THE crowd at Portmarnock will be buzzing if John Paul O’Callaghan’s Meadowbranch Roman can take the Barney Joyce Memorial, the first of the season’s classics on July 24th.

O’Callaghan is an editor’s dream with his confident statements. “We’re here to race, and we fear none of them”, was the soft spoken northside native’s comment after his son of Kikicolt beat another Kikicolt in the three-year-old Sires Stakes last Sunday, July 10th.

This may have been only a two-horse race but the clock (2m flat) doesn’t lie, and the vanquished Meadowbranch Titus is well thought of by the Flanagans.

The Sire Stakes is a concept popularised in the US, whereby the stallion owners in a region contribute heavily into a pot for their progeny as two, three and four-year-olds.

The pioneering Delaney brothers are to the fore in the Irish version of this initiative as well. The Delaney’s stallion Foreclosure N, is throwing some nice horses from his first crop in the US and he is where you would expect in the Sire Stakes programme. Throw in the likes of Kikikolt, Doonbeg, and Conors Dragon and we can see how this programme offers a viable return for breeders.

Certainly, at €2,400 for two minutes work, the owners won’t be complaining on Sunday.

Of course the behind the scenes work is incalculable. It would be nice to see the series prosper, the numbers on Sunday were poor. To sum up, Rhyds Rival (by Hasty Hall) won a ‘match’ for the two-year-olds from Talavary Motivator - a son of former Portmarnock favourite, Crown Manhattan.

The two-year-old fillies race went to the Cork-based IC Coyote (Donal Murphy), a filly jointly-owned by American Bill Donovan. Will Coyote have the ability to race in the US? Only time will tell. Chinatown Katie (John Richardson) survived a rough trip to run a fast finishing second.

Versa De Vauville and driver Anto Malone have been knocking on the door in low grade trots in recent weeks. The chesnut mare got her reward in race one, trotting 3m 11.2 for the mile and a half. Cam Vinny turns out every week so it was nice to see Freddy Kavanagh steering the Jimmy Travers-bred gelding to win race two from the grey Young Deano, (at nine years of age more of a middle aged Deano). An unremarkable 2m 06.8 was the time on the clock.

Billy Star has been known to break, but the ‘Iceman’ Alan Richardson has the hands to steady a galloping type, and so it proved in race three. Beach De Bellouet (John Richardson), in fact broke when in contention and could only settle for a share of second, with the Omeath runner Univers Extreme (Martin Loughran).

Soprano Gede (Sean Kane) got an overdue win for Mary Kane of the Naul and Dan Hurrell of Randalstown, Co. Antrim in the clockwise trot. The son of Quadrophenio will be fancied to go in again at Dundalk. Vivement Dimanche (Billy Roche) was run out of it on the line.

In the B to D Trot ‘ JR’ had Best Of Burois always prominent, while cousin Alan Richardson found the 40 yards handicap a bridge too far aboard Tonic Scott.

The ageless John Richardson made it a double in the top grade trot aboard Walter Stewart’s doughty Solicitor. Members of the public expressed disquiet over why the ‘jolly’ Vichy De Moem was not up to his mark.

Special mention goes to the winner of the top grade pace. Sepia Sands swept around some decent racehorses with contemptible ease. The performance was reminiscent of the greats like Billy Adios or Saunders Pleasure in their prime, and that is high praise indeed. The Leaning Demon, Jonny Dunne was in the sulky seat. Meadowbranch Romeo (Noely Ryan) rallied gamely for second in a time of 1m 59.

DUNDALK

The second of five planned meetings will take place on Sunday, July 17th, the first race at 12.30pm. The organisers will be trying to build on the success of the meeting on June 12th. Unfortunately the card was not available at time of going to press, which makes tipping even more difficult for a man with a poor enough strike rate. JMs Hall Star, Blackwell Hall Star and Camden Tino have all proved their liking for the surface.

IB Mc Gregor will come on for Sunday’s run. Vichy De Moem made good horses look ordinary at the last Dundalk meeting. Your €5 on a few of these will put you in a good position at the ice cream shop on the way home.

HARNESS RACING AT DUBLIN HORSE SHOW

Throughout the seventies and on a few more recent occasions, the Irish Harness Racing Club as it was then, was invited to race at the famous Ballsbridge Horse Show.

The main arena is a good bit tighter than a standard track and there were some memorable spills, although thankfully no bad injuries to horses or drivers.

Perhaps someday trotting (known as the sport of the people in the US) can return to the main ring, whether a race proper, with say four runners or an exhibition?

The IHRA will have a stand in Hall 1 B6 of the RDS this year. This is the latest move in the association’s ceaseless efforts to educate the public about ‘trotting’.

Come along and meet our young people and have a look at the Trotting Race Helmetcam on loan from ‘Le Trot’ in France. Chat with the tireless Nadina Ironia who has visited tracks in at least 10 countries.

Back in 1907 ‘trotters’ were the sports cars of the day and wealthy merchants or professional people would have kept a ‘good goer’ in the yard.

Thanks are due to Jim Murdock of Belfast, himself in his 80s and who has made available this beautiful photograph of his great grandfather Henry Hawkins with the winner of the ‘Fast Trotting Class ‘at the RDS in 1907.

Presumably the standardbreds were judged for style and appearance, a Murdock forte to the present day.