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Friday, August 5th
A RECORD-breaking crowd gathered at the famous field of dreams in Ballintaggart for the three-day Dingle Racing Festival last weekend.
The opening stage saw jockeys Kian McNally and Dylan O’Connor lead the way once again with a double apiece. Kian kicked off the weekend in style when Five Stone Of Lead landed the mile 14.2 hh contest.
Under an ultra-cool ride from the Armagh jockey, the winner was produced a furlong down to win by three lengths from the evergreen Pacman.
The double was completed in the mile race when the beautiful grey Call The FBI routed a strong field for Teddy and Hanna Worrell. The Kildare stable enjoying a purple patch following wins in Moira and in Scotland recently.
Dylan O’Connor is also riding on the crest of a wave and his brace was initiated by Way Up North who made every inch of the running to win the 10-furlong contest.
Cali Cartel was a red-hot favourite for the concluding 15hh race and those who took the short odds never had a moments worry. The winner is owned by the O’Sullivan family from Killorglin Co Kerry.
Impress
Tipperary jockey Sam Coen continues to impress and he combined with the Holian family from Letterkenny to win the opening 12-furlong contest with Ya Skitter. Returning from injury this season, the winner powered up the hill to see off Let It Go by three lengths.
Maurice Ahern introduced a smart-looking debutant in Johnny Depp to win the two-mile Derby Trial. The winner put up a fine staying performance to give jockey Jack de Bromhead his first festival success.
Adam Grant is the successful recipient of the Dingle Races scholarship to the British Racing School this season and he was on the mark with Make A Plan in the mile-and-six-furlong contest.
Owned by the Gildea family from Donegal, the winner quickened early in the straight and stayed on stoutly to see off Bipolar Blondie. The winning owners enjoyed their first festival victory in 25 years.
Open Horse Race (12F): 1, K. Holian’s YA SKITTER (Sam Coen); 2, S. Crabbe’s LET IT GO (Adam Grant); 3, Castle Racing’s AL CAPONE (Calum Hogan).
Open Horse Race (10F): 1, A. Kerrigan’s WAY UP NORTH (Dylan O’Connor); 2, I. Worrell’s VERSTAPPEN (Tommy Halford); 3, I. Kavanagh’s CHLOE’S SAM (Keithen Kennedy).
Open Horse Race (14F): 1, Men With A Plan Syndicate’s MAKE A PLAN (Adam Grant); 2, S.Crabbe’s BIPOLAR BLONDIE (Keithen Kennedy); 3, M. Ahern’s COOKIES AND CREAM (Jack De Bromhead).
Derby Trial (2M): 1, M. Ahern’s JOHNNY DEPP (Jack de Bromhead); 2, M. Flannery’s RIGHT ON TIME (Paddy Hanlon); 3, G. Young’s MANSFIELD (Kian McNally).
14.2HH Race (1M): 1, S.Kerr’s FIVE STONE OF LEAD (Kian McNally); 2, M. Ahern’s PACMAN (Julian Pietropaolo); 3, N. Brosnan’s THE LOW ROAD (Adam Grant).
Open Horse Race (1M): 1, I. Worrell’s CALL THE FBI (Kian McNally); 2, Three In A Row’s Syndicate’s Tom’s Cross (Jack de Bromhead); 3, Brady Family’s WHO TOLD YOU (Dylan O’Connor).
15HH Race (1M): 1, P. O’Sullivan’s CALI CARTEL (Dylan O’Connor); 2, M. Flannery’s BABY BROWN (Paddy Hanlon); 3, H/L O’Donnell’s THE TWO BOYS (Adam Grant).
brilliant Bernie
THE Guinness Golden Mile has long been the feature at the second stage of the Dingle Races and it produced an exceptional winner in Honest Bernie.
Teddy and Hanna Worrell’s charge came there on the bridle a furlong down and won going away under Kian McNally.
Five Stone Of Lead made it winner number four for Kian in the 14.2hh race over 10 furlongs to follow up the win from the opening night.
This brilliant pony is a course specialist at this stage and forged clear up the hill much to the delight of the jockey’s fan club.
Way Up North became the second dual winner of the meeting when again making most to win the 12-furlong contest.
The Ann Kerrigan-owned winner given a peach of a drive by The Irish Field National Champion Jockey Dylan O’Connor.
Dylan then moved on to the four-winner mark when the impressive Little Maine also made every yard of the running to win the 14hh contest.
The winner is owned by Megan Byrne and trained by the renowned Buddy Harrison in Kildare.
Immense joy
Hugh and Linda O’Donnell have a long family association with the festival and they got immense joy from the victory of The Little Drama Queen in the one-mile 13.2hh race.
The winner powered clear off the final bend under Adam Browne Sousa for a facile victory. The partnership were thus following up a victory from Moira last month.
The second running of the Laura Barry Memorial Ladies Derby went to red-hot favourite Our Souls under Eryka Snioch.
Owned by John Joe Bailey from Co Laois, the winner led from half way and was never really threatened from there. Eryka has been in Ireland for 16 years and rides out for the John McConnell yard.
A fine meeting for Kildare trainers continued when Best Friends landed the Push The Button Mile under Monasterevin jockey Keithen Kennedy. Call The FBI made a brave bid from the front but was headed inside the distance and denied by two lengths at the line.
Paddy Hanlon led up the Tote Galway Plate winner Hewick for his dad Shark and he gained his first Dingle triumph when Baby Brown bounced right back to form to win the concluding 15hh contest over 10 furlongs.
Results
Open Horse Race (12F): 1, A. Kerrigan’s WAY UP NORTH (Dylan O’Connor); 2, M/K Flannery’s RIGHT ON TIME (Paddy Hanlon); 3, S. Crabbe’s LET IT GO (Kian McNally).
Open Horse Race (1M): 1, A. Melia’s BEST FRIENDS (Keithen Kennedy); 2, I. Worrell’s CALL THE FBI (Kian McNally); 3, T. Healy’s A HEAR LAD (Kevin Healy).
13.2 HH Race (1M): 1, H/L O’Donnell’s THE LITTLE DRAMA QUEEN (Adam Browne Sousa); 2, P. Collins DOWN MEXICO WAY (Oisin Goff); 3, S. Carey’s DIAMOND NEL (Alex O’Keeffe).
14.2 HH Race (10F): 1, S. Kerr’s FIVE STONE OF LEAD (Kian McNally); 2, N. Brosnan’s THE LOW ROAD (Adam Grant); 3, D. McAteer’s COLORADO SPRINGS (Sam McAteer).
The Guinness Golden Mile (1M): 1, I. Worrell’s HONEST BERNIE (Kian McNally); 2, A. Melia’s WHAT’S GOING ON (Keithen Kennedy); 3, M/K Flannery’s ALL THAT THINKING (Paddy Hanlon).
14 HH Race (10F): 1, M. Byrne’s LITTLE MAINE (Dylan O’Connor); 2, Curly Syndicate’s HELLO STAR (Adam Grant); 3, Curly Syndicate’s SANDYCOVE (Bruce Vaughan).
Laura Barry Ladies Derby (10F): 1, J.J. Bailey’s OUR SOULS (Eryka Snioch); 2, S. Quinn’s COASTAL BOY (Ava Sugrue); 3, Castle Racing’s KOBAYSHI (Jessica Stokes).
15 HH Race (10F): 1, M. Ahern’s BABY BROWN (Paddy Hanlon); 2, S. White’s BUBBA WATSON (Calum Hogan); 3, K. Holian’s WEE BUCKS (Kian McNally).
Sunday August 7th
LEE Strand Dingle Derby Day saw crowds throng to Ballintaggart from near and far and many came from well beyond our shores.
On a glorious west Kerry afternoon, even the bar ran out of beverages!
Fifteen-year-old Paddy Hanlon enjoyed a day to savour when completing a treble including the feature on the favourite The Auld House.
The Mick and Kathy Flannery-owned gelding was sent off a well-backed favourite having won the Moira Derby last month.
Similar waiting tactics were again employed here with The Auld House coming from near last to strike the front inside the furlong pole and draw clear for a thoroughly impressive victory.
Johnny Depp and Cali Cartel were prominent all the way and finished second and third respectively.
Paddy who is a third-year student in Bagnealstown had earlier got up in the final stride to land the opening 10-furlong contest on Heartbreak Hill also for the Flannery team.
Patient ride
For good measure the Co Carlow teenager closed the festival in style when giving Right On Time a supremely patient ride to easily land the second split of the Consolation race.
Kian McNally captured the coveted leading jockey award courtesy of yet another double to make it six winners for the festival.
The first-year student of St Patrick’s Grammar School in Armagh had little more than a canter round on Five Stone Of Lead in the 14.2hh Derby who was thus winning for the third successive day.
Kian completed his double in the first divide of the Consolation race when Chloes Sam justified short odds in impressive style. Owned by Ian Kavanagh from Graiguenamannagh, Co Kilkenny, the winner is poignantly named after his late wife Chloe who was a great supporter of the Dingle Races.
Dylan O’Connor made it five winners for the weekend when Who Told You came home late and fast up the outside to catch Honest Bernie in the final strides of the mile contest.
Twelve-year-old Sophie Mae Kerin gave Little Lioness an absolute peach of a drive to land the 12.2hh pony Derby for Ballinasloe’s Tony Beegan.
The Clarecastle, Co Clare jockey is a graduate of the Oisin Patrick Kelly Memorial beginner jockey races which took place in Dartfield back in May.
Rathkeale, Co Limerick jockey Calum Hogan will shortly sign on with Donnacha O’Brien and he got the perfect send off when Bubba Watson led off the final bend to win the 15hh in impressive style.
All of us in pony racing send our very best wishes to renowned Dingle commentator Thomas O’Callaghan who retired after the first race on Friday evening.
‘Dingle Tom’ as we know him has done phenomenal work up and down the country for pony racing but his dulcet tones will still be heard as paddock commentator for many years to come.
Results
Open Horse Race (12F): 1, K. Holian’s YA SKITTER (Sam Coen); 2, S. Crabbe’s LET IT GO (Adam Grant); 3, Castle Racing’s AL CAPONE (Calum Hogan).
Open Horse Race (10F): 1, A. Kerrigan’s WAY UP NORTH (Dylan O’Connor); 2, I. Worrell’s VERSTAPPEN (Tommy Halford); 3, I. Kavanagh’s CHLOE’S SAM (Keithen Kennedy).
Open Horse Race (14F): 1, Men With A Plan Syndicate’s MAKE A PLAN (Adam Grant); 2, S.Crabbe’s BIPOLAR BLONDIE (Keithen Kennedy); 3, M. Ahern’s COOKIES AND CREAM (Jack De Bromhead).
Derby Trial (2M): 1, M. Ahern’s JOHNNY DEPP (Jack de Bromhead); 2, M. Flannery’s RIGHT ON TIME (Paddy Hanlon); 3, G. Young’s MANSFIELD (Kian McNally).
14.2HH Race (1M): 1, S.Kerr’s FIVE STONE OF LEAD (Kian McNally); 2, M. Ahern’s PACMAN (Julian Pietropaolo); 3, N. Brosnan’s THE LOW ROAD (Adam Grant).
Open Horse Race (1M): 1, I. Worrell’s CALL THE FBI (Kian McNally); 2, Three In A Row’s Syndicate’s Tom’s Cross (Jack de Bromhead); 3, Brady Family’s WHO TOLD YOU (Dylan O’Connor).
15HH Race (1M): 1, P. O’Sullivan’s CALI CARTEL (Dylan O’Connor); 2, M. Flannery’s BABY BROWN (Paddy Hanlon); 3, H/L O’Donnell’s THE TWO BOYS (Adam Grant).
Open Horse Race (10F): 1, M/K Flannery’s HEARTBREAK HILL (Paddy Hanlon); 2, Finnerty Family’s MAVERICK (Jack de Bromhead); 3, S. Crabbe’s TOLATE TED (Adam Grant).
15 HH Race (12F): 1, S. White’s BUBBA WATSON (Calum Hogan); 2, M/F Flannery’s BABY BROWN (Paddy Hanlon); 3, K. Holian’s WEE BUCKS (Kian McNally).
14.2 HH Race (12F): 1, S. Kerr’s FIVE STONE OF LEAD (Kian McNally); 2, M. Ahern’s PACMAN (Jack de Bromhead); 3, Brady Family’s LITTLE CHIEF (Keithen Kennedy).
12.2 HH Race (1M): 1, T. Beegan’s LITTLE LIONESS (Sophie Mae Kerin); 2, P. Collins SOUTH OF THE BORDER (Adam Grant); 3, T. Beegan’s GREY FOX (Reece Hololan).
Lee Strand Dingle Derby (2M): 1, M/K Flannery’s THE AULD HOUSE (Paddy Hanlon); 2, M. Ahern’s JOHNNY DEPP (Jack de Bromhead); 3, P. O’Sullivan’s CALI CARTEL (Dylan O’Connor).
Open Horse Race (1M): 1, Brady Family’s WHO TOLD YOU (Dylan O’Connor); 2, I. Worrell’s HONEST BERNIE (Kian McNally); 3, A. Melia’s WHAT’S GOING ON (Keithen Kennedy).
Open Horse Race (12F) Div 1: 1, I. Kavanagh’s CHLOE’S SAM (Kian McNally); 2, Castle Racing’s TIGER FORCE (Dylan O’Connor); 3, Maher Syndicate’s COME ON EILEEN (Julian Pietropaola)
Open Horse Race (12F) Div 2: 1, M/K Flannery’s RIGHT ON TIME (Paddy Hanlon); 2, Castle Racing’s AL CAPONE (Calum Hogan); 3, A. Melia’s THE TINDER SWINDLER (Keithen Kennedy).
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