed up two races later with a win for the McNultys aboard A Kind Of Magic.

Joe Caffrey drove his first winner of 2021 when Final Jihaime scored in a Grade E trot. Joe had the same understated manner of his grandfather Hughie Richardson as he told The Irish Field. “It was nice to win with her. I thought I had the other fellow right (1947 was a non-runner) but he trod on a stone, so it’s nice to get a bit of good luck.”

The meeting closed with Joe’s cousin John Richardson winning division two of the three-year-old Trotteurs Français quite easily with Immaculata. The runner-up Isabella Greggane (Billy Roche) will win races once she gets experience.

Negatives

Our coverage prefers to accentuate the positive, but negatives have to be flagged up as well. At least five or six late driver changes were announced long after the main run through of same.

There must be a simpler system for the hard working stewards to collate this information, crucially important on two levels, for those in attendance and if large media outlets are to take Irish trotting seriously.