THE late, great Dr Vincent O’Brien was born on April 9th, 1917 so to celebrate the centenary and remember the legendary trainer and his career, this season’s Duhallow Foxhounds’ meeting at Liscarroll on Sunday, March 26th is being run in his memory.

The Co Cork track, which has been in continuous use for racing since 1954, is just four miles from Clashganiff where Vincent’s nephew Noel O’Brien, a dairy farmer who bred the brilliant chaser Merry Gale among other winners, resides in the original homestead.

It was the trainer’s eldest daughter Elizabeth McClory who first approached the Liscarroll point-to-point committee about acknowledging the centenary of Dr O’Brien’s birth and a huge effort is being made to ensure the day is a success and a fitting tribute to “One of the Parish”.

Already pupils at crèches and National Schools in Churchtown and Liscarroll are working on paintings for the meeting. They will all receive a certificate and the winning and reserve paintings from each class, judged by a local artist, will be on view in a special marquee at the venue. There too, visitors will find reports and writings about Dr O’Brien, some racing silks and a superb display of photographs, many of which were taken by his late wife, Jacqueline.

Eight foot by four foot images of the trainer will be outside the weigh-room and in the parade-ring where there will also be a horseshoe arch where photographs will be taken of each winning horse and its connections. Winning owners will receive a specially-inscribed silver tray to mark the occasion. Funding is being provided by Coolmore’s National Hunt division.

Members of Dr O’Brien’s family will be in attendance at the meeting, as will Jimmy Gordon who was a key man in the trainer’s operation in the early days and travelled many of the great National Hunt horses to England. In recent years, locally-based Jimmy could be found helping Michael Winters.

Hopefully the on-track action will match that of previous years. Among the many successful Liscarroll graduates is the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Denman who won the second of two well-filled divisions of the five-year-old maiden at the Duhallow fixture in 2005.

Up until last weekend, five of the six winners at the 2015 meeting have won 23 races between them and, while last year’s five-year-old mares’ maiden winner, Silent Steps, has yet to justify her subsequent £70,000 price tag, the second, Coillte Lass, has won three of her four starts over hurdles for the Paul Nicholls yard.

Third last time out at level weights in Doncaster to Vroum Vroum Mag, the daughter of Beneficial is heading for the mares’ novice hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.