Local club enjoy successful centenary
GREYHOUNDS COURSING CENTENARY
DUNDALK & DOWDALLSHILL coursing club celebrated its centenary meeting with two great days of sport after Christmas.
Fortunate with the weather, but more important, possessed of a strong-running hare stock, the club can feel well pleased at how it marked 100 years.
Over the traditional dates of 26 and 27 December, in perfect conditions, spectators witnessed fine coursing, culminating in victory for Howdododo in the famous Corn Cuchullain.
Sponsored by Kyle Basil At Stud, the all-age event carried an increased first prize of €4,000, and it produced an exciting final.
Howdododo, 2/1 favourite before the action got underway on St. Stephen’s Day, was forced to battle hard by Choctaw Squaw in the decider.
The bitch was quickly away from slips to build a two-length advantage, only to be worn down late on by Howdododo, also winner of the Clonard Cup earlier in the season at Balbriggan.
He is owned by the Cheese And Chips Syndicate and Carr family from Co. Westmeath, and was nominated by Barney Grimes.
There was some consolation for Choctaw Squaw, the property of Co. Tyrone’s Feargal O’Donnell, and carrying the nomination of Mary and Seamus Casey.
In addition to the €1,200 for runner-up, she picked up the Paddy Carroll Cup as the last-surviving bitch and another €500.
Paddy was one of the stalwarts of the club, and instrumental in forming the Green Road Company, which allowed Dundalk & Dowdallshill buy the field at Dromiskin.
Coursing moved there in 1971, after previously being staged at Dundalk racecourse.
There was a popular win in the Johnny Heeney Workers Stake for Dean and Alan Watters with their recent acquisition, the choicely-bred Cuine Lock, by Derby winner, Adios Alonso, out of Oaks winner, Dale Roisin.
In the final buckle, he got the better of Danny Kerr’s track-bred Blundel Zeek.
Another Dundalk victory came in the Coffey Cup, thanks to Martin Sharkey’s Fane Beequaitch.
He proved too strong for Lowside Lark, running for Bernadette McAliskey, Co. Tyrone.
The Tommy Thornton Stakes went the way of Gortmelia Wonder, owned by Myles Kavanagh and Helen Murray, and trained by Seamus Murray, who is very much involved with the Duleek club, and a good friend of Dundalk.
Runner-up here was Two Gold Medals, a four-time winner on the track for local man, Niall O’Donnell.
That element of good fortune, which is often required in the winter game, arrived on the first day for Rosskeen Rising.
Her second round course with Chatham Gale was undecided, and on the toss of a coin, the daughter of Adios Alonso and Skellig Babe advanced to the quarter-final.
Rosskeen Rising went on to win the Oaks Trial Stake impressively for Tyrone’s Gertrude Donnelly.
The Derby Trial Stake fell to Only The Lonely, owned by Caroline Deery, Co. Down.
He was a beaten finalist in New Ross, and like those of Rosskeen Rising, connections can now look forward to heading to Clonmel for the national meeting. CORN CUCHULLAIN: Final – Cheese And Chips Syndicate’s Howdododo (Johnny Casanova – Your Symbolic) beat Feargal O’Donnell’s Choctaw Squaw (Johnny Casanova – Dungill). Semi-finals – Choctaw Squaw bt. Clock Exit, Howdododo bt. Judiligence.
OAKS TRIAL STAKE: Final – Gertrude Donnelly’s Rosskeen Rising (Adios Alonso – Skellig Babe) bt. Georgina Gibbons’ Go On Mavis (Mafi Magic – Broadwell Blonde). Semi-finals – Rosskeen Rising bt. Dark Brown Hair, Go On Mavis a bye.
DERBY TRIAL STAKE: Final – Caroline Deery’s Only The Lonely (March Is On – Joint Account) bt. Patrick Devlin’s Stowaway James (Newinn Wonder – Eastwell Blonde). Semi-finals – Stowaway James bt. Dale Malbec, Only The Lonely bt. Derryveen Dandy.
JOHNNY HEENEY WORKERS STAKE: Final – Dean and Alan Watters’ Cuine Lock (Adios Alonso – Dale Roisin) bt. Danny Kerr’s Blundel Zeek (Ballymac Eske – Good Lucy).
PP COFFEY CUP: Final – Martin Sharkey’s Fane Beequaitch (Hondo Black – Fane Blur) bt. Bernadette McAliskey’s Lowside Lark (Kingsmill Dynamo – Key Partner).
TOMMY THORNTON STAKES: Final - Myles Kavanagh and Helen Murray’s Gortmelia Wonder (Newinn Wonder – Easy N Sweet) bt. Niall O’Donnell’s Two Gold Medals (Head Bound – Three Star Lass).
SLIPPER, Mark Gorman; judge, John O’Connell.