THE 12th annual Vincent Delaney Memorial Festival at Tir Prince Raceway, North Wales was an unqualified success last week. There were wins for English, Welsh and Scottish-owned horses. Ireland fared well, sending out eight winners over the 21 races throughout Saturday and Sunday.

Happily, there were so many impressive Irish winners that it’s hard to pick the headline performance. The accolade goes to Bobby Barry’s Ayr Corleone who won the £19,000 Oakwood Stud Three-Year-Old Colts race in a time of 1.59.6.

The gelding is trained in Fermanagh by Neville Martin and was driven by the man for the big occasion Patrick Kane jnr. “He has that pure speed we came to associate with the sire Hasty Hall,” said the current Irish champion driver.

Patrick opened the two-day meeting with a shock winner when IB Lily (8/1) owned by the Murphy brothers and American Bill Donovan beat the Durham-owned Quest For Fame. The latter was the subject of a massive plunge with the seven bookies on duty.

“This was a pleasant surprise from a bad draw,” said Donal of IB Lily during the week. “She can’t handle a grass track so a trip to Tir Prince would suit her. We gave her to the Kanes for a few weeks to gain her confidence again.”

Always Be Layla is English-trained but owned by Ashbourne man Christopher Morrison. The daughter of Always B Miki was driven by Vicky Gill who has her stable star Newtown Jody entered for Lyre this weekend (see accompanying article).

Oakwood Mick raced in a tough manner to win his heat of the Diamond Creek two-year-old colts and was third in the final. Gavin Murdock was in the bike for owner Ruairi Mc Nulty.

Ayr Corleone was impressive in his heat of the two-year-olds but so too was the other heat winner I Shot The Sherriff owned by the Grievesons of Newcastle-On-Tyne.

Old times

John Richardson has not taken many runners to the Prestatyn region in recent years because he felt recent crops were not good enough to win. It was like old times as the quiet spoken multiple Irish champion guided Shesnoaprilfool (1/2) and 12/1 shot Rugadh Me Reidh (I Was Born Ready - if you don’t have the cúpla focail) to the winner’s circle.

John is in the fortunate position of still owning the dams of both these unexposed mares.

A bit like Mullins or Elliott, not many Richardson horses go off at 12/1. The SP reflected the mare’s difficult draw – number 12 in a 12-horse field. John gave her a textbook drive.

Gavin Murdock brought up a double when Bailieborough man Kevin Mc Hugh’s Churchview Camelot (7/4 to 4/5) led out, made all to win the LDP Demolition four-year-old pace of £8,600.

The pair demolished the opposition, pardon the pun. Ski From The Top was not disgraced in second place for Patrick Kane.

Among the rest of the Irish raiders, Priceless for the Duggans and Arts Princess from the Corey barn put in big runs without actually winning.

The meeting will be remembered for a monumental upset. Evenwood Son Of A Gun, considered by many to be the greatest to ever look through a bridle in England, was beaten at 1/4 by the stable second string Merrington Moving Up.

Usual pilot Rocker Laidler was on the favourite while ‘The Nugget’, Wull Greenhorn from Stirling, drove the winner. Both horses ran to form with the race clocking 1.56.6. The race was a free-for-all i.e., a top-grade pace with all the horses on the gate and no allowances. World renowned racetrack The Meadowlands of New Jersey kindly sponsored.

Coloured

Coloured pacers are a niche market but a decent one is worth a lot of money. Eagle Vision won the class 59 pace from the ’12 hole’ for the Tyers family from Stockton-on-Tees.

As Eagle Vision broke the two-minute barrier and beat some useful yardsticks his future is assured at stud. Rumours are rife that the horse may race in America.

A star for the future won a low-grade pace in some style, namely Evenwood Enforcer (Grant Cullen). The Scottish star in the driving ranks is unusual in that he uses the whip in his left hand. Grant also picked up ‘20 large’ in the two-year-old fillies with fellow Scot Peter McAlister’s Chasing The Stars.

One For The Road won the Hanover Shoe Farms two-year-old colts pace of £28,000 for Derbyshire trainer Sally Teebon and her old ally Richard Haythornthwaite in a track record 1.59.6

Credit

The organisers deserve great credit: Derek Delaney of Oakwood Stud devised the concept. The stallions which he markets produced seven winners and several placed horses over the meeting, which is some sort of return on his investment in harness racing.

Adam Williams owns and manages the track with the help of his right-hand man Eric Witherspoon. Jim McInally is a former leading driver and now chief steward. Jim’s partner Mandy Stanley is a budding Katie Walsh with her post race interviews, albeit without a Chacun Pou Soi.

The British Harness Racing Club are an integral part of the works, in fairness there are rarely any admin glitches. Apologies to any individuals not named, the overall effect was superb.

There was another notable Irish performance when Carmel Stewart from Coleraine ‘ran second’ in the Best Dressed Lady stakes. Leading owner Claire Fletcher from Wolverhampton won the competition.