A NEW name joined the list of race sponsors at Downpatrick last Friday afternoon when the two-mile, three-furlong maiden hurdle ran under the banner of the Irish Thoroughbred Agency.org “Ex Racehorses Finding Their Forever Home”.

Donaghcloney-based Suzy Barkley runs the Irish arm of the British and Irish Thoroughbred Agency which is involved in the retraining and rehoming of ex-racehorses while Monique Lyle is the contact in Britain.

The Agency has two high-profile ambassadors in Sneezy Foster and Henry de Bromhead who both sent out winners on Friday but unfortunately not in the sponsored race where the de Bromhead-trained favourite, Western Cowboy, was beaten into second by the Barry Connell-owned and trained Enniskerry.

“Gary O’Brien gave us great publicity on Racing TV and, as the horses were making their way to post, said it would be apt if Western Cowboy won,” said Barkley who, of course, had to watch the racing at home on television.

“Also, it was great that, despite the length of the race title, Jerry Hannon (whose first racecourse commentary had come at this meeting 21 years ago) kept calling it out. We also sponsored the catering unit in the stableyard and that went down well. The team at Downpatrick were very helpful in making it happen.”

Suzy reports that the Agency is very busy following the conclusion of the National Hunt season. “We have trainers contacting us about horses they want to rehome. We take a lot of time to match these horses to their forever homes and follow up with phone calls every few weeks.

Do the job

“I have to mention Paddy Burns who is a great help when it comes to lifting horses for us – he knows everyone in racing and knows where all the yards are so, if we ring him, we know he will do the job for us in the shortest time.”

As well as running the Agency, Suzy had six racehorses in work over the winter but, as most have gone out to grass, has just the nine-year-old Mr Dinos gelding Mcquinn to run over the summer months.

Using social media, Downpatrick Racecourse gave their sponsors some nice publicity ahead of Friday’s meeting and while the majority of the winners were trained in the south, the opening Molson Coors Maiden Hurdle over two-miles, six-furlong was won by Gladiatorial who is trained in Draperstown by Noel Kelly for William Brown.

The successful six-year-old Fame And Glory gelding was ridden by Coleraine-born, Kildare-based jockey Jody McGarvey who enjoyed this trip north far better than his journey south on Sunday to Killarney where he received some nasty blows to his face following his unseating from Whatucallher at the second fence in the two and a half-mile handicap chase, his only ride of the day.

Racing takes place at Downpatrick again next Friday, May 21st.