Oakwood Stud to sponsor Grass Championship at Manch

Manch, Ireland – The Irish Trotting and Harness Racing Federation (ITHRF) have announce the inaugural running of the Oakwood Stud Three-year-old Irish Grass Pacing Championship to be held at Manch Raceway on the Red John O’Donovan Memorial weekend of Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st August 2016.

.Oakwood Stud, who are one of the leading lights of Standardbred Breeding in Ireland with Foreclosure N and No Pan Intended standing at their County Offaly facility, have joined forces with the ITHRF to promote this series with an eye on the future and making this three-year-old Championship one of the major events on the Irish Harness Racing calendar.

Derek Delaney and his brother James, owners of Oakwood Stud, have changed the face of breeding in the country with these two regally bred stallions.

"We see a bright future for breeding both here in Ireland and the UK,” Derek Delaney said. “We have got great support from broodmare owners in the Cork region who have used our stallions and the three-year-old  championship is our way of repaying that support."

"We are delighted than James and Derek Delaney of Oakwood Stud have come on board with the ITHRF to promote the championship here in Cork,” said Said Tim Kelleher for the ITHRF.

“The Red John Memorial was a huge success last year and this year we are making it a full weekend,” Said Kelleher. “The three-year-old race will really raise the profile of the event and it will give overseas visitors who are here for the Ladbroke’s Vincent Delaney Memorial weekend, a chance to taste the atmosphere of grass racing here in Cork.”

The series is penciled in for the weekend after the Vincent Delaney Memorial so many of those travelling to Dublin will have another top class racing weekend to look forward to.

In addition to the great racing programs that weekend, there will also be hot food and a bar on site, supervised parking, and for the children, free face painting, bouncy castles and colouring competitions.

There will, of course, be bookmakers in attendance, stabling arranged for visiting horses, and a race dance the Saturday night.

Manch Raceway a half mile grass venue is located approximately one hour from Cork International Airport. For more information and a nomination form visit  http://www.harnessracingcork.com/.

From the Red John Memorial Weekend Committee

Here are the rules and conditions for the race.

1. €50 payable by March 14th

    €50 payable by April 14th

    €50 entry on race day

2. Any late entries €300 (plus sustaining fees) Any entries after August 1st €500

3. Separate heats for colts and fillies (subject to entries)

4. Mixed sex heats where fillies get preference

5. Final to be run as FFA with fillies getting preference in draw  

6. Heats and final to be run over 1 mile.

7. Maximum of eight horses per heat

8. Final to be run with eight qualifiers

9. The promoters (ITHRF) decision is final