Saturday
HAVING been unfortunate to miss the bulk of the season with a shoulder injury, Galway rider Danny Gilligan returned to action last Saturday and quickly made up for lost time with a double that included the day’s feature, the Glenbeigh Derby.
He won that 12-furlong contest on Out Of The Clouds for owner Des Donnelly, getting up in the final 100 yards to beat Silver Dollar and Philip Byrnes. Danny went on to take the first divide of the 10-furlong race for Duagh owner Batsy Maher.
Daniel King had a double on the day, winning the two-mile race on Tiger Force where he held on in a desperate finish from West Boots who was closing with every stride. Daniel later took the concluding Local Race confined to horses from South Kerry as Cali Cartel quickened clear in the final furlong for the Killorglin-based O’Sullivan family.
The O’Sullivans would have earlier had high hopes of landing the 14.2hh race with The Bosses Daughter but Danny King got unseated at the bottom bend when running into traffic difficulties. Pacman went on to win in the hands of Newmarket, Co. Cork rider Luke Burke Ott for his father Andy.
The card opened with a 14hh race and the Letterkenny-based Team Browne took the honours here as Unhinged strode clear after Dylan Browne-McMonagle took him to the front with over three furlongs to travel.
Glenbeigh Races is firmly established as the premier beach racing meeting on the circuit with horses travelling from all over Ireland to race there and it was another Donegal stable that took the second divide of the 10-furlong race as Ted Baker turned in an impressive display to credit Philip Byrnes with a winner.
The 15hh race produced a very popular winner as Mike Brosnan’s Broadford Baby bounced back to form under Sam Ewing. Conna, Co. Cork rider Brian Barry has enjoyed a good season and he registered his fifth win of the year when he teamed up with the Neil Hurley-headed Dream Team Racing to take the maiden race with That’s The Dream
Sunday
THE second day of Glenbeigh Racing Festival hosts two of the three most valuable races on the Horse and Pony Racing Calendar, and a large crowd witnessed some exciting racing. The Glenbeigh Invitational over two miles and worth €5,000, fully sponsored by well-known entrepreneur John Griffin, had its seventh running this year and the 2017 winner Mr. James regained his crown in the hands of Sam Ewing.
Owned by the Finnerty family of Castlerea, in Roscommon, the winner hit the front two furlongs out to win from the Castle Racing charge, Tiger Force under Daniel King.
The mile race increased in value to €3,500 thanks to the generous sponsorship of David Andrews and that produced a hugely popular local win as Cali Cartel followed up his local race win of Saturday by taking the spoils here for the Killorglin-based O’Sullivan stable.
The winner avoided trouble at the bottom bend where the highly fancied Who Knows ran wide and carried a few others with him and Daniel King had very little to worry about from thereon as he won in impressive style from the Ed Vaughan-ridden Shotgun.
Ed’s trip from Wales was earlier rewarded with victory in the 13.2hh race as Hello Thunder won for Listowel-based Pat O’Sullivan. Callum Hogan took a nasty spill in this race but thankfully he escaped with bruising and the next day his concern wasn’t about his discomfort but would be back for his local Ballingarry meeting.
Ed Vaughan and Dylan O’Connor are having a great spat for the National 12.2hh-14hh Title and the weekend saw no change as Dylan also added a winner when taking the 12.2hh race on Temple Hill Tamara for John Joe O’Keeffe, father of high flying Darragh who indeed got his introduction to racing on this pony.
Dylan Browne-McMonagle added a double to his Saturday win starting with Thunder Storm who relished the fast surface as he took the 15hh race for Newmarket, Co. Cork owner/trainer Ben Daly from 2016 Invitation winner On The Edge. Dylan then took the 12-furlong race as Buddy Harrison’s Last Chance Paddy had a length and a half to spare over Silver Dollar. Luke Burke-Ott and Pacman followed up their Saturday win by taking the 14.2hh race as they reeled in local hope The Bosses Daughter who struck for home four furlongs out.
The final race of the festival ensured a double for Sam Ewing as Storm Force who had won on the beach in Geesala, Mayo the previous Sunday saw off Saturday winner Man Of Steel for Athy, Co. Kildare owner Tom Fennelly bringing the curtain down for Glenbeigh for another year.
Results
Saturday
14HH Race (9F): 1, Team Browne’s UNHINGED (Dylan Browne McMonagle); 2, O’Sullivan/King’s CARRIG AVA (Dylan O’Connor); 3, Curly Syndicate’s HELLO STAR (Ed Vaughan).
14.2HH Race (1M): 1, A. Ott’s PACMAN (Luke Burke Ott); 2, J. O’Sullivan’s ALMOST LEGAL (Ed Vaughan); 3, R. McMahon’s THE GREEN MONKEY (Dylan Browne McMonagle).
15HH Race (1M): 1, M. Brosnan’s BROADFORD BABY (Sam Ewing); 2, Castle Racing’s XANTICO (Daniel King); 3, Three County Syndicate’s FARMER BOYCE (Dylan Browne McMonagle).
Open Horse Race (2M): 1, Castle Racing’s TIGER FORCE (Daniel King); 2, M. McAndrew’s WEST BOOTS (Daniel Gilligan); 3, Three County Syndicate’s TELL NO ONE (Sam Ewing).
Glenbeigh Derby (12F): 1, D. Donnelly’s OUT OF THE CLOUDS (Daniel Gilligan); 2, S. Lohan’s SILVER DOLLAR (Philip Byrnes); 3, A. Melia’s BIPOLAR BLONDIE (Sam Ewing).
Open Horse Race (10F) Div. 1: 1, B. Maher’s MAN OF STEEL (Daniel Gilligan); 2, A. Hamilton’s ON THE EDGE (Mikey McGuane); 3, P. J. Donnelly’s SHOTGUN (Dylan Browne McMonagle).
Open Horse Race (10F) Div. 2: 1, D/K Racing’s TED BAKER (Philip Byrnes); 2, T/A Barry’s NOT NOW NED (Brian Barry); 3, S. Crabbe’s WHACKY 3 FINGERS (Daniel Gilligan).
Maiden Horse Race (1M): 1, Dream Team Racing’s THAT’S THE DREAM (Brian Barry); 2, B. O’Connor’s SHANNON BREEZE (Tom O’Connor); 3, J. McMahon’s THE GINGERMAN ( Michael Jones).
Local Confined Horse Race (1M): 1, P. O’Sullivan & Sons CALI CARTEL (Daniel King); 2, Soft Touch Syndicate’s RED HANDED (Mikey McGuane); 3, Soft Touch Syndicate’s MAYDAY (Michael Beresford).
Sunday
12.2HH Race (7F): 1, J.J. O’Keeffe’s TEMPLEHILL TAMARA (Dylan O’Connor); 2, M. O’Sullivan’s BISCUIT (Darragh O’Sullivan); 3, Three County Syndicate’s TAIL TO TAIL (Cian McNally).
13.2HH Race (1M): 1, P.A. O’Sullivan’s HELLO THUNDER (Ed Vaughan); 2, J. O’Sullivan’s SORE LOOSER (Daniel King); 3, F. Brickley’s RINGO (Finn Brickley).
14.2HH Race (12F): 1, A. Ott’s PACMAN (Luke Burke Ott); 2, P. O’Sullivan & Sons THE BOSSES DAUGHTER (Daniel King); 3, R. McMahon’s THE GREEN MONKEY (Dylan Browne McMonagle).
15HH Race (12F): 1, B. Daly’s THUNDER STORM (Dylan Browne McMonagle); 2, A. Hamilton’s ON THE EDGE (Daniel King); 3, El Hayes WINDY CITY (Daniel Gilligan).
Open Horse Race (12F): 1, B. Harrison’s LAST CHANCE PADDY (Dylan Browne McMonagle); 2, S. Lohan’s SILVER DOLLAR (Philip Byrnes); 3, B. O’Connor’s SHANNON BREEZE (Tom O’Connor).
Invitational Horse Race (1M): 1, P. O’Sullivan & Sons CALI CARTEL (Daniel King); 2, P.J. Donnelly’s SHOTGUN (Ed Vaughan); 3, A. Melia’s BABY BROWN (Daniel Gilligan).
Glenbeigh Invitational Horse Race (2M): 1, Finnerty Family’s MR JAMES (Sam Ewing); 2, Castle Racing’s TIGER FORCE (Daniel King); 3, I. Worrell’s CALL THE GUARDS (Connor Stone-Walsh).
Open Horse Race (10F): 1, T. Fennelly’s STORM FORCE (Sam Ewing); 2, B. Maher’s MAN OF STEEL (Daniel Gilligan); 3, S. Crabbe’s WHACKY THREE FINGERS (Jake Coen).