ON the eve of the Galway Festival, the Errismore races returned to the fray in Ballyconnelly last Sunday.

Priscilla McNamara and her long-standing committee put together a top-class card and they were duly rewarded with some brilliant finishes.

Jockey Nicola Burns will not have minded the persistent rain throughout the afternoon and she was crowned leading jockey with three winners. This adds to her four-timer a week earlier in Ballinagare. Patrick McGettigan landed the featured J. F. King Memorial Derby on his flagship horse King Of The Hill.

Another Plan staked his claim for a Dingle mile contest as part of a Dylan O’Connor double on the day.

Nicola Burns continued her scintillating form and she kicked off her treble when Little Chief put up a fine performance to win the 14.2hh contest over a mile.

Jimmy and Mary Brady’s pony duly followed up his Ballinagare victory when staying on strongly up the straight to deny An Capall Dubh by a length.

Happy team

Nicola then kept her home team happy when Chancy Money came home late and fast to win the 15hh race from the brave front runner Fiadh’s Fancy. The winner will have a choice of engagements in Dingle from the 15hh division to the mile in open company.

The treble came courtesy of the impressive She’s Got It who put up a stellar weight carrying performance when landing the 12-furlong race for owner Shane Crabbe.

The winner led on the far side and stayed on strongly to win by a length and a half from the longtime leader Mr James. The winner further strengthens Shane’s already formable Dingle contingent.

Patrick McGettigan will have his first Lee Strand Dingle Derby ride on Lisa Cregg’s King Of The Hill who put up a teak tough performance to win the featured two-mile Derby in a head-bobbing finish from Bipolar Blondie under Adam Grant.

The winner bounced out and made every inch of the running and despite the bravest of challenges from Bipolar Blondie held on by a short-head at the line. Both horses will now head to the festival with strong claims over the weekend.

Another double

Dylan O’Connor warmed up for the festival with yet another double courtesy of Hello Star and Another Plan respectively.

Hello Star made the long trek from Listowel and was duly rewarded when leading from halfway to win the opening 13.2hh contest for the Curly Syndicate.

Shane Gildea made the marathon trip from Donegal and he was on the mark when Another Plan regained the winning thread to land the hugely competitive mile contest. Dylan timed the fractions to perfection here and in another driving finish held off Maverick by half a length.

Shane has always held the winner in the highest regard and he will now be a strong contender for Dingle glory.

John Mulvihill, fresh from a famous victory in Scotland on Friday afternoon again combined with Tipperary’s Kathy Flannery to land the 10-furlong non winners’ race with Right On Time.

This horse who won a division of the Dingle consolation race last season, will now head back to the festival after making most of the running here.

Tipperary jockey Sam Coen who won the opener in Dingle last year on Ya Skitter got the perfect send off to the 2023 renewal when Kinnegar Boy put up a really smooth performance to win the 10-furlong contest for Noel McLoughlin’s Team Mac Racing.

The winner led from three furlongs down and ran on strongly to beat the favourite Hey Cowboy under Julian Pietropaolo.

Next fixtures

The Dingle Racing Festival runs from Friday 11th to Sunday, August 13th next and entries are now closed.

Allihies will go ahead on Tuesday, August 15th while Geesala, Co. Mayo, will run on grass on Sunday, August 20th.

Sunday July 30th

13.2HH (1M): 1, Curly Syndicate’s HELLO STAR (Dylan O’Connor); 2, J. O’Sullivan’s SORE LOSER (Shay Wallace); 3, S. Carey’s DIAMOND NEL (Adam Browne Souza).

14.2HH (1M): 1, J.& M. Brady’s LITTLE CHIEF (Nicola Burns); 2, K. Connell’s AN CAPALL DUBH (Adam Browne Souza); 3, N. Holohan’s TAKE A CHANCE (Reese Holohan).

15HH (1M)): 1, D. Burns CHANCY MONEY (Nicola Burns); 2, J. McGettigan’s FIADH’S FANCY (Patrick McGettigan); 3, I. Worrell/S. Crabbe’s WHAT’S GOING ON (Adam Grant).

Open Horse Race (1M): 1, S. Gildea’s ANOTHER PLAN (Dylan O’Connor); 2, Finnerty Family’s MAVERICK (Adam Grant); 3, A. Melia’s STAY WITH HER JOHNNY (Julian Pietropaolo).

J.F. King Memorial Derby (2M): 1, L. Cregg’s KING OF THE HILL (Patrick McGettigan); 2, S. Crabbe’s BIPOLAR BLONDIE (Adam Grant); 3, K. Flannery’s BIG TOM (John Mulvihill).

Open Horse Race (10F): 1, Team Mac’s KINNEGAR BOY (Sam Coen); 2, A. Melia’s HEY COWBOY (Julian Pietropaolo); 3, A. Sweeney’s WEST BOOTS (Patrick McGettigan).

Open Horse Race (12F): 1, S. Crabbe’s SHE’S GOT IT2 (Nicola Burns); 2, Finnerty Family’s MR JAMES (Adam Grant); 3, S. Gildea’s MAKE A PLAN (Sam Coen).

Non Winners’ Race (10F): 1, K. Flannery’s RIGHT ON TIME (John Mulvihill); 2, R. Lynch’s LILLY (Erika Snioch); 3, Finnerty Family’s CARAMORE (Adam Grant).

IN memory of baby Aria Rose, daughter of Shane and Tracey and sister of Brandon, a special horseback ride is underway from Donegal to Dingle to help raise funds for Ronald McDonald House and Cian’s Kennels. This trek is approximately 450 km across country roads.

Baby Aria Rose, whose brother Brandon Wilkie is currently making a big impression on the flat in England was born with complex needs and rare syndrome.

Miraculously however, she continued to defy all the odds for 16 months before losing her battle on February 17th, 2023.

Having spent all her entire life in hospital with only 12 days at home, the family could not have coped without the support of Ronald McDonald House and Cian’s Kennels.

Both wonderful charities provided the family with light in the darkest of days, a roof over their heads and provided food which were true comforts when a child is longterm in hospital care.

The family have set up a GoFundMe Page Aria’s Donegal to Dingle Trek to raise funds as a mark of appreciation for Ronald McDonald House and Cian’s Kennels and to date €8,000 has been raised.

Any support would be really appreciated if you meet them on their trek or go to the GoFundMe page.