THE curtain came down on a historic year for harness racing in West Cork on Saturday afternoon in Lyre. 2026 saw the opening of the government-funded all-weather hard track at Lyre, the envy of many - both here in Ireland and all over Europe.

With Europe in mind, it seemed fitting that the 2026 European Apprentice Driving Champion Driver Eoin Murphy would sign off the season with a double on the day. The highlight came in the Grade B C and A2 trot. Murphy had the choice of two of his retained IB Stable runners and sided with Kirio Scott.