Season ends with a flourish at Irish Cup meeting

THE 2012-2013 coursing season wound up on a high note thanks to members of the Limerick Coursing Club, whose efforts more or less guarantee the continued use of Limerick Racecourse as the venue for the JP McManus Irish Cup.
After some disappointments and fairly average coursing at this event in recent seasons, there was a marked improvement last weekend.
A new stretch with the escape brought forward, a few improvements throughout and a slightly smaller card all played their part in making the final meeting of the season meeting the success it was.
However, there were no causes for celebrations from the Clare point of view as owners from the Banner County drew a blank.
Last year’s winner, Killimor Matey, reached the last eight in the JP McManus Cup but was beaten in the first of the quarter-final heats on Sunday when the start was delayed by half an hour because of overnight frost. He was beaten one length by Carricktobin Lad, the eventual winner who was available at 25/1 before coursing. Nonetheless trainer Gerry Holian was happy and said that in the past three seasons, the black dog  had a great record at Patrickwell.
The Athenry trainer had ample compensation as he won two of the stakes on Sunday last and was runner-up in a third.
Pretty Stranger (Adios Alonso-Funny Honey), trained by Gerry Holian for Bernie Diskin-Holian and Basil Holian, Kilcolgan, won the first of two new puppy stakes for dogs and bitches, which won or were runners-up  trial stakes this season. Pretty Stranger was winner of the Chulain Bar  Bitch Puppy Stake (8) when beating Garry’s Secret (Cross Country-Drumcrow Carol) owned in Enniscorthy by Patrick Dempsey, in the final by three lengths.
Liscannor brothers, Declan and Terry McDonagh, were out of luck when their Kinielty Jazz was beaten in the first round on Sunday by Pretty Stranger. The Liscannor-owed fawn was well in front when the hare veered off to the right. Kinielty Jazz gave chase but the hare came back on course to favour Pretty Stranger who got the flag.
Also in action in the first round was Winsome Kate owned by Sean Doyle, Barefield, Ennis and Donal Cooney, Killuran. She came up against Garry’s Secret who was well in control in a straight run.
No reserves were needed for the Earl of Dunraven Kilgobbin Stakes for eight-dog puppies, which meant that the Sixmilebridge-owned Ballymacnevin did not get a run. This stake was also won by Gerry Holian with Earl of Thomond (Adios Alonso-Funny Honey), owned by Noreen McManus and Kieran McManus. He won the final by one length from Granstown Lady (Ballymac Maeve-Tarmac Bullet) owned by Gerard Burke, Portlaoise.
Blades of Steel (5/2) and Emma’s Goldrush (3/1) were the pre-coursing favourites for the Patsy Byrne Select All-Age Bitch Stake. A Clare hope in the top half was the John Browne-trained Jeru Melody, the South Clare cup winner owned by Ruth O’Donoghue, Cree. In the opening round, she led all the way to beat the puppy, Yukon Glory, by one length. However, she was beaten a length and half in the second round by the Gerry Holian-trained Duchess. At this stage, Emma’s Goldrush was beaten five lengths by Loyal Lyric, while Blades of Steel advanced at the expense of Catunda Magic. Duchess also got past the semi-final with a half-length win over Loyal Lyrick but Blades of Steel ended her chances when going out by three lengths to the Derry-owned Central Heroine.
Central Heroine (Adios Alonso-Central Accord) owned by B Duffy, Derry, won the final by one length from Duchess (Bexhill Eoin-Rith Gan Gaisce) again owned by Bernie Diskin-Holian and Basil Holian.
The final of the Woodlands House Hotel Irish Purse (for 32 greyhounds beaten in the first round of the Irish Cup) went to the puppy Kingdom Call (Janey Mac Aroo Call Up), owned by Patsy Byrne, Surrey, and well-known former Irish soccer international, Niall Quinn. He won the final by three lengths from the Tarbert-owned High and Mighty (Bexhill Eoin-Holyhill Blonde).
The Pat Curtin-trained Windfarm Hill, owned by Michael Eustace, Ennis, and Kevin Barry, Cashel, came in as first reserve in the JP McManus Irish Cup for the absent Arise Sir Mark, in the first quarter. He came from behind to win by three lengths in a straight run.
In the second quarter, the George Gallery-trained Colossal Impact went into an early lead to beat the all-age dog Cherrygrove Bolt by one length.
The big shocks of the opening day were the eliminations of favourites, Bridewell Kieran by India Rio and that of King Rooney by Barrow Saunders.
In the second round on Saturday, Windfarm Hill was slow out of slips and was beaten three lengths by Trafford Way who reached the last eight.
Colossal Impact also ended the hopes of members of the Colossal Syndicate when bowing out to Intacta Bamba, who also survived for the final day.
The Ennis-owned white and fawn also failed to make an impact in the Bill Chawke Irish Plate for dogs beaten in the second round of the Irish Cup. There was no final in this stake when the puppy, Make Peace (Mafi Magic-Mountain Guest), owned by Newmarket horse trainer, Mark Prescott, Newmarket, was declared the winner. Withdrawn from the final was the Cork-owned Vacume Cool Dude (Bexhill Eoin-Vacume Blonde), nominated by John Garrahy, Clonlara.
Betting for the quarter-final of the Irish Cup on Sunday was: 3/1 Skellig Sunrise, Fives Treasure; Carricktobin Lad; 7/2 Killimor Matey; 5/1 Pocketrocketben (p); 7/1 Intacta Bamba (p); 8/1 Trafford Way and 10/1 Wilton Mahioc.
There were upsets in all quarter-finals. Trafford Way was two lengths better than Intacta Bana; Pocketrocketben had a just-up advantage on Skellig Sunrise; Wilton Magic had a length win over Five’s Treasurer and Killimor Matey was deprived of a shot at a second title when beaten by one length by Carricktobin Lad.
Intacta Bamba was first into the final when coming from behind to exclude Pocketrocketben  and was joined in the final by  Carricktobin Lad, who had four lengths on Wilton Magic.
Carricktobin Lad (Kingsmill Dynamo-Hollyoak Pegasus) was soon in control of the final to beat Intacta Bamba (Mafi-Magic-Bamba’s Hawkeye) by two lengths. The winner’s prize of €80,000 was collected by  the owner and trainer of Carricktobin Lad, William Kehoe, Enniscorthy. The winning nominator was 98-year-old Brian Tansey from Cavan, who also nominated Eoin Rua to win the Irish Cup in 2006-2007.