THERE were great celebrations in Lowry’s Bar in Clifden, Co Galway, last Sunday when a racehorse named after the pub won on its debut at Wincanton. Trained by Philip Hobbs and Johnson White, the equine Lowry’s Bar was backed from 16/1 to 2/1 and got up late to win by half a length.

Bryan Murphy of the Dunraven Arms Hotel in Adare, Co Limerick, was able to fill us in on the background. “I bought the horse as a foal from Michael Condon in Conna. We decided to keep him and put him in training with Sam Curling, and he finished second in a point-to-point at Knockanard on his only start.