Thrilling finishes at Mallow races
Thursday August 26 2010
CORK Racecourse, Mallow, was most certainly the place to be on Sunday last where the course provided the best and most exciting racing and thrilling finishes ever witnessed at this magnificent state of the art racecourse.
In four of the races just a neck separated the principals, providing excellent entertainment for the apprecative attendance. Weather conditions were ideal, with ground conditions excellent, and favourably commented on by owners and trainers alike.
The opening 1ml maiden saw a tremendous local success, where Buttevant jockey Colm O'Donoghue, guided The Grey Rebel, owned by the 10-member Rebels Forever Syndicate, from Glanworth, Mallow, the impressive two length winner.
Spokesman Kevin Hannon, who is a member of the successful group, bred the winner and put the winning syndicate together, which include Brian Lee from Renard, Co Kerry, Jim Cashman, Fermoy, Brian Lee, Tom Lee, Tomm McGrath, Tom McCarthy, Seamus Kirby, Ned Kirby and Michael Cummins, all from Glanworth, and Michael Enright from Fermoy.
The winner had commendable placed form coming into the race and, despite this, was available at 10/ 1 morning prices.
Local Glanworth Bookmaker Pat McCarthy, who was in the winners enclosure, told The Corkman, in the aftermath of the celebrations: "I had as bad a race as I ever had at a race meeting, such was the huge support I had for the winner.
"I laid him heavily, but having said that, I am delighted for the lads in the syndicate who are all friends and neighbours of mine."
David Marnane trains and rates him a very nice prospect for next year.
The concluding Newmarket handicap provided a fairytail first ever training success in Ireland for the former American based trainer Niall O'Callaghan, who trained for 28 years at Churchill Downs, Louseville, Kentucky.
During that time he won the The American Oaks, in Belmont Park in 1999 with Ona soapbox, in addition to winning over 27 millon dollars in prizemoney, which included over 80 listed races.
He is back training in Ireland, at Gortroe, Kilmichael, Dunmanway, beside where the famous ambush took place, at Beal na Blath, which was incidentally celebrated also on Sunday last.
Takeover Bid was his first winner in Ireland, and what a place to win at his local Mallow course. The winner is jointly owned by his brother Maurice and Sean Dineen from Cork City.
Currently Niall "is getting the hang of training here, where the distances are different to the states, and it's all flat and fast over there" but he is learning fast to judge by Sunday's result, where Kinsale jockey Ben Curtis gave him a smashing drive for the 27th win of his brilliant season to date.
The next fixture at Cork Racecourse Mallow is a major two-day fixture, on Saturday and Sunday, October 16 and 17.
- Pat Griffin
