JONNY Cowden from North Belfast continued his recent run of hot form at Annaghmore last Sunday. The 23-year-old driver recorded a double on the day to go one win behind John Richardson in the race for the national drivers’ title.

Elsewhere on the card Wayne McNevin edged out his daughter Leah in the top grade pace, while Gui McCullough and Be In My Shoes made it two wins for the Ards Peninsula as the season enters the autumn.

The Trotteur Français breed tend to come to their speed more slowly than their American cousins. Ha’penny Chance, Iron Paddy and Hot To Trot are all examples of horses who took a while to get their act together. Jonny and Noel Cowden have given I’m Just Like Mam loads of time to learn her craft. She has been steadily improving and finally beat the odds-on favourite Just Like Mam (Sean Kane) in the four-year-old series.

At the other end of the age scale stands Beat The Clock, a nine-year-old Kikicolt gelding out of the Cowdens’ racemare Gee n’ Tee. Beat The Clock has been mixing it in tough company for three years and got an overdue win in the Grade E to F pace. Jonny produced Beat The Clock at the right moment to nail the front-running Alexander Camden (Wattie Stewart).

Jonny comes in for plenty of catch drives and, with six meetings scheduled between now and Halloween, the young pretender will give John Richardson a tough battle for the leading driver table. Jonny is due to represent Ireland in the European Apprentice Championships in Malta on October 29th.

The sport could do with cloning Wayne McNevin from Rathcoole. A roof space adapter by profession, he is good for two and sometimes three entries every week and his runners are always put into the race. Wayne drove IB Notorious who clocked a healthy 1.59.9 in beating North To Alaska (Noel Ryan) and Benny Camden, driven by Wayne’s daughter Leah.

Nice hands

Charlie Flanagan was the only other lady driver across 42 entries. She has a business administering massage theory to all breeds of horses. The Ballyboughal woman also has nice hands behind a trotter and piloted the dependable Biniou De Beuvron to his second win from his last six starts. Charlie was quick out of the gate and was always in control.

Hopper Foran has really found the key to Ha’penny Chance (2/1 best) and the mare scored another all-the-way victory in winning the C to D trot. Decent yardstick Duca De Leau was second with Cooley’s Martin Loughran.

Gui McCullough, who lives near Cloghy beach in Co Down, gave Be In My Shoes a great drive to beat a fellow Ards man, Peter Lyttle, who drove his homebred Let There Be Rock in the Grade F pace. There was confidence behind the winner as the market (5/2 to 6/4) will testify.

The McCulloughs are about the last family from the Shankill Road in Belfast to actively race. The area was once full of yards where a variety of pacers and trotters were stabled. ‘“Make sure to mention the Heel and Ankle,” Gui’s proud grandfather Eddie quipped, referencing the area’s old nickname, as he posed for the winner’s photograph.

Another long-standing harness racing family got on the scoresheet when third generation driver Adam Corey gave Extrem Ryld a confident drive to beat a field of useful aged trotters in the A and B Grade trot. Omeath raider Ecrin de Grimault (Noel Ryan) looked menacing at the farmyard second time around but galloped. Trotting is the name of the game.

“He left the gate better today,” Adam took us through the race. “He trotted the half in 1.01, with the mile in 2.03 and home in 2.36 [most harness drivers carry a stopwatch to ‘rate’ their horse]. Once I got past Jonny Cowden on Emil Paco the war was over.”

The second horse, Ecrin De Grimault, recovered well from his skip and should pay his way this autumn.

IB Lily, driven by Patrick Kane, showed her liking for a hard track with a cheeky win in the Grade G pace for the transatlantic partnership of O’Donovan and Murphy. She too goes into the horses to follow notebook. Patrick was educating the filly and the result flatters the second, EJ’s Dragoness (Ryan Hanson).

Racing resumes tomorrow at Annaghmore, take junction 13 off the M1.

Web: irishharnessracing.com

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