WITH horse and pony racing in Ireland taking an enforced break due to the current insurance situation, owners and trainers hungry for victory and seeking a fix of their chosen adrenaline-inducing drug, have had to look farther afield to satisfy their needs. Scotland has long upheld a tradition of local racing for the ordinairy man and it was to that battle-field that Rathmullan’s Noel McLaughlin and Milford’s Shaun McGinley decided to launch an attack. Their top horse, ‘Donegal Bay’ trounced the opposition to land the feature race of the day on the Hawick track, under the steering of Kian McNally, aka Tubz McNally. The canny owners had undertaken a scouting mission at the start of the season to suss out the Scottish scene and were well prepared for their June attack, leaving the natives in no doubt as to the strength of the invaders.
Local jockeys are also enjoying a good spell at the moment. Luke McAteer streaked home on ‘Yerwanthere’ in Leopardstown on June 9. Oisin Orr got his mount’s head over the line in front in York on June 10, though unfortunately he fell afoul of the English stewards and got demoted to second place. Dylan Browne McMonagle continued his winning ways with ‘Night Of Romance’, clinching a victory at Gowran on June 12, while Conor Orr rode a pillar to post victory in Roscommon on June 14th to land the feature race of the day on the Lorna Fowler trained ‘Politesse’. All four riders started their racing careers at the local horse and pony racing.
Staying within the country, Donegal’s Riding Club members attended the annual AIRC Festival in Mullingar Equestrian. This extravaganza of show jumping, dressage and showing is one of the biggest equestrian gatherings on the island and saw over 600 competitors take part this year. Stracomer Riding Club was represented by club stalwarts Ann Keaney and Magda Pliczko, who between them took home ribbons in team show jumping, mares showing class and the lightweight cob class.
Suzanne Deeney Wylie and her trusty groom, Thomas Deeney, travelled their ex-racehorse ‘Dubai Flyer’ to Mullingar and enjoyed a good run in both the small riding horse class and the Thoroughbred showing class. ‘Dubai Flyer’ was trained by the aforementioned Noel McLaughlin when racing and is now taking to riding club life like a duck to water under Suzanne’s patient re-schooling.
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