GLENBEIGH Races were unfortunate to coincide with the harshest weather conditions endured this year and this resulted in the cancellation of Saturday’s card.
A rearranged fixture took place on Sunday, starting at 11.30am with the main races from Saturday’s card added. Extreme conditions made for a challenging day.
The 11 races run provided some exciting finishes with Mikey Sheehy and Shane Crosse grabbing the biggest wins of their fledgling careers and Gavin Ryan will also be glad the racing went ahead as he rode his first winner.
The Glenbeigh Invitational is the true championship race of the calendar with all horses meeting on level-weights over a two-mile trip and On The Edge, who had won twice in the 15hh class at the recent Dingle meeting, took this, the most valuable race in the country, under a polished ride from Cahir, Co. Tipperary rider Shane Crosse.
BRAVE EFFORT
Ross Sugrue made a brave effort on Forgive And Forget and it was only inside the final two furlongs they gave way as On The Edge got the better of him by just over a length. The winner is trained in Bantry, Co. Cork by Isobel Burke for Alex Hamilton.
The intended feature of Saturday, The Griffin Cup, sponsored by London-based Glenbeigh businessman John Griffin, was run earlier in the day and that saw Mikey Sheehy get his biggest ever winner as he got Call The Guards home by a neck in a thrilling three-way drive for the line with Ballybrown Boy and Squeeze Your Knees dead-heating for second.
The winner is owned and trained by Ian Worrell in Kildangan, Co. Kildare. This was part of a four-timer for Sheehy as he had a day to remember. He opened his account with victory in the 12.2hh race as Another Tiger made all to win from the Conor Walsh-ridden veteran Tail To Tail.
Sheehy then took the 14.2hh race for Tarbert owner Noel Brosnan as The Low Road led from half-way with Rory and Daniel King taking the minor honours on Rossa Park and Oopsy Daisy respectively.
Sheehy completed his four-timer in the 12-furlong race as The Three Sisters repeated his victory of 12 months previously as he stretched clear from two furlongs out for Dingle owner/trainer Joe O’Brien. This denied Darragh O’Keeffe on runner-up Shannon Breeze a winning send-off from pony racing as he heads off to England to join the stable of Jennie Candlish.
Danny Sheehy also enjoyed a good day as he recorded a double. He took the two-mile race as The Lane Road, a winner in Courtmacsherry, showed his liking for the strand with an impressive win when Danny brought him through from the Fabio Neto-ridden Mr. Bush. Danny then teamed-up with Never Say Never in the mile race, where he was always in prominent before stretching away from the Liam Gilligan-ridden Banned Substance. The winner is trained for Dingle-based Gary O’Boyle by Adrian Browne.
Browne also took the opening 10-furlong race with Athea Jade winning under a confident drive from his nephew Dylan Browne-McMonagle.
Sixteen-year-old Gavin Ryan, from Killenaule in Tipperary has recently started in Jim Bolger’s having gained his initial experience with Aidan Kennedy and Edward O’Grady.
CHARGE
He marked this new stage of his career with his first horse and pony racing winner as Catch Him took the maiden race for Fionnuala Hand, from Lispole near Dingle. Ryan swept to the front off the bend and then held on in a four-way charge to the line.
Michael O’Connor had to settle for the runners-up spot here, but he went home happy as he registered a double. That’s Our Grouse landed his fourth win of the campaign, with a decisive win in the 15hh race.
O’Connor hit the front at the distance and strode clear on his father Pat’s charge. The rider then took the finale, a local race where he made all on Close Encounters, who was winning this race for a sixth time for Dooks owner Mary McGillicuddy. The other riders in the sequence were Connor King, Oisin Murphy, Jack Kennedy and Killian Leonard.
Open Horse Race (10F): 1, A. Browne’s ATHEA JADE (Dylan Browne-McMonagle); 2, P. Moloney’s RAZZLE DAZZLE (Mikey Sheehy); 3, Castle Racing Syndicate’s PABLO ESCOBAR (Liam Gilligan).
12.2HH Race (7F): 1, Five Counties Syndicate’s ANOTHER TIGER (Mikey Sheehy); 2, Three Counties Syndicate’s TAIL TO TAIL (Conor Walsh); 3, J.J. O’Keeffe’s TEMPLEHILL TAMARA (Andrew Slattery).
14.2HH Race (1M): 1, N. Brosnan’s THE LOW ROAD (Mikey Sheehy); 2, R. King’s ROSSA PARK (Rory King); 3, R. King’s OOPSY DAISY (Daniel King).
15HH Race (1M): 1, P. O’Connor’s THAT’S OUR GROUSE (Michael O’Connor); 2, Three Counties Syndicate’s FARMER BOYCE (Danny Sheehy); 3, P. O’Sullivan’s THE BOSSES DAUGHTER (Shane Crosse).
Open Horse Race (2M): 1, Five Counties Syndicate’s THE LANE ROAD (Danny Sheehy); 2, B. O’ Riordan’s MR BUSH (Fabio Neto); 3, Three Counties Syndicate’s SECOND CHANCE (Mikey Sheehy).
Glenbeigh Derby (12F): 1, I. Worrell’s CALL THE GUARDS (Mikey Sheehy); Dead heat 2, Castle Racing’s SQUEEZE YOUR KNEES (Darragh O’Keeffe) and Deelview Syndicate’s BALLYBROWN BOY (Rory King).
Glenbeigh Invitational (2M): 1, A. Hamilton’s ON THE EDGE (Shane Crosse); 2, R. Sugrue’s FORGIVE AND FORGET (Ross Sugrue); 3, B. Maher’s WHO’S YOUR DADDY (Danny Sheehy).
Open Horse Race (12F): 1, J. O’Brien’s THE THREE SISTERS (Mikey Sheehy); 2, R. Keane’s SHANNON BREEZE (Darragh O’Keeffe); 3, A. Hamilton’s EYE CONTACT (Shane Crosse).
Open Horse Race (1M): 1, G. O’Boyle’s NEVER SAY NEVER (Danny Sheehy); 2, M. Flannery’s BANNED SUBSTANCE (Liam Gilligan); 3, D. Foley’s TOP OF THE MORNING (Mikey Sheehy).
Maiden Horse Race (1M): 1, K. Hand’s CATCH HIM (Gavin Ryan); 2, Tyner Syndicate’s SOMETHING I NEED (Michael O’Connor); 3, B. Maher’s TOP OF THE RANGE (Shane Crosse).
Local Horse Race (1M): 1, M. McGillycuddy’s CLOSE ENCOUNTER (Michael O’Connor); 2, G. O’Connor’s YOU’LL NEVER FIND OUT (Fabio Neto); 3, V. Moriarty’s OBI ONE KNOBI (Darragh Moriarty).