THE release of the first nominations for the annual Vincent Delaney Memorial Festival get the harness racing faithful excited like no other list of entries.

The race is definitely an Irish event, named in honour of a Northside Dubliner, who died from a heart attack at the tender age of 27 in 2011.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since Vincent’s demise, too many milestones on the racetrack and in the foaling box, to mention them all. Suffice it to say that surviving brothers, Derek and James, have steered the good ship Oakwood Stud to international prominence.

The meeting in Vincent’s memory has grown to warrant bold type in sales catalogues in North America and Australasia.

One pundit dubbed Derek Delaney, ‘the Don King of harness racing’ and there are similarities in the two men’s ‘anything is possible’ attitude.

After spells at Portmarnock, Tir Prince and Wolverhampton, the VDM returns to Tir Prince (North Wales) on August 8th and 9th, 2025.

Wolverhampton, like Dundalk, is a fine once-around track, but there is something fitting about two- and three-year-old pacers going two laps of an 880-yard track, like the pinnacle, The Little Brown Jug at the Delaware Fairground in Ohio.

If you’re going to pay homage to ‘The Jug’, you may as well do it right and Derek brings the unique voice of The Little Brown Jug to the ‘announcer’s booth’, as those good ‘ol boys call it in the American Midwest. Roger Huston, now 83, has become part of the VDM and a valued friend to the Delaney family.

Derek brings Heather Wilder, wife of well-known US trainer Mike Wilder, to play anchor person in the paddock. Heather is knowledgeable, but also has sense of fun.

Luminaries

Delaney arranges a tour of the usual tourist spots and has brought luminaries, such as Murray Brown, Dale Welk, Casie Coleman, Steve Wolf and Jim Simpson in the past.

The promoter has cajoled drivers like Aaron Merriman, Mike Wilder, Dexter Dunn and George Brennan to bring US razzamatazz to the much smaller sport in these islands.

The stallion Sweet Lou, available by artificial insemination through Oakwood Stud, has lifted the standard in these islands. The 16-year-old stallion sits third in the USA tables of sires of two-year-olds and three-year-olds.

“In fact, if you combine the average earnings of two- and three-year-olds, he has been the leading sire for the past two years,” claims the ultimate salesman.

Success breeds success, so the saying goes. The solid form of Sweet Dreams, No Small Talk, Ayr Dave, Shesnoaprilfool and Rugadh Me Reidh means that Sweet Lou, who tends to stamp foals with a distinctive blaze has the most offspring (23) across the various entries for VDM 2025. A total of 130 nominations are posted across six age and sex divisions.

Stallions associated with the Offaly breeder have the most nominations, with Always B Miki second with 18 entries and Foreclosure on 13.

Gary Maw’s Henry Hill has 11 foals on the list, while Sue Young’s Tom Hill is the sire of 10.

A total of 27 two-year-old fillies have been entered for the August highlight, with 41 colts nominated at this early stage. There are 22 three-year-old fillies on the list, with 25 regally-bred colts currently aiming for the gaudy resort town of Rhyl.

Four-year-old races and free-for-alls (top-class races) will also be on the card. The inaugaural Bernie Kelly Memorial Ladies Race in 2024 hit the jackpot, when Bernie’s daughter Grace drove the winner. American driver Lauren Harmon is already booked to drive in the 2025 renewal.

Notable entries

Derek was asked to pick out a few notable entries. Like all good breeders, he has trouble seeing past those horses that he helped to conceive.

“Oakwood Loucious (Sweet Lou-Capri Hanover) is a beautiful individual. Cash Is King (Foreclosure-Ayr Contessa) had a very fast dam and the sire breeds dependable types, so he could be the real deal.

“In the fillies, Foreign Currency (Foreclosure-Loose Change) is the first foal from a smashing mare. Ayrodrome (Sweet Lou-Talk Time) is a half-sister to last year’s dominant two-year-old Ayroplane.”

Other entries to catch the eye include a lorry load from the successful Coalford Stud, who stand Henry Hill and US imports by Perfect Sting and Lazarus. Rhyds Stud are represented by the last crop from Hasty Hall and his heir apparent See And Ski. Bill Donovan’s Cattlewash has five youngsters in the mix.

The Gilvears from Stirling know what it takes to win these big races. Trusted horseman Ron Caddies will have Queens (Sweet Lou-Ayr Baroness) trained to peak on the day.

Rockin Mambo, For A Few Dollars More and Tyrion Hanover all proved their mettle in racing by Britain and Ireland.

Marc Jones’s pride and joy Rockin Mambo is the sire of Forgeside Jenny M, presently at the Johhny Gill finishing school. Walter Stewart’s beloved ‘Dollar’ stood in both Scotland and Wales, three of his two-year-olds are amongst the hopefuls.

The Pennsylvania-bred Tyrion Hanover won the 2016 Colts VDM at Portmarnock. Should his son Howards Big Bucks win the race, Tyrion would become the first winner of this classic to sire a winner.

The same connections are training Intellect Hanover, who is by Bulldog Hanover and was bought as a yearling in the USA.

Admiration

Billy Roche won the 2024 two-year-old fillies division with Churchview Meow (Foreclosure-Field of Dreams) and The Red Baron makes no secret of his admiration for this filly. Given normal improvement, she will be fancied to add the three-year-olds version to her CV.

The Scottish yard of Keir Cullen is well-represented, as is the Derbyshire leading player Sally Teebon. Sally has entered Alf Hill for John Mycock, a frequent visitor to Ireland.

John Richardson has Kickinginthesand entered for owner Noel Cowden and these connections don’t throw away entry fees. Alexis Laidler from Durham farmed this event in 2024, Alexis will currently be putting the hard yards into her six entries.

Veteran trainer Mick Lord drove the winner of the English Pacing Derby nine times. Mick is prepping three-year-old Tarawood Larry for Dubliner Charlie Bennett.

Paddy Kane snr and his sons Patrick and Mark have been in a rich vein of form in recent seasons. They are readying Ayrodrome (half-sister to Ayroplane) and Dazzling Lou for the Ball family from Brentford. The Summerhill team also train the patriotically named The Rising for Buddy Donaghy.

A fascinating entry is San Sebastian for Thomas Richardson from North Dublin. The three-year-old colt is by Bolt The Duer, who set or equalled two world records pacing. However, his dam is the trotting mare, Tiffany Monesto.

To cross a pacer with a trotter is not the most obvious route, but it is the ultimate outcross. Some of the world’s greatest pacers have been from trotting blood, such as French Chef and many of the Saunders line of horses. Rule out this stable at your peril.

As with the top thoroughbred races, runners can be supplemented up to 10 days before the VDM meeting.

Full entry lists and all information can be found at www.vincentdelaneymemorial.com

THE Irish trotting fraternity were saddened to learn of the passing of John Hughes at the age of 92, on February 7th. John was originally from a horse dealing family in Belfast.

He was one of the few remaining followers who could remember racing at Raheny, which he visited by train as a young boy. He later moved to Omeath, Co Louth, where he brought harness racing with him and gave his love of the sport to his nephews, John and Brendan Morgan.

He attended and competed at harness racing throughout Ireland including on his doorstep at Cooley. His horses included Starhill Graduate, Disraeli, Just Kenny, All In, Typhee, Ulysses Perrine and Ecrin de Grimault. May he rest in peace.