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Roscommon People Friday 28 July 2017
News/SportsExtra This weekend’s action: The Bulmer’s Live music series continues at Leopardstown this evening with racing away at 5.55 pm and music after the last race is by The Stunning. Today also sees racing at Greenmount Park, Limerick with a national hunt card away at 5.35 pm. Tomorrow flat racing is at Down Royal with a 5.35 pm start and over the sticks at Wexford, away at 5.55 pm. Saturday, racing is at The Curragh, where an all flat card starts at 1.45 pm. The feature is The Extra.ie 5f Handicap and includes the Amatuer Derby over the famous 1½m course. Sunday is a day of rest for punters to relax and recharge for the week of craic, ceol agus `ol at Ballybrit at the Galway Racing Festival starting on Monday at 5.20 pm and runs for the full 7 days. Cross channel racing next week sees the start of Glorious Goodwood on Tuesday.
Friday at Kilbeggan
Horses for Courses
Last year’s winner Tulsa Jack returned to Kilbeggan last Friday for the Midlands National Handicap Chase but could only manage to finish 4th. There was a late gamble on Tony Martin’s Phil’s Magic and it paid dividends as Donagh Myler got him up in the shadow of the post to win by a head from Mr Boss Man with Net D’Ecosse 3l away in 3rd.
Racing news Dual Oaks champion Enable is an intended runner in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on Saturday. John Gosden’s exceptional filly will now take on the older generations for the first time. Congrats to Roscommon Course Manager Michael Finneran, part of the John James Feane Partnership, whose Park Row won over 1m 4f at Gowran Park on Saturday. It was the gelding’s third win and he is trained on the Curragh by Johnny Feane and was ridden by Gary Halpin.
Competition corner
by Tom Red
Our next competition is for tickets to Roscommon on August 8th and to win please tell us the name of Michael Finner-
an’s horse that won in Gowran Park last Saturday? To win tickets for Kilbeggan on August 12th, we want to know which horse won the Midlands National at the track last Friday? Answers for the Roscommon competition please on a post card to The Roscommon People, Abbey Street Roscommon or by e-mail to tomred17@gmail. com by 12 pm on Wednesday, August 2nd for the Roscommon competition and don’t forget to include your name, address and a contact phone number. For Kilbeggan, the closing date is 12 pm on August 9th.
Ballybrit Preview 2017 Sunday provides a much appreciated rest day for punters before they head west for 7 long days of mixed racing at Ballybrit in Galway. On Monday, the first day of the Galway Festival starts with the Radisson Hotel and Galway Bay Hotel Novice Hurdle over 2m with 15 potential runners at 5.20 pm and the second is the Easyfix Handicap Hurdle over 2m with 45 entered. The third on the card is the Claregalway hotel. ie maiden, 21 runners, followed by the Claytonhotelgalway.ie handicap, 34 runners, both over 7f. The feature race, Connacht Hotel Handicap for the amateurs, is at 7.40 pm with 40 entries. The 18 runner 1m 4f Eventus Handicap is the penultimate race on the card which closes with a 2m bumper for amateur riders and 27 entries. A horse to note in the opening hurdle is DK Weld’s Aydoun. Weld got rid of most of his NH horses recently and let this be a pointer. The 2nd is a wide open handicap and in the 3rd Medal Of Honour would not be winning out of turn. In another open handicap you might have Nothing To Lose by following the name e/w. The feature again looks wide open and all amateur riders love to put this race on their CV. Dermot Weld has a great record in this race both as a trainer and rider and his Ezanak won’t be far away at the death. I see that Sean Byrne has again stepped up Miss Mardan and she cannot be ruled out as she keeps pulling out the stops in her races and I wish Martin and Brendan the best of luck. In the penultimate, Hyperdrive is
Shadow Catcher leads the field with Lord Scoundrel (noseband) and Alelchi Inois right in last year’s race.
looking for a hattrick for Jessica Harrington and may oblige. In the bumper all the top are represented and Robbie McNamara has 2, Analytical Mindset 3rd in Cork and Dasmyhoss 3rd in Leopardstown, both placed in bumpers and his selection is worth taking an each-way chance with. Day 2 opens at 5.20 pm with the Colm Quinn BMW Novice hurdle over 2m. The next is the Latin Quarter Chase over 2m 2f, sponsored by businesses in Galway’s Latin Quarter. The first flat race the Colm Quinn BMW Fillies Mdn and Caulfield Industrial Mdn both also sponsored by the EBF are run over the minimum 7f. The featured Colm Quinn BMW Mile Handicap over 1m has 44 entries of which only 18 will get a run is off at 7.40 pm. There are 8 English raiders entered. The last 2 races are sponsored by Caulfield Industrial with the penultimate a 1m race and closing with a 7f race, both handicaps. Tote Ireland sponsor the entire Wednesday card including the feature of the week for most race goers with the Tote.com Galway Plate. Note that racing starts at 3.15 pm with a maiden hurdle over followed by a mares handicap hurdle both over 2m and the feature is at 5.35 pm. The third is a 2m5f handicap hurdle with a 1m 4f maiden confined to amateur riders fourth on the card.
How the bookies see it…
Kerry are the raging hot favourites at 1/5 to march on to the All-Ireland Football Semi-Finals. They will be facing a confident Galway team who demolished Donegal over the weekend. The Tribesmen can be backed at 9/2 and if you fancy getting involved in the handicap betting, Kerry -6 is 6/5
with Galway +6 available at 5/6. Connacht champions Roscommon go into their quarter-final as the 5/2 underdogs. Mayo needed extra-time to get past Cork last Saturday, but they are in the quarter-finals once again and are 2/5 to make it through to the last four.
Our four-legged fans… As football fever sweeps the county – the province indeed – even the dogs in the street know something very special is afoot.
Readers sent us some photos of suitably enthusiastic dogs, our canine friends getting in the mood for Croker! Well, we are the underdogs! Poppy will be hoping the Roscommon players keep ‘popping’ the ball over the bar this Sunday in Croke Park! Thanks to Carol Austin for the photograph.
Pic submitted by Noel Naughton.
There are 47 entries in the Plate, including the first 6 home 12 months ago, headed by top weight Ballycasey, 3rd last year, and Alelchi Inois, 2nd, both from WP Mullins’ yard with only 5 raiders from cross channel. Trainers WP Mullins and Henry de Bromhead each have 8 entered and owners Michael O’Leary through Gigginstown Stud has 10 horses entered with JP McManus 4. There will be a maximum of 22 runners permitted on the day and I expect Alelchi Inois, 6th in 2015 behind Shanahan’s Turn, or Ballycasey to be in the shake up at the top of the hill. Ruby’s riding arrangements will be a good guide. Two 1m flat races follow first a handicap and the penultimate is a maiden. Racing closes with another handicap, this time over 2m. Thursday is Guinness Day with the Galway Hurdle the feature and 40 entries headed by WP Mullins’ Clondaw Warrior on 11-10 along with English raider John Constable. JP McManus has 8 entered and John Quinn’s English raider may prove the best of them on the bottom of the handicap. Tony Martin, a good man in a top handicap has Thomas Edison and Pyromaniac entered and they must be respected. Racing starts at 1.40 pm with the feature at 4.35 pm. Thursday is also Ladies Day with a host of great prizes so ladies get out you Sunday best and pencil in Galway next Thursday.
GAA People
No, NOT the new Rossie mascot… There’s absolutely nothing despicable about Roscommon, Mayo or Galway football…on the contrary, all three Connacht counties have a distinguished GAA tradition, play with flair and are on the crest of a wave (etc., etc., etc….!). Nope, these minions (from the very popular Despicable Me) are appearing on this page for no particular reason, except that one of the People’s Graphics’ team had a (rare) spare moment or two earlier this week….!