Tag Archive for: Dundalk

Brighter shines with debut success at Dundalk

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Brighter could take a step up in class after she overcame her evident inexperience to land the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden at Dundalk.

Aidan O’Brien’s charge was sent off a 13-8 chance in the five-furlong contest and after taking an early lead, she had to dig deep for Ryan Moore, drifting right but always doing enough to hold off the 11-8 favourite Vanity Pays by a head.

Brighter was a first winner for sire Ten Sovereigns and she could now tackle the Group Three Fillies Sprint Stakes at Naas.

Stable representative Chris Armstrong said: “Great to get the stallion off the mark. She’s a fine example of the Ten Sovereigns’ progeny.

“Aidan felt she was just ready to start, she will come on a tonne from this. Ryan was happy with her – she was green throughout the run, but she is going to improve a tonne.

“We will probably go to the fillies’ juvenile sprint at Naas in five weeks time. She is a filly to look forward to.”

O’Brien and Moore made it a double on the night as 2-7 market leader Red Riding Hood survived a stewards’ inquiry to lift the Irishinjuredjockeys.com Fillies Maiden.

Having the third start of her career, the daughter of Justify hung across the track in the finish, impeding third-placed Shamwari but her three-quarter-length verdict was allowed to stand.

Armstrong said: “She’s still a work-in-progress, she’s just got to put everything together.

“She will definitely come on a lot for the run, the experience will do her the world of good.

“She could go back to Naas for something like the Naas Oaks Trial in three weeks’ time and try to get the black type for her.

“Once she puts everything together, she will be a nice filly going forward.”

Cairo delivers at Dundalk – setting up UAE Derby and possible trip to Kentucky

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Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore teamed up at Dundalk on Friday evening, as the Classic-entered Cairo got Ballydoyle off the mark domestically for 2023 at the first time of asking.

A smart juvenile who finished his campaign with victory in the Group Three Killavullan Stakes at Leopardstown, the Quality Road colt was sent off the 30-100 favourite for this assignment in the Listed Patton Stakes over a mile – a race that forms part of the ‘European Road to the Kentucky Derby’.

Matching strides with News At Ten for much of the journey, the market leader asserted down the straight to get on top and ultimately score by a comfortable two lengths.

The Patton Stakes was won by O’Brien and Moore with Mendelssohn in 2018 – and Cairo could follow in his footsteps by going for the UAE Derby and possibly to Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May.

Stable representative Chris Armstrong said: “It was a nice start for him. Aidan felt coming here that he was just ready to start. He’ll come on plenty for the run.

“Ryan was happy with him, he said he will come on plenty as well, experience and fitness-wise. Ryan couldn’t get cover and he probably did a little much early against others that had a race. He gave Ryan a nice feel.

“The plan is, all being well and if he comes out of this well, he will go off to Dubai for the UAE Derby and we will see how we go.

“He’s an exciting horse to have and hopefully he has a good season ahead of him.”

Cairo has exciting targets on the horizon
Cairo has exciting targets on the horizon (PA)

Armstrong added: “He came to hand quick enough and Aidan felt fitness-wise he was just ready to start. It is worth a try on the dirt in Dubai. If it went well over there, we could possibly look at Kentucky (Derby). He has the Triple Crown entry.

“It is good have the Group One entries here as well as looking overseas.

“Ryan felt he took a good blow and he’ll come on plenty.

“He’s a son of Quality Road, very good pedigree. Plenty of speed in the pedigree and a very good mover. An athletic horse with a lovely attitude and he is exciting. He’ll step up in trip in Dubai.

“Plenty of options.”

McNally registers Dundalk winner as he awaits 12-year ban appeal

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Ronan McNally gave an emotional interview after saddling his first winner since being handed a 12-year ban by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board at Dundalk on Wednesday.

The Northern Irishman, who has enjoyed big-race success with popular horses like The Jam Man and Dreal Deal, was found in breach of a number of rules by the IHRB’s referrals committee following an investigation and hearing last month, including one charge of running and training his horses in a manner “prejudicial to the integrity, proper conduct and good reputation of horseracing”.

McNally, who was also ordered to pay costs of €50,000, has since appealed the sanction which is due to come into effect on March 1, and in the meantime is allowed to continue running horses in Ireland.

As usual joined on track by his 12-year-old son Kian ‘Tubs’ McNally, the trainer was delighted to be back in the winner’s enclosure after Vee Dancer justified 2-1 favouritism in the Dundalk Winter Series Leading Trainer & Jockey Championship Handicap.

Dreal Deal was a Grade Two winner at Punchestown
Dreal Deal was a Grade Two winner at Punchestown (PA)

Afterwards he spoke of the anguish his impending suspension has caused and revealed he has reluctantly put Vee Dancer and his other stable stars up for sale.

“This horse is for sale because of my current situation. Dreal Deal is for sale, All Class is for sale and The Jam Man is for sale,” he told Racing TV.

“It’s unfortunate the position I’m in, but that’s just what we’re going to have to do at the moment. If anyone wants to get in touch, there’s a few nice Saturday horses there.

“It’s devastating. These horses are not just horses, they’re family – to think of losing them is like losing children to me. For Tubs, I would dread the day they are leaving the yard in a box and how he is going to react.

“Tubs is brilliant and I don’t want to drag him into this whole thing. It’s sad that he has to see his dad go through this and be asked questions about it, but it’s the situation we have to deal with at the moment and hopefully we’ll get through it in one piece.”

McNally is keen to fight his ban and said he is “very confident” it will be overturned on appeal, adding: “It’s totally unheard of to get warned off for 12 years – the worst penalty in Irish racing.

“I can’t see how I’m the worst person that’s ever come into Irish racing. It’s a lifetime ban. I’d have to come back after 12 years and reapply for my licence, which I would probably get rejected for.

“On appeal I’m very confident this will be turned around because I can’t see how it can be upheld. I just pray that common sense prevails and maybe we’ll get a bit of justice.

“I’d say there’s a lot of trainers that don’t want to reach out to me because they’re worried for themselves. If we start looking back at races from two or three years ago and horses coming up through the handicaps and horses going off after big gambles, I’d say there’s a lot of people in Ireland in trouble.

“I think Irish racing is in big, big trouble if that’s a precedent that’s going to be set going forward.”

Ronan McNally with The Jam Man at Navan
Ronan McNally with The Jam Man at Navan (PA)

What appears to be hurting McNally most is the fact that not only is he set to be suspended from training, but he will not be allowed to step foot on a racecourse for the duration of his ban.

His son has already made a big impact on the pony racing circuit in Ireland and McNally admits the thought of not being there for a planned professional debut in the coming years is hard to take.

“Tubs will probably have his licence in four years to go riding. He’s a very talented rider, I’ve nurtured him since he was one or two years of age and we go everywhere and do everything together,” said McNally.

“The thought of not being able to go to a racecourse to saddle up his first horse or be there to watch him coming in, it’s not ending a career, it’s ending a life for me.

“I can’t imagine he’ll even want to go racing without me as we’re like two peas in a pod. We’re best friends more than father and son and wherever I go, he goes.

“It’s sad to think that might be terminated, I think very unfairly. As I said to the committee, one thing is taking my licence away, it’s another thing banning me from going racing – it’s our life.”

McNally senior and junior are regular visitors to the Cheltenham Festival, but as things stand the trainer will not be able to make his annual pilgrimage to the Cotswolds.

He added: “At the moment I can’t even go to Cheltenham to watch it. It seems horrific.

“Mentally this is soul destroying. It’s consumed my life for two or three years and mentally it would break you.

Dreal Deal with owner and trainer Ronan McNally
Dreal Deal with owner and trainer Ronan McNally (PA)

“I’m quite a strong character, luckily enough. If you were weaker in the mind, God knows what would have happened, but I’m trying to stay strong for the child and I don’t want to be crying about it.

“I’m keeping my head held high, we’ve had a nice winner today and we’re going to enjoy that.

“Hopefully we’ll get a good appeal put together and get a good outcome.”

McNally’s son has been a regular on TV in recent years and also spoke to Racing TV at Dundalk.

On the prospect of the ban and missing the day he rides on the racecourse, he said: “I’d say it will ruin my dad’s life. It will ruin his life if he isn’t allowed to be at the races when I’m riding, that’s what I would say.”