Short putts

Athlone

Congratulations to Bernie Stapleton on winning the White Elephant competition recently. Results: Winner Bernie Stapleton (27 points); 2nd: Jean McGowan (23); 3rd: Kathleen McDonnell (23); 4th: Chris Fuery (23); 5th: Bríd Kenny (23).

Boyle

The golfing year teed off in Boyle with the Captain’s DriveIn on Sunday. Best wishes to Men’s Captain Liam Whyte and Lady Captain Maura O’Farrell for the year ahead.

Congratulations to Eddie Conroy who was the emphatic winner of the recent 18-hole Stableford competition. Eddie’s score of 47 left him ten points ahead of nearest challenger Michael McHale.

The club is hoping to restart Junior Golf this year. Details are yet to be finalised but it will most likely take place on Saturday mornings between Easter and the summer holidays for children aged 8 to 12.

Carrick

The Captain’s Drive-In takes place this Saturday (18th) with

by Tom Red

ing the betting with Banbridge, and Appreciate It with 11/1 bar. Davy Russell rides Mighty Potter which will give him another festival winner.

The Pertemps Hurdle Final is a wideopen affair with a full complement of 24 runners. Davy Russell might have a double on Maxxum but I prefer Tony Martin’s Good Time Jonny e/w.

There are nine set to go in the Ryanair with six Irish-trained. The raiding party is headed by Mullins’ Blue Lord, but it is hard to oppose Nicky Henderson’s oddson Shiskin.

In this year’s Stayers Hurdle, 11 are declared to run. The one to beat looks to be last year’s winner Flooring Porter for Gavin Cromwell who reports that the 8-Y-O is back to his best following two defeats. He will be given all to do by Charles Byrnes Blazing Khal and Elliott’s Teahupoo.

In the Magner’s Plate Handicap Chase, 24 runners are headed by Emmet Mullins’ So Scottish at 7/2, hoping to repeat the trainers win last year with The Shunter.

There are ten Irish runners in the 2m Jack de Bromhead Mares Novice Hurdle. It looks a race that could be won by Jamie Snowden’s consistent Youwearitwell from de Bromhead’s Magical Zoe. The Kim Muir has a full field and Jamie Codd rides Dunboyne. Mullins has one in favourite Mr Incredible, and he is preferred as he will go on the ground. Derek O’Connor rides JP McManus’s outsider Musical Slave trained by Philip Hobbs. My e/w Yankee selection for today, €1 stake, is Flooring Porter, So Scottish, Youwearitwell and Mr Incredible.

Gents’ Captain Brendan Boyle and Lady Captain Sheila Carney teeing us off for 2023. They will be joined by club President Oliver Curran and the format is a four-person Mixed Scramble. Best of luck to all involved.

Congratulations to Team 13 (Captain Patricia O’Hara) who won the Spring League with an impressive final score of 564 points.

Congratulations also to last weekend’s Ladies winner, Martina Sweeney with 21 points, and Gents’ winner Seamus Mulhern, also with 21 points.

Last Thursday’s Senior outing was cancelled due to the weather but the trip to Strandhill on Monday was some consolation! Results in next week’s Short Putts.

Castlerea

The Captains’ Drive-In will take place at 1.30 pm on St Patrick’s Day (Friday), and we wish Padraic Gilmore and Teresa Meaney the very best of luck for the year ahead.

Elected officers for 2023 are as follows: Captain Padraic Gilmore, Lady Captain Teresa Meaney and Club President Tony Brophy. Liam Callaghan has taken over as chair of the management committee.

Cheltenham Friday

The Triumph Hurdle opens racing tomorrow. Blood Destiny heads the market but may have to give way to Lossiemouth.

The County Handicap Hurdle has 21 declared with six Irish runners. David Pipes’ Thanksforthehelp is favourite with Mark Walsh aboard. A good e/w chance here is Tony Martin’s Good Time Jonny.

The Albert Bartlett has 20 runners and is a very open race. There is a field of 13 set to face the starter in the Blue Riband of the festival, the Gold Cup, including seven Irish with WP Mullins’ Galopin Des Champ the favourite.

The ‘amateur’ Gold Cup, The Foxhunters, has 24 left standing and looks a match between WP Mullins’ Billway and Vaucelet for David Christie. Vaucelet to win.

There were only nine entered in the penultimate race of the festival and seven are Irish trained. Willie Mullins again trains the favourite and Allegorie De Vassy will be hard to beat.

Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle for conditional jockeys has 24 runners. The top three in the betting are Irish headed again by a Mullins’ horse, Spanish Harlem, who will be ridden by young Michael O’Sulivan hoping to complete a festival treble.

My final e/w Yankee selection for Friday, again a €1 stake, is Lossiemouth, Shiskin, So Scottish, and Spanish Harlem.

Weekend action…

The Irish weekend action starts today (Thursday) under lights on the allweather at Dundalk, first race at 4.40 pm.

On St. Patrick’s Day, there is a meeting in the north at Down Royal featuring the Ulster National Handicap Chase away at 1.50 pm.

On Saturday Thurles features the Grade 3 Pierce Molony Memorial Novice Chase and the Grade 2 the Webster Cup Chase is away at 1.40 pm. Last Saturday’s postponed meeting at Navan has been rescheduled for Monday.