THE Duggan yard from Cappagh, Co Tyrone was the headline act at Annaghmore last Sunday. The short trip over the county line proved fruitful as Tiernan Loughran drove a double for the cousins Sean and Simon.

The Duggans deserve credit for sticking at it. Since the dependable Rhyds Boots hung up said boots and the classy Abraham also retired caravan distributor Sean has found it hard to replace them. Rhyds Boots in particular was a real winning machine.

Foxfield Stephen was bred by the McEntees in Crossmaglen and is by the talented but fragile Lyons Stephen. He caused an upset on Sunday, overturning Beat The Clock (4/5 fav) under Jonny Cowden. Beat The Clock could not get out early in the race but to be fair the win was emphatic.

The third horse, Check On Dancer went off stride again at the start and made up acres of ground. Should the Kanes get his head sorted he will go up the grades.

Tiernan’s other winner was a trotter, Coraile De Belande. He has been lightly raced this term. The 10-year-old beat another ‘jolly’ Emil Paco (4/6) on a day where the layers had the better of the battle. Antrim man Jonny Cowden ran second to the Tyrone entry again.

Jonny Cowden gave Long Island Art what Shark Hanlon would call a ‘peach of a drive’ to win the Grade G Pace. The winner raced in the name of Christy Foran, but the Galway family from the Colin area in Belfast were out in force in the winners enclosure.

The winner wears ‘spreaders’ (padded straps which run from a horses elbows to widen his action in front). He has a real daisy cutter action and looks a nice prospect for the Galways who are great supporters of IHRA venues.

“He seems a nice type,” said Jonny Cowden. “I was only out to look after him and educate him and he’s gone and won it.”

Treble

Gavin Murdock was also a contender for this weeks’ headline. He drove a treble but Tiernan’s races were perhaps harder fought affairs – Gavin’s three wins came in two-, three- and four-runner contests. Ayr Balmoral, Oakwood Paddy and Oakwood Cowboy were the Market man’s three winners at 1/6, 1/5 and 4/6. Even a tenner treble would not win the diesel money.

At the same time, the prize money of €1,250 to the winner was decent in Balmoral and Paddy’s races. The fixture had long been planned as the finals of the IHRA Sires Stakes series.

Unfortunately in Britain and Ireland this concept throws up small fields whereas in the US, sires stakes racing is a major component.

Martina McNulty, mother of Ruairi who owned all three winners had all the family on hand for the winners’ enclosure photos. The first two legs of Gavin’s treble were little more than a workout as the SPs suggest.

Won and lost

Many harness races are won and lost at the start. A bit like Patrick Kane junior recently on Ladyford Dollar, Gavin was decisive behind the car and rousted the tall son of Foreclosure out of the four hole for an all the way victory.

IB Notorious (fourth for Wayne Mc Nevin) loves ‘the top’ and if Gavin had allowed him to lead then Paddy may have been parked out and therefore expended all his energy. It really is a two-minute long game of chess.

The doughty North To Alaska put in his usual genuine performance for second money with Noel Ryan. The race pulled up in 2’02.3. The winning times tend to slow up as the autumn takes hold.

In the Sires Stakes for two-year-old fillies there was a good advert for the breeding of the IB Stables, so called as it is located at Innis Beg, Baltimore. Wayne McNevin bought IB Sweet Candy Girl from the Murphys recently and he beat the one they retained, IB Lily. Both are by Sweet Lou, available by AI at Oakwood Stud, Offaly.

Donal had better luck when he drove Angelo Hannon’s Hippie Sisu to her second win in as many weeks in the E and F Trot.

Sean Kane’s Just In Time continues to dominate the three-year-old trotter ranks. It would be great for the Kanes, and Ireland if the gelding could make it in France in 2023 as the like of Ella Lou Lou and Hi Fidelity were unlucky to pick up injuries when ready to run over there.

John Richardson kept his drivers title hopes alive as Shesnoaprilfool beat Buster Gilligan’s Jessies Hallmark in a match for the three-year-old fillies’ sires stakes.

“We have brought her on slowly and she is something to look forward to at four,” Richardson said.

Going day

Check On Dancer may have let the side down for Team Kane in the Medium Grade Pace, but Sunday was a going day for Porterstown Roman (3/1) who has his moments as well. Patrick Kane junior replied to John’s winner by winning the Grade F Pace and overturning Stateside Cody (4/5 fav).

Churchview Frankel was the only entry for the sires stakes four-year-old division and earned a true walkover. Owners of his rivals in the top-class pacing class will be dismayed to see that he clocked 2’00.4 without another horse to chase him on.

Results and racecards can be seen at www.irishharnessracing.com Replays of all races are on the Irish Harness Racing Facebook page.

Racing continues tomorrow at Portmarnock start time 2pm. The track is just off the R107 turn in at Kinsealey Chapel.

IN the same week that messrs Gordon Elliott and Shark Hanlon cleaned up in New Jersey, the world of trotting was focussed on the International Trot at Yonkers Raceway, New York.

Instigated in 1959 at the now defunct Roosevelt Raceway, the race carries tremendous kudos. The Americans can rightly claim to be the birth nation of harness racing. The French are fiercely proud of their Trotteur Français breed even to the extent of barring American Standardbreds from their stud book, except in measured doses.

The American trotting media seem to revel in criticising visiting drivers. The unkind comments persist even though the Europeans lead 26-15 in terms of wins since the race was founded.

The race has produced some great stories. The 1959 winner Jamin needed to have some artichokes specially supplied. In 1961 the French horse Kracovie had to borrow a companion goat from a New York actress.

Ideal Du Gazeau, a beautiful black stallion became the only three-time winner in 1983 despite his driver’s penchant for sitting for long periods on the outside, much to the bewilderment of New Yorkers.

The 2022 edition will be remembered for the breakneck early pace set by the US-based Swede Ake Svanstedt who was making the pace for a stable companion. Svanstedt was on Ecurie D.

The million-dollar race was won by Cokstile of Norway. The winner was driven by Vincenzo Dell’Annunzia of Italy.

In the true tradition of this clash of cultures American commentators thought that the winning driver was a bit free with the whip and had an untidy style in the sulky.