SOUTHERN REGION
– ABBEYFEALE
ABBEYFEALE Races are always one of the best attended on the circuit and last Sunday was no exception.
It was a day to remember for 13-year-old Tralee rider Ross Sugrue who registered his first winner in the first divison of the 14.2hh race on his own pony The Whistler.
A neighbour of trainer Tom Cooper for who he rides out, Ross was sporting the Total Enjoyment colours previously worn in pony racing by Bryan Cooper as he delivered the winner with a well-timed run up the straight to snatch the spoils in the shadow of the post.
The other division of the 14.2hh race saw another up-and-coming rider visit the winner’s enclosure as 13-year-old Ben Coen scored on Crystal Lady for the Tyner family.
Coen who hails from Fethard in Tipperary and who is a nephew of trainer Andy Slattery made pretty much all of the running, keeping enough in reserve to withstand the late challenges of the Shane Crosse-ridden Its Father Ted and the Jay Archdeacon-ridden Whus Da Feek.
Also on the card, Danny and Mikey Sheehy dominated proceedings, helping themselves to three and two winners respectively.
Mikey continued his dominance of the small pony classes as the Five County Syndicate pair of Another Tiger and Raynuso continued their winning runs.
The Three County Syndicate headed by Jerry and Aileen Daly provided Danny with his three winners courtesy of Farmer Boyce, Good Times Ahead and Kilcaskin.
Kanturk rider Rory King followed up his Castleisland double with another brace. He teamed up with Deelview Racing to land the featured Abbeyfeale Derby with Ballybrown Boy, leading from four furlongs out to win from the Conor Keane-ridden Call Of Duty.
He then added the maiden race for Dooks, Co Kerry owner Mary McGillycuddy with the ultra-consistent Close Encounter. Darragh Maher lives only a few miles from the track in Duagh and he gave his local supporters plenty to cheer as he shared a double with his father Batsy. They took the 12-furlong race as Who’s Your Daddy shocked last year’s Dingle Derby winner Coola Boola while they have made the local race their own in recent years as The Mall gave Batsy his fourth consecutive triumph in the race.
With Shane O’Donovan out injured, 14-year-old Craughwell, Co Galway rider Liam Gilligan stepped in for the Castle Racing rides and he gave Pablo Escobar a well-judged ride to land the mile race.
With the race run at a furious pace, Gilligan sat off the pace before swooping late down the outside to win. Darragh O’Keeffe made all for a comprehensive win in the 14hh race on Tell The Story for Buttevant owner Bob Sexton.
RESULTS
SUNDAY JUNE 21st
12.2HH (7F): 1, Five County Syndicate’s ANOTHER TIGER (Mikey Sheehy); 2, Three County Syndicate’s TAIL TO TAIL (Danny Sheehy); 3, P. Collins’ ROCKETS BOY (Joe Conlon).
13.2HH (10F): 1, Five County Syndicate’s RAYNUSO (Mikey Sheehy); 2, P. Egan’s RELIABLE LADY (Shane Crosse).
14HH (10F): 1, B. Sexton’s TELL THE STORY (Darragh O’Keeffe); 2, V. Moriarty’s OBE ONE KNOBE (Shane Crosse); 3, P. Collins GREY LADY (Ned Fox).
14.2HH Div 1 (1M): 1, R. Sugrue’s THE WHISTLER (Ross Sugrue); 2, M. O’Connor’s MISTY FOR ME (Darragh Maher); 3, Tyner Syndicate’s LEVEL HEADED (Ben Coen).
14.2HH Div 2 (1M): 1, Tyner Syndicate’s CRYSTAL LADY (Ben Coen); 2, M.Crosse’s ITS FATHER TED (Shane Crosse); 3, Are You Well Syndicate’s WHUS DA FEEK (Jay Archdeacon).
15HH (1M): 1, Three County Syndicate’s FARMER BOYCE (Danny Sheehy); 2, J Rayel’s MISS WONDERFUL (Rory King); 3, Tyner Syndicate’s BOUNCE (Ben Coen).
Open Horse (1M): 1, Castle Racing’s PABLO ESCOBAR (Liam Gilligan); 2, B. Maher’s MAN OF STEEL (Darragh Maher); 3, Three County Syndicate’s HOME AND AWAY (Danny Sheehy).
Open Horse (10F): 1, Three County Syndicate’s GOOD TIMES AHEAD (Danny Sheehy); 2, Castle Racing’s REX BARON (Liam Gilligan); 3, Deelview Racing’s CAPRE DIEM (Rory King).
Open Horse (12F): 1, B. Maher’s WHOS YOUR DADDY (Darragh Maher); 2, Three County Syndicate’s COOLA BOOLA (Danny Sheehy); 3, Deelview Racing’s CERCA TROVA (Rory King).
Abbeyfeale Derby (2M): 1, Deelview Racing’s BALLYBROWN BOY (Rory King); 2, G. Devane’s CALL OF DUTY (Conor Keane); 3, J. J. O’Keeffe’s SHE IS ALL THAT (Darragh O’Keeffe).
Maiden Horse (1M): 1, M. McGillycuddy’s CLOSE ENCOUNTER (Rory King); 2, Deelview Racing’s PEBBLE PEACH (Liam Gilligan); 3, O. Keane’s GO ROGER GO (Conor Keane).
Consolation Horse (1M): 1, Three County Syndicate’s Kilcaskin (Danny Sheehy); 2, El Hayes WINDY CITY (Darragh O’Keeffe); 3, B. O’Riordan’s MR BUSH (Conor McNamara).
Local Horse (1M): 1, B. Maher’s THE MALL ROAD (Darragh Maher); 2, Amy Carmody’s AMYS DILEMMA (Conor Keane); 3, P. J. Moloney’s ITS ANOTHER MOYVANE (Pa Moloney).