Limerick Racing News
Billy Lee took the new-look Curragh by storm on Monday when riding three winners for three different trainers. He took the opening two-year-old maiden on the Paddy Twomey-trained Sunday Sovereign which raced to a three-length success in the colours of the Sunday Racing Club. He followed up straight away when partnering the Willie McCreery-trained Ickworth to a two and a quarter-length win in the Listed First Flier Stakes and rounded off a big day when taking the 6f handicap on Michael Grassick’s 10/1 chance Verhoyen. Chris Hayes was also an opening day hero as he took the Listed Tetrarch Stakes on the Dermot Weld-trained Shelir, the 8/1 winner could reappear in the 2,000 Guineas at the course later this month.
At Down Royal on Monday, Conor McNamara recorded the sixth winner of his career when landing the concluding bumper on Tritonix for trainer Gavin Cromwell. He got the 14/1 chance home by a neck from the Gordon Elliott-trained 4/5 favourite Global Society in the colours of the Here For A Good Time Syndicate.
Oola jockey Cathal Landers landed the 2m1f beginners’ chase at Ballinrobe on Tuesday on 3/1 shot Cooldine Bog. The Andy Slattery-trained six-year-old got the better of Cliff House late on to score by half a length under Landers who had ridden the runner-up to finish second in a similar race at Down Royal on the previous afternoon.
Billy Lee shared a second winner with Paddy Twomey when Loveisthehigherlaw took the 10f fillies’ maiden at Cork on Friday night as the 12/1 chance won by three-parts of a length.
Dermot Weld, who trained Blue Wind to do the English and Irish Oaks double in 1981, looks to have another smart filly on his hands after Tarnawa claimed the Irish National Stud Racing Irish EBF Blue Wind Stakes in the hands of Chris Hayes. Weld was winning the Group 3 contest named after his former inmate for the fourth time this decade as Tarnawa overturned the odds-on favourite Who’s Steph by a neck. Weld commented afterwards: “I thought that she would be hard to beat today and that was a good performance as the second is a very good filly. She’s tough and stays well and we will just see how she comes out this before making plans but Epsom (Oaks) is a possibility.” Hayes also weighed in on a Weld-trained winner at Naas on Sunday where Baladiya won the 6f maiden.
Other Racing News
Free Racecourse Wi-Fi continues to roll-out across Ireland’s race tracks
Free Racecourse Wi-Fi is now available at 11 racecourses throughout Ireland, with an additional five racecourses due to go live in June and July. The scheme for the provision of Wi-Fi across all Irish racecourses was announced in September 2016 with an overall investment of €2.4 million, including a €1.2 million grant from HRI. Already 21,888 unique users have logged into the Free Racecourse Wi-Fi network across the 11 active tracks, with 22% of racegoers opting in to receive further communication. HRI’s Wi-Fi Project Manager, Niamh McManus, said: “Free Racecourse Wi-Fi will be live at the majority of Irish racecourses by the end of 2019. We are delighted the project is nearing completion and together with our suppliers EIR and Capstone we are thrilled with how everything has come together in a relatively short space of time.” The 11 racecourses currently offering Free Racecourse Wi-Fi are: Ballinrobe, Leopardstown, Cork, Naas, Fairyhouse, Navan, Dundalk, Limerick, Punchestown, Gowran Park and the Curragh. The service will be available at Galway, Killarney, Tramore, Tipperary and Downpatrick by the end of July.
Upcoming Fixtures
Roscommon – Monday, May 13 (First Race 5.30)
Killarney – Monday, May 13 (First Race 5.05)
Killarney – Tuesday, May 14 (First Race 5.20)
Punchestown – Wednesday, May 15 (First Race 5.45)
Clonmel – Thursday, May 16 (First Race 5.20)
Kilbeggan – Friday, May 17 (First Race 5.10)
Leopardstown – Friday, May 17 (First Race 5.25)
Navan – Saturday – May 18 (First Race 1.25)
Naas – Sunday – May 19 (First Race 1.35)
Social Sharing
