Red John Memorial, Lyre

THE 10th renewal of the Red John Memorial Festival at Lyre, Clonakilty, lived up to its billing on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th.

For two days Ger Heggarty’s well-tended farm became the focal point for harness racing in this country with €90,000 of purses on offer and entries from Wales, Longford, Sligo and Fermanagh.

The headline story was an emotional win for the Kane brothers from Summerhill, who travelled the bit with ‘Red John’ and won the featured pace with the aptly-named Immortal John.

On the other gait, Helios De Lara won the €11,200 Maven Trot (see opposite page). Joint-sponsor Bill Donovan (who resides in the US) is famously sporting and he would love the outcome whereby three cousins who train after work, turned round a headstrong square goer.

Our accompanying article pays due tribute to a training performance worthy of the boys’ late grandfather Hughie Richardson. Helios was equally impressive in his heat.

Immortal John actually went off around 5/1 in the final as he was in against some tough competition. Lakeside Paddy (John Richardson 4/5 to 6/4) was in the plum draw (off 1) while the McAleers were double-handed with Larry Camden (Troy McAleer) and Newtown Major (Billy Roche).

Patrick Kane jnr has won on the biggest stages and gave a text book lesson of get ‘top’, slow it down, stack up the dangers and then outsprint.

IB Paddington (also 5/1) was a gallant second for the host county.

Man in form

Eoin Murphy from Baltimore is the man in form at the moment and he registered a double on the opening day. IB Paddington was impressive in his heat for the transatlantic owners’ partnership. Bill Donovan, as ever, was a key sponsor of the RJM.

Mark Kane, the owner, told compere John Sheehy how ‘Red John’ was a great friend and that the race had been a long-term target for Immortal John.

The nine-year-old’s win was another advertisement for the sire Immortalised who was a source of tough racehorses for the Fettah family from Glamorgan. Immortalised is still getting the odd mare at the grand old age of 28.

Martin Loughran came in for some catch drives and was overall leading driver at the meeting with three winners. The ‘Cooley Magician’ was standing in for Ronan Norton whose wife and fellow harness driver Rachel were absent due to the arrival of new born Kate. Best wishes to the couple as their wins, marriage and now new baby have been covered in The Irish Field.

Loughran’s biggest pot of the weekend came when he guided Fair Play Briolais to win the Liam Carlin Memorial Free For All.

In my father’s day, the trotters in this country were high mileage models whose aches and pains often caused them to gallop. Liam would have appreciated Sunday’s contest as only Graal Du Dollar put in a costly error.

Since my father is on my mind, he would certainly have appreciated the result of the two-runner Free For All Pace. He was an incurable layer of favourites and in this Loughran on Ayr Paparazzi got first run on Cash All with Charlie Flanagan.

The bookies did not price their boards but Cash All was rumoured to have traded at 1/3.

Martin had, of course qualified the Norton’s Iron Paddy for the Sunday final by winning a Saturday heat. He drives with the tenacity of a terrier.

Purple patch

Luke Kelleher from Macroom is another driver going through a purple patch at the moment (which matches the purple of his colours). The 22-year-old caused am upset on day one when Pan Cam Corona nipped in after Rhyds Jitterbug (Billy Roche) had a mishap. On Sunday, Luke landed a touch for owners Crawford and Cross as Speederosa landed the Grade G1 pace.

Pa Crawford credited Mikey Kelleher for freshening up Speederosa with the Macroom point-to-point string. The Kellehers also sold Pan Cam Dynasty to a Dublin yard over the weekend. Cue the old saying “Macroom – the town that never reared a fool”.

Sponsor Angelo Hannon of the Village Inn, Enniskean, won back his own money when Hippie Sizu (Eoin Murphy) won the Grade F Trot.

Gary O’Grady, originally from Sligo but nowadays based in Carmarthenshire, gave The Genie a great drive to lose his maiden tag. Gary’s partner Chloe Wakefield’s cheers could be heard in Clonaklity.

Another Welsh owner Allan Davies had a successful weekend as Lakeside Paddy and John Richardson won a Saturday heat.

Troy McAleer’s prolific season continues he won a Maven heat with the speedy Fiesta Tejy and a pace with Lady Lou for Anthony O’Donnell from Limerick.

“That was the best she has felt,” was Troy’s comment, and the Sweet Lou filly can go up the ladder with some important meetings still to come.

First winner

If you are going to drive your first lifetime winner, might as well do it at a major meeting. Clondalkin man Rhyce Carroll got his career off to a nice start as Wellfield Beauty ran out a wide margin winner of a maiden pace.

Rhyce is a convert from the murky world of road racing and is an example to young people of the fun that can be attained with a ‘track’ horse.

Born In Isolation was a heat winner for that great supporter Wayne McNevin. Imperial Attitude was a popular local winner for Reenascreena-based Jamie Hurley and Cork city owner Thomas Kiely.

Isora De Source has been a revelation since joining Freddie Kavanagh and she carried her strong Annaghmore form through to a grass surface, picking up the Grade E and D trot.

Juvenile races

There were about five juvenile races dotted over the card. The IHRA have gone to great lengths to ensure strong prize money for the young stock yet some of the country’s leading yards were conspicuous by their absence.

The field was as well-kept as a grass surface can be and the meeting was full of positive atmosphere. We especially need the numbers in the age group races.

For the record, Arts Princess (Adam Corey) had a walkover in the four-year-old mares. Rhyds Shady Affair (Patrick Kane jnr) beat Ayr Harbour in a match for four-year-old geldings. The win might be good form as Ayr Harbour is no slouch.

Billy Roche had a double in small fields as Churchview Meow followed up her UK exploits and Always Be Puffin beat two rivals in the three-year-old fillies. Oakwood Dezzie gave Kerry a win over Dublin when he overturned The Groomsman in the two-year-old colts.

“We want him to last as a five and six-year-old racehorse,” said Oisin Quill of the big money yearling.

Le TROT three-year-old series at least attracts more runners. Lieutenant Dan (Dan O’Mahony) followed up on their win in the same grade at Ballabuidhe.

Racing is due to continue tomorrow at Annaghmore and also at Lyre. Full results, entries and details at www.irishharnessracing.com Replays can be seen on the IHRA’s Facebook page.