ATHEA, CO. LIMERICK

SOUTHERN REGION

THE final meeting of the 2017 season in Athea last Saturday saw Mikey Sheehy cement his position at the head of The Irish Field National Riders Championship with a treble.

It was a well-deserved success as he was looking the likely winner in 2016 only for a fall to curtail his season, allowing Rossa Ryan to pip him. Dylan Browne-McMonagle ran Mikey close but his marathon trip from his Letterkenny base wasn’t rewarded with a winner. He can, however, look back with satisfaction on a fabulous season, despite a fall early in the season not helping his cause.

Sheehy’s first visit to the winner’s enclosure came in the 15hh race where The Bosses Daughter followed up on her Ballyferriter win as she got up in the shadow of the post to deny a brave front-running effort from the Daniel King-ridden Amy’s Magic. The winner is owned and trained in Dooks by Pat and Tadgh O’Sullivan.

In the 10-furlong race, Sheehy made the running as Man Of Steel took advantage of the fact that blinkers were allowed, to win for Batsy Maher with Athea Jade chasing him home. Sheehy teamed up with Maher again in the mile maiden race as Sandra’s Little Secret also made all to from the locally-owned Freya’s Delight.

Philip Byrnes had a fine first season, especially as he only started in the second half of the campaign, and a double on the day meant he finished up on the eight winner mark.

He took the day’s feature over two miles as Make Me galloped to a decisive victory, leading from about four furlongs out and with Aaron Mackey chasing him home on Forgotten Soldier.

Bash It On made it a double for Byrnes and his mother Cora, in the 12-furlong race as he reversed Taghmon placings with the Mikey McGuane-ridden Sleepy Lady.

The riders’ championship in the small pony classes was a forgone conclusion a long way from the end of season and Wexford-based Conor Walsh finished the season with the incredible record of 21 winners from 23 rides.

FINAL WINNER

His final winner of the season was the tightest as it took the judges a considerable time to decide that Another Tiger had got home in front of Templehill Tamara by the minimum margin as they finished at opposite sides of the track.

Danny Gilligan finished runner-up in this 12.2hh to 14hh pony riders championship with the highly creditable total of 12 winners and the Galway rider rounded off his season with an emphatic win on Hello Star, who gained revenge for a couple of recent losses to Carrig Ava.

The 14hh race went to Tell The Story who gained a well-earned success for Buttevant owner Bob Sexton. Raynuso looked set to score as they turned in but the Danny King-ridden winner never gave up and forged to the front inside the final furlong.

Gilligan went on to complete a double as he landed the 14.2hh race for his father Richard as Oopsy Daisy relished the testing conditions to win from One Of The Boys.

Dan’s Your Man didn’t make many appearances over the season but had three runner-up finishes from five runs going into last Saturday and Con McSweeney’s charge got a well-deserved win in the mile race as he won impressively in the hands of Joey Sheridan.

The final race of the season was a maiden over 12 furlongs and that went to Hill View Girl who drew clear over the final two furlongs, under Ross Sugrue, for enthusiastic owners Mossy O’Connor and Fergie Walsh.

RESULTS

Sunday October 8th

12.2HH Race (7F): 1, Curly Syndicate’s ANOTHER TIGER (Conor Walsh); 2, J.J. O’Keeffe’s TEMPLEHILL TAMARA (Mikey Sheehy); 3, Three County Syndicate’s TAIL TO TAIL (Luke Burke Ott).

13.2 HH Race (9F): 1, Curly Syndicate’s HELLO STAR (Danny Gilligan); 2, O’Sullivan/King’s CARRIG AVA (Mikey Sheehy); 3, J. Doyle’s MYSTERIOUS LADY (Michael Doyle).

14HH Race (1M): 1, B. Sexton’s TELL THE STORY (Daniel King); 2, Five County Syndicate’s RAYNUSO (Michael O’Connor).

14.2HH Race (10F): 1, R. King’s OOPSY DAISY (Daniel King); 2, Five County Syndicate’s ONE OF THE BOYS (Joey Sheridan); 3, Curly Syndicate’s SANDYCOVE (Danny Gilligan).

15HH Race (10F): 1, P.O’Sullivan’s THE BOSSES DAUGHTER (Mikey Sheehy); 2, E. Hayes AMY’S MAGIC (Daniel King); 3, Soft Touch Syndicate’s RED HANDED (Joey Sheridan).

Open Horse Race (1M): 1, C. McSweeney’s DAN’S YOUR MAN (Joey Sheridan); 2, P. Moloney’s RAZZLE DAZZLE (Ross Sugrue); 3, M. McGuane’s BANNED SUBSTANCE (Michael McGuane).

Open Horse Race (10F): 1, B. Maher’s MAN OF STEEL (Mikey Sheehy); 2, A. Browne’s ATHEA JADE (Dylan Browne McMonagle); 3, L. Lynch’s AN RIOCHT (Ross Sugrue).

Open Horse Race (12F): 1, C. Byrne’s BASH IT ON (Philip Byrnes); 2, M. McGuane’s SLEEPY LADY (Michael McGuane); 3, R. Sugrue’s TOP OF THE HILL (Ross Sugrue).

Athea Derby (2M): 1, C. Byrnes’s MAKE ME (Philip Byrnes); 2, P. Hand’s FORGOTTEN SOLDIER (Aaron Mackey); 3, R. Sugrue’s FORGIVE AND FORGET (Ross Sugrue).

Maiden Horse (1M): 1, B. Maher’s SANDRA’S LITTLE SECRET (Mikey Sheehy); 2, O’Sullivan/King’s FREYA’S DELIGHT (Ross Sugrue); 3, J. Collins GREY RULER (Shane Crosse).

Maiden Horse (12F): 1, O’Connor/Walsh’s CHAMOUR (Ross Sugrue); 2, D. Cahill’s HILL VIEW GIRL (Joey Sheridan); 3, K. Murphy’s KILLIAN’S PRIDE (Mikey Sheehy).

THE IRISH FIELD

NATIONAL RIDERS’

CHAMPIONSHIP

2017

Mikey Sheehy 45

Dylan Browne McMonagle 36

Ben Coen 22

Conor Walsh 21

Shane Crosse 21

Sam Ewing 18

Michael O’Connor 16

Daniel Gilligan 14

Joey Sheridan 12

Pat Taaffe 11

Rory King 10

Ross Sugrue 9

Joe Conlon 8

Philip Byrnes 8

Michael McGuane 8

Andrew Slattery 7

Joey Dunne 7

Daniel King 6

Christina Simpson 6