THE 22-year-old Calvin Broughan from Cabra ruled the roost at Annaghmore last Sunday, with a trotting treble aboard his own Making Memories, Gentleman d’Alesa and Jim Galways’ Kaos De La Cote.
Calvin and Christy ‘Hopper’ Foran are on Bettystown beach frequently with their horses. To borrow Gary Player’s great quip, ‘The harder I practice, the luckier I get’.
Kaos De La Cote (7/4 best) won a hot-looking little grade F trot. Patrick Kane jnr made life tricky with Kepi De Chrismi, but Kaos De La Cote seemed to relish the outside run and soon ate up the deficit.
“He’s a lovely horse and I think he can go up a few grades,” said Calvin.
Gentleman d’Alesa, with his low head carriage, trotted with metronome-like rhythm to take out the D to E grade trot. Krack Marancourt got silver for Tyrone-based Simon Duggan.
“Gentleman was a surprise, I thought he was a bit short of work,” stated Calvin. “He felt very free and brave.”
Unbeaten
Calvin’s other winner was the unbeaten Making Memories in the four-year-old trot. Moet Of Springhill looks to be the best of Joe Sheridan’s crop and ran the winner to within two lengths under the guidance of Jonny ‘Be Good’ Cowden.
John Richardson showed a few nice youngsters in the qualifiers before racing and won the grade G pace with another nice prospect, Wayne McNevin’s RD Five Star (1/3 favourite). The winner is by the wonder sire Sweet Lou and 2.01.1 was recorded with a second or two up J.R.’s sleeve.
John made it a double on the day, when the diminutive Meadowbranch Lilmil (5/2), also a Sweet Lou, saw off the well-supported Tarawood Larry in 2.00.7
“She keeps improving - she met a few setbacks when she was young, but hopefully these are far behind her,” was J.R.’s comment. The winner goes back to Churchill Queen.
The Freddie Kavanagh Supporters Club raised the loudest cheer of the day, when they had a 1-2 in the top grade trot. Joy Da Vinci (1/2 favourite) vied for the lead with stable companion Hernani d’Orient (Shane Moore), until the former prevailed.
Bishopsland Saturday \ Tim Kelleher
GET Me Out Of Here lit up proceedings when landing the top-grade pace at a sun-drenched Bishopsland last Saturday, completing a double for Drimoleague-based driver Matthew O’Reilly and trainer, his father Tadhg.
Benny Camden was all the rage in the betting, but Get Me Out Of Here led for the opening two laps then kicked again to lead home IB Paddington by three lengths. The winner was overdue the win after runner-up spots on his last two runs.
Earlier in the day, Rewrite Sport kicked off the O’Reilly double in the Grade G pace. Anglesey Beeline was the early leader from Coalford Belief. On the final circuit, Rewrite Sport was produced and quickly ran away from his six rivals to record an eight-length winning margin for Innishannon-based owners Shane Crowley and Cathal Kelleher. It was also a training double for Tadhg O’Reilly.
“The lads had a lot of work done with him before he came to us and we changed a few things with him and he seems to have turned the corner after last year,” the winning trainer explained after racing.
The top-grade trot had only four runners, but produced a race that will live long in the memory.
Top imports
Graal Du Dollar has been one of the top imports over the last couple of seasons and was a warm order to oblige. Hallow Way Road was away early in the mile and a half event and led to the judge on the first lap. Here, Graal Du Dollar took over, but was never more than two lengths in front.
On the final lap, the pair were as one on the back straight with neither playing their cards. Turning for home, it was still Graal Du Dollar in front and on the run-in Hallow Way Road came alongside, and the pair flashed past the finishing line. After the photo finish, Hallow Way Road was given the verdict by a short head.
“We bred him at home in Leap and he went up in the handicap quickly enough and today was the first time in a while that he’s been drawn off the front. At times, it’s hard to rouse him up when he’s off the back. I wasn’t sure if we got up but we’re delighted,” winning driver Patrick Hill told The Irish Field. His father Pete owns the nine-year-old at Hillside Farm, Leap.
Kelly on his travels
Racing opened with a win for Lee Kelly with Check Out Lou. Kelly, who trains out of the Newtown Stud in north county Dublin, made the journey down south a winning one.
Streams Of Whiskey, with “The Pacing Pensioner” John Boyle in the bike, set the early fractions from IB Felicity in tow. The pair looked to have slipped the field, but Brynllo Caio and Check Out Lou were closing in on the home straight, with Check Out Lou getting up in the dying strides to deny Brynllo Caio by half a length.
Baltimore driver Donal Murphy, came out of semi-retirement to steer Gentleman Coglais to victory in the grade E to F trot. Irish Good Dream was in front until going off stride giving Gentleman Coglais the advantage and they led home stable companion Hippie Sisu and Brutenor.
Loudest cheer of the day came in the grade D to E trot where Kya Ferfay, owned locally in Caheragh by Gavin Harrington, made his Irish debut a winning one. Driven by James O’Driscoll, the pair didn’t hang about, leading from the start and never looked in any danger staying on to win by two lengths from Humour de Cosse. The well-gaited six-year-old looks to be well suited with the grass surfaces and is sure to garner more success.
Decent contest
The grade D to E pace, a five-runner affair, looked a decent contest, and it didn’t disappoint. Turning for home, Christy Brown was shadowed by Emily Rose and Benny The Legend, with Lady Lou just in behind. Benny the Legend saw daylight and flashed past the leaders to win for Reenascreena-based Jamie Hurley driving for his father James.
The well-presented Bishopsland venue stages racing again tomorrow at 2.30pm. Annaghmore Raceway stages the Bernie Kelly Memorial Trot and Pace. Full results can be seen at Irish Harness Racing Association social media, with video replays on the IHRA You Tube channel.
Lyre new hard track fundraising receives a significant boost - more donations needed
SINCE our last edition, a dedicated sub-committee of the IHRA has launched a Go Fund Me page to help complete the work at the new hard track at Lyre, near Clonakilty.
My understanding is that over €350,000 of grant money, plus a further sum, has been used up laying the actual track. The local committee have a target of €40,000 to raise to complete essentials like railings, a winner’s enclosure, toilets, public area, tarmac work etc.
No sooner had the page been launched, but it got a boost when an anonymous donor said that he/she would match any donations pledged before Thursday, June 25th. Put simply, your €100 becomes worth €200 if donated before Thursday of next week.
The link is https://www.gofundme.com/f/lyre-raceway-development-fund.
The committee are working to a projected opening date for the ‘Red John Memorial Weekend’, previously run on grass, provisionally July 11th and 12th.
The West Cork region has a proud tradition of regulated trotting both saddle and sulky. Eventually a grandstand and permanent stables will be installed, with certain trainers based at the track. The larger meetings will benefit the local economy. The facility will also include a football pitch for nearby Knockskeagh National School.
Donations are urgently needed to get this ambitious project over the line.
If you were to turn up with hammer, paint brush or spirit level, you’d hardly be turned away.
EIGHT runners with Irish connections faced the starter at The Famous Musselburgh Pace meeting last weekend.
Gui McCullough’s Wots A Wash was the sole Irish winner, with Sweet Joe (Rhyce Carroll) and Northern Pride (Troy McAleer) both placed. The big final was won by Ryan Inglis (26) from Stirling with Tejays Gem.
“His grandad (Alec McDonald) would be so proud,” said Jean Inglis, Ryan’s mum.