MUSSELBURGH is the Cheltenham of trotting and, like the great Cotswold fixture, it relies heavily on the Irish raiders to brighten up the proceedings. The meeting, which began in 1894, has suffered in recent years due to track renovations, clashes with other fixtures and a general downturn in British trotting.

However, Jim Kemp and Craig Stevenson and their hard working committee still managed to serve up nine good races last Saturday and 13 more on the Sunday. Well known thoroughbred commentator Darren Owen gave the event some gravitas and it was nice to see silver-tongued Dublin man Thomas Bennett doing the paddock interviews.

There was a paucity of Irish runners this year, maybe a dozen entries at best. The visitors fared badly, with one exception. Irish Bankers were being turned over quicker than at a Tribunal. The unique course, the marathon trip (one mile three furlongs), the right-handed turns and the notorious road crossing early in the back straight soon saw many Irish punters scrunching their tickets.

It’s not hindsight when I say that it’s all very well having your horse jumping out of his skin in Swords, but the problem is that down in Derbyshire and Cumbria they’re equally so fit that you could hardly walk them. And so the Irish retreat to plan for next year.

For the record, the best of the Irish was young Simon Duggan from Tyrone. Duggan took the first of five heats of the featured Famous Musselburgh Pace with the Rogue Hall mare, Coalford Silk, and had a great sail in the final, finding only ante-post favourite Sportstrick (Alan Haythorthwaite) too good.

Unfortunately, this was to be the last rowdy Irish winner’s circle of the day. One by one the Irish hard luck stories unfurled. Lyons Nant Hall (Billy Roche) skipped at the road crossing, Bath Lane (John Richardson) was left at the start. Both horses finished in the frame and will go down in the pub discussions as ‘a certainty beaten’.

An interesting piece of trivia occurred on day one’s final (The Hurricane Pace). The celebrated West Lothian meeting has seen a father and son both drive in a final, a mother and daughter in Evelyn Slack and Dianne Sayer, who nowadays mass produce National Hunt winners, and even a stallion against his gelded son. Yet 2016 was another first as 16-year-old John Henry Nicholson from Durham won the final with Cochise, while his mother, Georgina, drove Silver Alert, an also-ran. John Henry won a notable treble and completed a four-timer for the stable over the weekend, as his father John Snr won a heat aboard Epona Star.

PORTMARNOCK

The exodus of horses, or more importantly, spectators meant that Portmarnock on last Sunday was on and off all week. Eventually the meeting went ahead with the consensus being that a meeting on Musselburgh weekend might give the smaller stables a chance.

Indeed it was nice to see J.J. Mc Leod notch up a win as the light blue and white silks turn out week in, week out. Ramun Du Patural was J.J.’s willing partner, he showed a turn of foot to see off long time leader Best Of Burois and John Richardson, who was just off the boat.

The Iceman Allan Richardson took the opener with Dean Russell’s Billy Star and was only narrowly denied when Tonic Scott just failed to last home in the eighth and final contest of the day. Joe Caffrey’s Romalus Augenais scored his first win of 2016 after Tonic had ‘cut the fractions’.

Patrick Kane Jnr divides his time between his father’s Trim base and holding a retainer for some big English yards. The hallowed red and black colours passed the judges box in first place twice on Sunday. Both winners led out and made all. Patrick’s winning drives were Coalford Hardy (G and G1 Pace) and Bipaul Mannetout (right handed French Trot).

The good judges at Portmarnock will tell you that the Oakwood Stud Derby on Sunday, August 14th, looks a two horse race between Miraculous Of Derbyshire and Newtown Rock. The market principals (7/4 and 9/4 before the weekend) had contrasting weekends. At Musselburgh, Kane Jnr destroyed a couple of yardsticks with Miraculous. Meanwhile, back in Dublin, the handsome Newtown Rock ( 4/6 favourite) was never travelling under Alan Wallace and broke when the driver asked him.

Daves Alibi (Noely Ryan) was the winner of Rock’s race in 2.01.3. Alan Wallace would have been buoyed in the very next race when the game little mare Vallanzana picked up a deserved win in the B, C and D Trot. Part-owned by Dublin bookie John ‘Snitch’ Griffin, Vallanzana always tries her best, a trait shared by the owner.

Kerry’s Finbar Quill swerved the meeting at Drimoleague to race at Portmarnock. The Kenmare businessman was rewarded for his 10-hour return journey when son Seamus deposed the well regarded Meadowbranch Millie (JR). Seamus was on King Wills Arrival, one of the few sons of Cams Card Shark to leave the US.

There will be no racing at Portmarnock tomorrow (Sunday) due to a large meeting at Abersytwth, Cardiganshire.

DRIMOLEAGUE

Not bothered by all the fuss at Musselburgh, the Cork club staged the popular Drimoleague meeting. The O’Reilly brothers, Chris and Dennis, had a winner apiece, as did their cousin Sean. Chris drove Lyons Stallone, Dennis had a 10-length rout aboard Immortal Mojo and Sean took the laurels with Springhill Doyle – a product of Joe Sheridan’s well known stud.

The hero at Dundalk, Patrick Hill, once more caused an upset. This time he took the top grade pace, with his own Hail Spartacus, taking no less a scalp than the useful Rhyds Destiny (Mikey Kelleher).

Brywins Starship (Mike Healy) in the Grade G Pace and Rocky Atout (Mick Goggin) in the French Trot were the day’s other winners. The region will race a few more times before the flagship Ballabuidhe meeting in August.

DRIMOLEAGUE RESULTS SUNDAY, JUNE 26TH

GRADE G PACE: 1. Panam Colt/M.Kelleher, 2. Splash The Cash/M. Goggin Jnr, 3. I Told You So/M.O. Reilly, Time: 2.24.8 Dist: 2L; 2L

GRADE D & E PACE: 1. Lyons Stallone/C. O’Reilly, 2. llywns Allstar/Owner, 3. Gadgie Pan/J.Manning, Time: 2.20.1 Dist: 3L;1L

GRADE C D & E PACE: 1. Immortal Mojo/D. O’Reilly, 2. Lakeview Walter/M.O’Reilly, 3. Vyrwny Terror/M.O’Brien, Time: 2.17.8 Dist: 10L; 2L

GRADE G & G1 PACE: 1. Brywins Starship/Owner, 2. Armoured Bear/Owner, 3. Heather Breeze/Owner, Time: 2.22.5 Dist: 1L; 1L

GRADE E & F PACE: Springhill Doyle/M. O’Reilly, 2.Tyson Howard/Owner, 3. Hell Boy/Owner, Time: 2.19.2 Dist: 4L; 2L

LE TROT: 1. Rocky Atout/M. Goggin Jnr, 2. Adagio Du Cebe/M. Kelleher, 3. Socrate Du Noyer/Owner, Time: 3.23.3 Dist: 2L; 4L

GRADE A2 A & B PACE: 1. Hail Spartacus/P. Hill, 2. Rhyds Destiny/M. Kelleher, 3. Rhyds Trixter/D.Murphy, Time: 2.15.9 Dist: 3L; 3L