RACING | Keane lands jockeys championship at Dundalk Stadium
Meathman sees off Pat Smullen to claim title
Colin Keane sealed the 2017 flat jockeys’ championship at the penultimate meeting of the 2017 Flat season at Dundalk on Friday night.
His success comes less than seven years after he guided his first horse to victory at the track — No Trimmings — for his father Gerry.
Keane, who beat Pat Smullen to the crown, capped his win by taking It’s Two O Clock to victory in the opening race for his boss and supporter, Ger Lyons who employed Colin as his stable jockey in the summer of 2014 when he was still an apprentice.
On a night that remained dry and fairly mild throughout the eight races, wonderful stories again emerged from the evening.
Reckless Lad gained a sixth win at Dundalk with Killian Leonard on board, a win that leaves Leonard one behind Oisin Orr in the race to the apprentice crown, which will end on Sunday at Naas.
Tthe Johnny Murtagh-trained Harmonyofthestars, ridden by Niall McCullagh, landed the mile maiden while the Fozzy Stack-trained Bambari justified strong market support to land the Crowne Plaza Race & Stay Handicap under Chris Hayes following a 491-day absence from the track.
Elsewhere, Elishpour, with Billy Lee on top, swooped late in the card’s finale to foil the favourite Saga Bolton. The winning distance was a head.
The €25,000 Dundalk — Light Up Your Night Handicap also produced a dramatic finish, with Jessica Harrington’s St Brelades Bay (25/1), ridden by Tom Madden, collaring Confrontational (22/1) to win by a neck.
There was also a neck back to seven-time Dundalk winner Togoville, who was having his first run for trainer Anthony McCann.
Available at big prices in the morning, Tynamite (5/1) landed quite a gamble in division one of the Irishinjuredjockeys.com Handicap in the hands of apprentice Nathan Crosse.
And there were joyous scenes in the winner’s enclosure when Co Mayo trainer Fergal Birrane saddled his first-ever winner as Glenmoore landed the second division of the Irishinjuredjockeys.com Handicap in the hands of Paudy Beggy for the Daniel MacAuliffe and Anoj Don Partnership.
Racing continues at Dundalk Stadium this evening (Wednesday) and again on Friday.
