ON the pacing front, all present were delighted to see the Manning family of Limerick win on a big day at Portmarnock. Young Ryan Manning was in the bike behind Llwyns Delight. Llwyns Delight was the pick of the paddock, a fine training performance to win first time out.

Ryan’s grandfather Paddy was a legend in harness racing, bringing five horses every week and quite often taking home five new faces. The trade-in terms were not always attractive.

Alan Richardson scored in the opening heat with Transparency, a convincing three-length winner over Double Deuce (Jonny Cowden). The stewards later imposed a 28-day ban on the driver, apparently due to infringing another runner.

Transparency would have been a leading contender for the Sunday final but was scratched.

Good spectacle

The pacing final on day two lost some of its lustre due to the absentee. Nonetheless the five who stood their ground served up a good spectacle.

Young drivers were to the fore. Jonny Cowden pinged the gate with Double Deuce. Ryan Manning did not rush Llwyns Delight away from the car, as he had earlier broken stride leaving in his heat.

The big son of Armbro Deuce held on tenaciously to repel the Limerick raider. Both horses showed guts and the small crowd enjoyed watching a battle.

Jonny added the first major race of 2021 to the All-Ireland Series that he won for the same owner, Kevin Corey, last year. A time of 2m 1.1secs is a new lifetime best for Double Deuce.

On the undercard Calvin Broughan picked up the first apprentice race of 2021 aboard his own Bingo De Connee. Calvin drove aggressively to pass Silvano Bello and kept ‘Bingo’ up to his work in front. The win was a welcome relief for the Sean Kane yard which has endured a run of seconds and thirds.

The runner-up Devoir Math looked superb and ran well for switched driver Oisin Quill. He has the look of a future winner. Billy Roche got a winner on the board when the ultra-dependable Urbano Des Selles won yet another race.

Flawed system

As much as this observer is fan of both horse and driver, I believe that the current handicapping system is flawed when decent horses get to languish for weeks on end in the lower grades due to their age and ‘banked runs’.

No other code of equestrianism makes such allowances for older horses, and if anything it prevents the natural ‘churn’ of young horses winning in these lower grades.

Eddy Marceaux and Martin Loughran posted their usual efficient round of trotting in taking heat one.

Bibi Dairpet and Donal Murphy took heat three. The winner was a tad lucky as Cakinap (Oisin Quill) looked home and hosed at the clubhouse until he made a break. That’s why it’s called trotting.

Darren Timlin’s good run continues and he drove Epsom De Corvees to a 10-length victory in the clockwise trot over Carat Bay (Sean Kane).

Close finish

The concluding race of the two-day meeting saw the minimum distance being called once again, a frequent occurrence recently.

Wattie Stewart drove forcefully on his father Walter’s Ladyford Dollar. The pair looked like lasting home at the top of the stretch but Gavin Murdock aboard All Bets Are Off had other ideas.

Following a fierce tussle the Market man just got All Bets Are Off up on the line. When the verdict is ‘a nose’ there is no loser and the Stewarts can be proud of ‘young Dollar’, as Walter calls the horse.

The winning mare is owned by Martin Maughan and brought up a double on the weekend for the Fermanagh man who also owns Eddy Marceaux.

Bookie John Griffin and horse owner Rory Bridgette raised €5,000 towards the prize money by organising a raffle. Dubliner Ray Sheridan won the prize, a French Trotter. The prize is one asset that is not guaranteed to appreciate!

Best of luck to Ray with the new horse and well done to the draw organisers.

Nickey Hannon from Phibsboro sponsored flowers for all winners over the weekend. Nickey’s daughter Leah was bravely sporting a leg brace while making all the presentations. The late Bernie would admire all this volunteer spirit.

The IHRA Facebook page streamed all races live. The new camera angles work really well and the coverage is hard to fault.