West Cork, Ireland – Conway Tiger with Deirdre Goggin in the plate turned the tables on her arch rival Dream Maker in another pulsating Grade A trot at the big Memorial Day at Skibbereen on Sunday.
Goggin sent the winner to the front from the start and led Rhds Trixter to the first turn. Lakeside Dragon took up the running at led off the second turn with the early leader and Dream Maker in close company.
Approaching the final turn Conway Tiger hit the front and had a three length advantage with two furlongs to pace .Dream Maker tried hard to get on terms but Conway Tiger so often the bridesmaid held on to win by two lengths .
This was the third leg of a treble for Goggin who earlier took the opening Novice Pace on Hillside Mustang. Big Jim set a blistering pace and led to the opening turn but Goggin produced this son of Harmony P with three furlongs to go and won in a manner that further wins are inevitable.
Rhyds Ponder in the Grade C was the easiest winner of the six race program winning by a wide margin giving Goggin the second of her three wins and now is upgraded to Grade B and can continue his unbeaten run.
Timmy O'Leary rode a brace of winners IB Rapido second on both his starts to date went one better when landing an incident packed Grade E .There was traffic problems at the opening turn and the winner avoided the trouble and recorded his initial win on tarmac for Aidan and Sean Buckley beating last weeks winner Hillside Dartanian by eight lengths.
O'Leary won the next the Grade D on Tactician Du Lys who just got the better of Talavary Songster the pair inseparable for the final four furlongs with the French Bred Trotter getting the verdict by a length.
Champion jockey David Brickley had to settle for one winner on the day. Maithi Buachill made it three wins from as many starts in the Grade B and will now face the big guns Dream Maker and Conway Tiger in the top grade pace .The winners enclosure was packed with visitors from Dublin and Scotland and owner Pat Kane Jnr accepted the cup in memory of his grandfather Paddy and his uncle Jason.
On a weekend when harness racing in Ireland received the news that Ireland has now secured full membership of the UET (Union of European Trotting) the future looks all the more brighter for all in the Emerald Isle.
Dunmanway stages the next Road Meeting on Sunday 14th February.
by Tim Kelleher, for Harnesslink
RESULTS
Novice (The Pat Hurley Memorial Cup)
1. P Hill HILLSIDE MUSTANG Deirdre Goggin
2. G Kane BIG JIM T O Leary
3. N Forbes THE HATCHET LADY J O Reilly
DIST 6L 10L SP 1/2 6/4 3/1 3 Ran
Grade B (Paddy Kane Snr & Jason Kane Memorial Cup)
1. P Kane MAITHI BUACHAILL D Brickley
2. N Forbes MOUNTAIN DEW LAD T O Leary
3. D McCarthy SKY SECURITY A McCarthy
DIST 4L 20L SP 1/5 5/1 5/1 3 Ran
Grade C (Gerard Collins Memorial Cup)
1. N Forbes RHYDS PONDER Deirdre Goggin
2. L O Brien RHYDS ARTIST Marie Moloney
3. C Caverly EASTER LILY D Brickley
DIST 10L 4L SP 1/3 3/1 6/1 6 Ran
Grade E (Jerome O Sullivan Memorial Cup)
1. A & S Buckley IB RAPIDO T O Leary
2.C O Sullivan HILLSIDE DARTANIAN Deirdre Goggin
3. J Cullinane ROKOCOKO J O Reilly
DIST 8L 2L SP 6/4 4/5 5/1 5 Ran
Grade D (Jack Pat Collins Memorial Cup)
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 1L 4L SP 6/4 3/1 EV 6 Ran
Grade A (Tim"Cooper"Kelleher Memorial )
1. Deirdre Goggin CONWAY TIGER Owner
2. Shanahan/Mycock DREAM MAKER D Brickley
3. Deasy/Hurley/Keohane RHYDS TRIXTER J O Reilly
DIST 2L 6L SP 2/1 4/9 3/1 4 Ran
