Dublin, Ireland – Just over a month ago John O’Donovan, better known as “Red John” amongst harness racing circles died, as a result of a freak accident outside his home in West Cork at the young age of 27.
Red John was an immensely popular man who trained and raced pacers with increasing success over the past decade and had a bright future in the sport lay ahead for the young man who made his name aboard such stalwarts as Twenty 4 Seven, Mr Security, Bonkerstotallynuts and more recently the Irish Trotting & Harness Racing Federation Mare Of The Year award winner, Blazing Bad Zulu.
Following an unprecedented outpouring of grief across the British Isles and throughout the harness racing world, some close friends of Red John got together recently to discuss how to derive something positive and memorable for all the right reasons from the tragedy for a man that lived for his harness racing.
It was quickly agreed that a fitting tribute would be to run a Memorial Cup race in his honour every year from 2015 onwards to keep the spirit of Red John O’Donovan alive in the hearts and minds of those involved in the sport in Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.
A small committee has now been formed and headed by Scotland’s Alan Greenhorn, assisted in Ireland locally by Rachael Bousfield, with the intention of setting up a memorial fund to enable harness racing fans world-wide touched by the tragedy to donate to the fund which will be used to purchase a memorial cup, a rug and to go towards a purse for the race.
Now, as a result of negotiations with Derek Delaney, chief organiser of the Vincent Delaney Memorial Weekend Memorial, last week fund administrator Alan Greenhorn highlighted his intention to run the inaugural event on Sunday, August 9th at Portmarnock Raceway in conjunction with the Ladbroke’s Vincent Delaney Memorial Weekend.
The race conditions will be a junior free-for-all to be staged on the Sunday program. It is expected the purse money will reach €3000 with any additional funds being secured towards the 2016 running onwards.
Donations to the fund are starting to flow in, but more are needed to ensure that this memorial race is an unparalleled success, honouring the man that helped out so many owners, breeders and fellow trainers in his short life
For those interested in contributing to the Red John Memorial Fund, donations can be made worldwide using the following bank account:
RED JOHN MEMORIAL FUND
Sort Code: 83-16-03
Account # 00621936
IBAN: GB55RBOS83160300621936
IBAN VIC: RBOSGB2L
RBS, Bannockburn
For any additional information please contact Alan Scott Greenhorn via email at bigscottishal@hotmail.com.
By Thomas Bennett, for Harnesslink.com
