We’ve had a pretty good year, but that wasn’t reflected in the Night Of Stars at Shelbourne on Saturday.

The meeting started off with a winner (Calzaghe Clampet) but the others ran below what we would have hoped.

But it was such a horrible night, a gale with lashing rain and nothing could come from the back. Virtually every winner was in front at the second bend. But that’s dog racing!

 

Most of the big events are over but there are a few competitions still to go for starting with the Tralee Derby.

We won it with Clares Wonder last year but he is still coming back from injury and the competition has come too early. I will discuss our options with the owners before going public with the rest of the runners.

I hope to have a few runners in the Winter Oaks and then we have the ‘Comerford Cakes’.

I have four lined up for it. The first is Jo Jo Fantasy who was one of the dogs beaten at Shelbourne. He really needs further but will be more experienced than a lot of the pups which should hold him in good stead.

We also have his litter brother Lauren Champ who has 28.56 winning form and has plenty of early pace.

Ballinakil Boots is an experienced young dog, though he too will eventually want further.

We also have a pup called Proud Graham who has 28.70 winning form at Shelbourne and I rate him very highly.

 

We also have some coursing interest with a bitch called Riverside Wonder owned by my son Timmy.

She ran in the Oaks trialstake but had a gruelling second course and we withdrew her.

I think she might still have won the stake but she may have ended up dehydrated and put her back for the next few weeks.

Hopefully we can go to Urlingford and get a ticket there for Powerstown Park.

 

It is nice to see Ballymac Mossjoe in the Eclipse Final next week. His granddam was Riverside Bella, is descended from the bitch that we bought over from England, One For Tarbert.

When we first arrived in Ireland, we were virtually unknown and it was Tarbert’s pups which helped put us on the map. We owe her so much and she is buried here.

Mossjoe’s grand dam Riverside Bella also threw Broadacres Turbo who won the Waterford Masters, Cox Cup and Galway Grand Prix for us.

Turbo is ten years old now and living out his retirement in Italy. His new owners send us regular pictures and he often meets another of our old dogs, Sevenheads Bay (’09 Laurels), when they are out walking.