WEST CORK, Ireland – It was a day of doubles at the annual St Stephens Day Road Racing fixture in Drimoleague which signaled the start of the 2016 Winter Road racing season in West Cork.

Despite the torrential rain on Christmas day and on St Stephens morning, Mother Nature smiled down on the Drimoleague Committee with the clouds disappearing and a mild day ensured a bumper holiday attendance at the age old fixture .

Three jockeys rode doubles on the day .Timmy O'Leary had the honor of riding the first winner of the new season aboard Big Jim in the opening Novice Grade .Lailas Boy set the early running in this mile contest but O'Leary sent the winner to the front at the first turning point and raced on to a two length winning margin from Lakeview Romeo, who came a long way off the pace to grab second .

Dunmanway based O'Leary completed his double in the Grade D contest where he teamed up with his retained trainer Jer O'Mahony to get the red rossette aboard the French trotter, Tactician Du Lys, who is trained by O'Mahony for Co Meath based Ger Kane, who also owns the first winner Big Jim .

The 2015 female champion jockey, Deirdre Goggins, also visited the winners enclosure twice on the day .

In The Grade E, Lakeview Allstar continued on the upward curve with a hard fought win over race favorite IB Rapido holding on by half a length .

Goggins second victory was a far more easier task .Rhyds Ponder, who won in Old Chapel on the final day last year, set a blistering early pace and never looked in any danger with 10 lengths back to newcomer Rhyds Artist, who lost a lot of ground at the second turning point .This was a popular success for local owner Niall Forbes

David Brickley, a champion jockey in 2015, was not to be out done on his home road and he also notched two winners on the scoresheet

Newcomer Maithi Buachill and 2015 horse of the year, Meadowlands Falcon, were head of the market in the Grade B and Brickley made the running on Maithi Buachaill and saw off all rivals by eight lengths with another debutant to the "tar " Rhyds Trickster finishing second

The feature race of the day, the Grade A, was a thriller. Conway Tiger with Deirdre Goggin and Dream Maker with David Brickley, have been slugging it out in the premier grade for the last two seasons, and were almost inseparable for the two mile contest, exchanging the lead several times.

With a furlong to pace, Conway Tiger seemed to have annexed his arch rival. Then in the final 100 yards, Brickley asked Dream Maker for one final challenge and he got up on the line to win by a short head. Both horses gave their all and no doubt more titanic struggles lay in store .

The road racing carnival heads to Durrus on New Years Day January 1st with a 2PM start time

by Tim Kelleher, for Harnesslink

RESULTS

Novice

1. G Kane BIG JIM T O Leary

2. M.Kelleher LAKEVIEW ROMEO Marie Moloney

3. C O Sullivan HILLSIDE DARTANIAN Deirdre Goggin

DIST 2l 4l SP 4/5 5/1 6/4 5 Ran

Grade E

1. G Hegarty LAKEVIEW ALLSTAR Deirdre Goggin

2. A & S Buckley IB RAPIDO T O Leary

3. J Cullinane ROCOKOCO J O Reilly

DIST 1/2l 2l SP 6/4 EV 4/1 4 Ran

Grade D

1. G Kane TACTICIAN DU LYS T O Leary

2. J O Sullivan TALAVARY SONGSTER Deirdre Goggin

3. Shanahan/Brickley MEADOWBRANCH KIKI D Brickley

DIST 5l 2l SP EV 3/1 7/2 7 Ran

Grade C (Joe O Sullivan Acorn Life Cup)

1. N Forbes RHYDS PONDER Deirdre Goggin

2. L O Brien RHYDS ARTIST Marie Moloney

3. J Hurley HILTON SPRINTER T O Leary

DIST 10l 3l SP 4/6 3/1 5/2 6 Ran

Grade B (PJ Daly Memorial Cup)

1. P Kane MAITHI BUACHAILL D Brickley

2. Deasy /Hurley/Keohane RHYDS TRIXTER J O Reilly

3. J O Mahony MEADOWLANDS FALCON T O Leary

DIST 1/2l 10l SP EV 4/1 4/5 4 Ran

Grade A (Tommy McCarthy Memorial Cup)

1. Shanahan / Mycock DREAM MAKER D Brickley

2. Deirdre Goggin CONWAY TIGER Owner

3. N Forbes MOUNTAIN DEW LAD T O Leary

DIST SH 8l SP 4/6 2/1 5/1