Windfarm Eiscir to bow out at Irish Cup

The curtain comes down on another coursing season, with a number of Clare challengers for both the JP McManus Irish Cup and a very competitive Select All-Age Bitch Stake at the Limerick Racecourse at Greenmount, Patrickswell, this coming weekend.
The meeting will mark the end of the racing career of four-time cup winner, Windfarm Eiscir, who will be among the challengers for the Irish Cup and his connections, owner Clare Eustace, Ennis and trainer Pat Curtin, are hoping that he will bow out in style.
A qualifier for the Champion Stakes last year and unlucky not to make the eight qualifiers this season, Windfarm Eiscir can beat the best on his day. From his base at Monard Stud, trainer Pat Curtin reports the fawn son of Bexhill Eoin-Windfarm Lady in fine form for his opening round clash with the Gerry Holian-trained Star Chaser in the first quarter. Should he get through, Windfarm Eiscir could have a second-round date with this year’s Champion Stakes winner, Marie Field’s Kyle Ranger. Windfarm is nominated by Stephen Gleeson.
Ennistymon publican, Murty McMahon nominates his own Indepub for the Irish Cup. A trial stake winner at Liscannor and beaten in the first round in Clonmel, the Pat Curtin-trained Indepub faces a tough task in the second quarter against Champion Stakes qualifier, Whitestone Rai. Also included in this quarter are Champion Stakes runner-up, Kyle King, as well as big Derby name, Offshore Eoin and Kyle Tanyard and Kyle Basil.
Indepub is among the big puppy brigade for the Irish Cup. The others include Jeru Cavendish and Gaffney Ranger, both Clare owned. They also competed in the Derby in Clonmel a few weeks ago.
Trained by West Clare native John Browne, Ballyea, Ennis, Jeru Cavendish won a trial stake in  Borris-in-Ossory for Jenna O’Donoghue, Cree. Before Clonmel, he had a go at Corn na Féile but came off lame after his second-round win. In Clonmel he survived until the second round when beaten one length in a short course.
His connections are hoping for a good Irish Cup run. He goes to slips in the third quarter with Crafty Denso. Jeru Cavendish is nominated by Dick Spring.
Another West Clare man, Noel Ryan, originally from Knockalough, Kilmihil and now living in County Meath, will be represented in the Irish Cup by his East Donegal Trial Stake winner, Gaffney Ranger, trained in Carrickmacross by Laurence Jones. In Clonmel, he was also a first-round casualty. His opponent in the Irish Cup will be Razor Ash, a cup winner at Bandon and Careys Cross.
Fifth reserve in the Irish Cup is Highland Hawk, owned by the O’Donovan family from Killaloe-Ballina. He reached the final in Newcastlewest this year. His nominator is Michael Spillane, Bantry.
Trainer, Gerry Holian has won it big time in Clonmel with Clare-owned runners in the past but an Irish Cup title has eluded him. This year, he stands a good chance with three runners, including the favourite, Killimor Matey. The others are Kilpeacon Ash, the Roscommon Cup winner owned by Noreen McManus, wife of the Irish Cup sponsor, JP McManus and by Star Chaser, owned in Clarinbridge by his sister-in-law, Bernie Holian.
Derby Pines will not be defending his Irish Cup title, as he has not recovered sufficiently from an injury.
Clonlara veterinary surgeon John Garrahy nominates Cool Storm, Peter O’Loghlen from Ballyvaughan nominates Offshore Eoin while the nominator for Dresden Call is Michael O’Donovan, Killaloe. Coursing judge Tony Reddan from Sixmilebridge gives his nomination to Apple Dreamer.
There is a very strong and competitive field for the ­Select All Age Bitch Stake (32). In the line-up is Gaisce Mor, owned in the Miltown Malbay area by members of the Gaisce syndicate. She was expected to progress very well in Clonmel after winning her qualifier at Killimer-Kilrush but disappointed her connections with a first-round exit. Trainer, Gerry Holian and the syndicate are hoping for better luck at Limerick racecourse, where Gaisce Mor will be going to slips with Alainn, the Miltown Malbay qualifier who did not run in Clonmel.
There is a real West Clare Derby clash in the second quarter, where Jeru Melody and Job Done are due to meet. Owned in Cree by Ruth O’Donoghue and trained by John Browne, Ballyea, Jeru Melody went to the second round of the Oaks in Clonmel. Her opponent in the Irish Cup, Job Done, is trained by Pat Curtin for Cathal Meaney, Tullabrack, Cooraclare. Job Done won the All-Age Bitch Stake at Tradaree in December and just recently won one of the major stakes at the Tipperary and District meeting in Galbally, the Select Champion Bitch Stakes.
Tradaree Coursing Club president, Sean Meehan, Sixmilebridge, is represented by his Oilean Mystic in the first quarter of the Select All Age Bitch Stake. She is trained in Kiskeam, County Cork by Sean’s son, Gerry. A trial stake winner at Ballyduff last season, she won the All-age Cup in Ennis-Clarecastle this season and was runner-up in Tradaree, where she was beaten by Job Done. In the process, she collected six points for the Grace Bruton Champion Bitch Stakes. Oilean Mystic has a tough nut to crack in the opening round against the Corn na Féile winner, Barrack Bimbo, who also won a trial stake at Loughrea.
Another South East Clare owner, Tom Fitzgerald from Parteen, will be anxious to see his Ocean Tolula perform well on the big stage.  She was prominent last season when winning a trial stake in Glin and reaching the semi-finals of the Oaks, when beaten by the winner, Skellig Babe. This season, she won the cup at the Killimer-Kilrush meeting. In the Select Bitch Stake she meets Old Kilcullen Trial Stake winner, Cushie Victoria.
The Inter Club Champion Working Members Stake (24) includes two Clare representatives, Chance Ivy Hill, owned by Noel Hehir, Inagh and representing Ennis-Clarecastle and Wood Kylie, carrying the hopes of Carl Maguire of the Kilrush-Killimer Coursing Club.
One of the most familiar faces from Clare at this year’s Irish Cup will be Michael Marrinan from Ennistymon. He has at least 60 Irish Cup meetings behind him.
He recalls that Anthony Malone from Miltown Malbay won it in the 1933-1934 season with Mossy Bank. One of Clare’s best-known ­coursing venues was linked to the county’s next Irish Cup win in 1945-1946 when Robert Robinson, nominated by PJ Frost, won for Liscannor’s Waltie McHugh, owner and Joe O’Donnell, trainer. In the final, he beat Brown Trader.
Kilrush-born Gerry Tubridy, later to train greyhounds from his Belfast base, was a legend in his own time and trained Furnacetown Hero to win the Irish Cup. Bred in Scariff in East Clare by the Hogans, Furnacetown Hero won the 1951-1952 final when beating Manhatton Harmony, owned in Ennis by the White and Daffy families.
Another legendary Clare trainer, Mickey Reddan, Sixmilebridge, made Irish Cup headlines the following season when he trained Ardboula Chief to bring more Irish Cup glory to Clare. The winning owner was East Clare man, Mattie O’Brien, Ogonnelloe. The runner-up that year was Magic Bimbo. It was a memorable season for Ardboula Chief, winning in Liscannor, then the Connacht Cup, followed by the Irish Cup in the month of November and the International Cup in Clonmel.
It was another 17 years before the Irish Cup crossed the Shannon to Clare and involved on this occasion was the great Tom Hayes from Killaloe. The man who made such a wonderful contribution to Irish coursing during his lifetime won the Irish Cup in 1969 with Tender Hero when beating Seventy Four in the final.
It was also the year when Tom Hayes made Irish coursing history with a yet to be equalled treble after his Tender Heather and Tender Honey also won the Derby and Oaks respectively at the national meeting in Clonmel.
The Killaloe-based building contractor was back in Clounanna two years later to capture another Irish Cup title, this time Tame Hero beating Munsboro Hiker in the final. Tame Hero had also won the Derby in Clonmel the previous season.
The great Boavista then ended another long lean spell for Clare when he came on the Irish Cup scene in 2005-2006. He was trained by Clare native Pat Curtin and owned by him in partnership with Vinnie Jones, the former soccer star who was later to make his name in the movies and bookmaker, Dinny Gould from Cree. Boavista won the Irish Cup final at the Limerick racecourse, beating Wilton Time in the final to spark off some mighty celebrations in the Banner county.
Coursing gets underway at the Limerick Racecourse at 11.30am on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Order of running

Friday: once through JP McManus Irish Cup and Woodlands House Hotel Irish Purse; twice through Cu Chulainn Bar Inter Club Working Members Stake.
Saturday: twice through JP McManus Irish Cup and Patsy Byrne Select Champion Bitch Stake; once through Woodlands House Hotel Irish Purse and Bill Chawke Irish Plate.
Sunday: Earl of Dunraven Kilgobbin Stake, Cu Chulainn Bar Inter Club Champion Working Members Stake; Kyle James Puppy Stake and complete card.