Nolan, Doyle lift local spirits
Bitterly cold weather reflected in disappointing crowd
THE RACING season at Wexford’s Bettyville track began with the now traditional St. Patrick’s Day meeting on Saturday, and it featured a couple of local winners and a host of riding stars fresh from their Cheltenham Festival exploits, but the crowd was affected by the bitterly cold weather allied to the many counter-attractions.
Billed as a family day out, not many families were tempted to follow on up to Bettyville after already being partly frozen at the morning parades, and you could not blame them.
Temperatures were near zero, allied to a biting East wind, a ‘gift’ from Siberia.
It was a pity as Michael Murphy and staff had done everything to have things in readiness for a big day, including several bouncy castles for the youngsters.
A new, much larger and clearer big screen was in operation opposite the stand for the first time, and the big Grand Slam rugby match featured strongly, with a number of dedicated screens and commentary also on a P.A. system.
Taghmon-Camross G.A.A. club were attached to the fixture as a special fundraising venture, and their efforts were reflected in nearly 40 pages of supportive advertising in the race card. This is a blueprint that has worked well at Enniscorthy dog track and other clubs or groups might find it worth considering.
The relentless nature of a top jockey’s life was well illustrated by the presence of Davy Russell, fresh from being champion rider at Cheltenham for the first time, and Jack Kennedy, both of whom had four winners at the Festival, and other winners such as Paul Townend, Mark Walsh, Donagh Meyler, Pat Mullins and Keith Donoghue.
Between them, these won half the Cheltenham races, and they were joined many others who were also involved at the Festival, including Seán Flanagan.
Most of these had flown home on Friday night and had little time to celebrate their successes or drown their sorrows. It was great to see them all in action at Wexford though the contrast in atmosphere and attendances must have been stark for them.
The going was heavy, but the track looked in good condition and the new ground at the top end was in use for the first time, extending the circuit to a mile and three furlongs.
There were two local winners, for trainers Paul Nolan and Seán Thomas Doyle, and one of the exciting finishes was fought out between two Wexford horses.
This was in the Neville Hotels Novice Handicap where Paul Nolan’s handicap debutant, Quamino (14/1), provided a welcome winner for Bryan Cooper, by half a length from Soul Season, ridden by James O’Sullivan and trained by Tom James, both from Camolin.
Soul Season is a bit of a local specialist, winning twice at Wexford last year.
Crosshue Boy, trained by Seán Thomas Doyle at Ballindaggin for N.J. Heffernan, and ridden by Harley Dunne, was a cosy winner of the Barry Ennis Memorial Handicap Chase, following up on a win nine days earlier at Leopardstown when J.J. Slevin was riding.
The horse also won on the St. Patrick’s Day card at Wexford last year and seems to relish testing ground. It’s quite possible he will appear again quite quickly.
The day’s feature was the Arctic Tack Stud Veterans’ Chase with a €26,000 prize fund, and winner of the €16,000 first prize was ten-years-old Sumos Novios (3/1jf), ridden by Robbie Power for Liam Burke.
The victor had three-parts of a length to spare over Undressed (7/1), ridden by Danny Mullins for Michael Hourigan.
The Micheál O Murchadha Memorial Handicap Hurdles commemorates one of the Bettyville track founders and father of current Chairman, Michael Murphy.
It was won by front-running Brave Out (5/1), trained by 82-years-old Waterford veteran, John Kiely, and ridden by Denis O’Regan.
He won a thriller by a short head from Admiral Brian (7/1) for Eamonn O’Connell.
This was completing a double for O’Regan as he had won the LAD, Murform and McCrea Ltd. maiden hurdle with Speakers Connolly (5/1) for Alan Fleming and Barry Connell, from Seán Flanagan on Tom James’s Play at Midnight (8/1).
Paul Townend came for one ride for his boss, Willie Mullins, and was a comfortable winner of the opener (the Pinnacle, Tomcoole, Waters and Kelly maiden hurdle), on Msassa at a prohibitive 1/4, from Jack Kennedy on Gordon Elliott’s Park Paddocks (13/2).
The concluding Pro-Am flat race was won by a new ‘bumper’ force, trainer Charles Byrnes from Limerick and Richie Deegan from Borris, with Those days are gone (9/2), from Lisa O’Neill on Gordon Elliott’s Moratorium (9/1), with Seán O’Keeffe from Taghmon third on John O. Clifford’s The Shunter (13/2).
The next meeting at Wexford is on Friday evening, April 6, and hopefully the weather will be better.