JP McManus can score in Canal End to round out week
Peter Fahey's horse struck form with a vengeance when asserting late to win a novice handicap chase in mid-March, and while he is 9lbs higher this time, he looks well treated and can prove it by following up.
Majestic Force is also unexposed, has good form which ties in with subsequent Grade One winner Spindleberry and, off an appealing mark of just 126, is a genuine danger to the selection.
The SBK Irish EBF Mares' Champion Hurdle looks like a match between Brighterdaysahead and Jade De Grugy and while the end-of-season nature of the race could result in a small upset, the former sets the standard on all know form and can use the opportunity to erase the memory of her Champion Hurdle disappointment at Cheltenham.
She is not at her best going right-handed but was classy enough to win at this course in November, when getting the better of State Man in the Morgiana, and running close to that level will see her home in front once more.
Jade De Grugy made a belated seasonal debut in February at this venue and then finished runner-up to Lossiemouth in the Mares' Hurdle at Cheltenham, where she tried to make all the running.
She was no match whatsoever for the winner but stayed on well enough to hold second place behind her stablemate. She ought to be fresh for this assignment, and while she has 14lbs to find with the favourite on official ratings, expect it to be much closer than that might suggest.
On Sunday in Sligo, Eddie & Patrick Harty can take the opener, a six-furlong maiden, with Wait For It. Dropping back from seven furlongs will be a help to the strong-travelling sort, and she can build on the promise of her two runs by making it third time lucky.
Tommy Lyons' picks
PUNCHESTOWN
2:30 Conflated
3:05 Your Own Story
3:42 Brighterdaysahead
4:15 Canal End (nap)
4:50 Lulamba (nb)
5:25 Kalix Delabarriere
6:00 Panjandrum
6:35 Jungle Cove
Next best
2:30 Stealthy Tom
3:05 From The Ashes
3:42 Jade De Grugy
4:15 Majestic Force
4:50 Poniros
5:25 Raglan Road
6:00 It's Only A Game
6:35 Dark Note
SLIGO
1:35 Wait For It (nap)
2:10 Ceo Stealth Mode
2:45 Spirit Of Eagles
3:20 Dumb Love
3:55 Carried With Love
4:30 Grizabella (nb)
5:05 Bint Majestic Roi
Next best
1:35 Vanderbilt House
2:10 Chester Nimitz
2:45 Dark Enigma
3:20 Makaiah
3:55 Beset
4:30 Kartayaz
5:05 Ribee
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Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Thurles racetrack closure only serves to highlight importance of Galway festival
Galway Races rolls over, ever Galway Races year on year, and this year proved the point - again. Whether it's Ireland's most colourful trainer Shark Hanlon or most successful trainer Willie Mullins or any of the just three short of 126,000 people who attended this year talking… Or even those who remain critical of the extension to make it a week-long operation, they are all saying the same thing; it has to stay going. That's especially .after the shock news of Thurles racecourse closing down. The Ballybrit festival still registers as a seven-day wonder on both the Irish social diary and sports calendar, an eclectic mix of style, National Hunt and Flat Racing, and latest 2025, mainly good-weathered, week was an attributable success for lots of types across the industry; there is a lot to like, in these modern times, about 53 races having 33 different winning it was Willie Mullins gained his 10th leading trainer award albeit for only four winners when Gordon Elliott had five and snuck off with both the Plate and The good, all positive, in a week where the fragility of the Irish track industry was summed up by the late-in-the-week bombshell that Thurles Racecourse, established 1732, was closing down with immediate in racing times when there is concern about prestige meetings sucking the life from smaller meetings and prize-money for the last two decades remains the same at smaller meetings when training fees have nearly doubled. Galway is fending off the first challenge with the €270 Plate and €270k Hurdle competitive in the market. There is over €2m prize money available through the week (good) yet there are still close to 50 percent of the Festival's races with less than €20k in the pot (worrying). "I love this Festival," says Shark Hanlon before he sheepishly tacks on an almost two-decade caveat. "It is just I'll tell it anyway, for the last 17 years we'd never left here without a winner and for me, that means an awful lot."But I wasn't to know what was going to happen this week and sure enough we missed out!'The week at Ballybrit is something that resonates, is generational, for the Carlow-based Hanlons, originally cattle dealers before Shark changed the type of livestock to equine."Galway is a place that everyone looks forward to every year and, alright, it might not be the best track in the world."It's very tight and it's up and down but it doesn't matter in the overall week because the crowd, the trainers, the owners, they all love coming here, as with me, that's why I love coming here."Don't ask racing people to talk definitively about any of the days either."Every day has its own character, Monday and Tuesday you have a noticeably older crowd, the local people, Wednesday and Thursday you have two big National Hunt races and you have the racing crowd."And then Friday and Saturday, you have a younger crowd coming in because it's always set for the Bank Holiday weekend."Some people plan about playing a game of golf but a lot of people plan around Galway. "They have their year planned around it, getting travel, accommodation, tickets for the previous or seven months. "Then you have the real, real race crowd on Wednesday and Thursday, they love the two big races the Plate and the Hurdle and some of those like to tag on Friday which has become a very interesting day."Friday probably had the biggest crowd this year (correct, 26,734), the mix of those coming to see the racing but going home afterwards and then you have the younger people that are coming in for the Bank Holiday weekend."Shark has mentioned planning: Willie Mullins tells me the Thursday Hurdle occasions plotting far beyond the industry norm."It's a special day in Irish racing,' notes the Master of Closutton. 'Everyone wants to win all year and there are fellows setting their horse up for two years for this type of a race."So, you know, when you're looking at the form, you have to say who's behind it and where have they been for the last two years? "There are guys for whom this is it, they would rather win a Galway hurdle than Cheltenham, you know. 'Look at people such as Pearse Mee, although he didn't have a runner this year, if he has a runner in the Hurdle watch out.'Well known publican Gary Monroe's place is close to Spanish Arch, it will feed you night and day, and if you're lucky there is an Ado or a Gordon, a Nina, Ted or a Ross there after racing."Galway Arts Festival takes place the two weeks directly preceding the Racing Festival and between them the city of is on the go 18 and 24 hours every day," says an owner closely associated with the Rosabel Rooms charity and who had his horse Talk of the North touched off second last week."The city doesn't get overrun by either the Arts or the horse racing but seems to be able to absorb what are, let's face it, two different crowds."There plenty of guards yet it's never been heavy-handed, plenty of students willing to work very hard for the period and earn some money."The food and drink prices don't escalate - I'd say that is a rare quality but it is part of appreciation that both are good for the city."Not known to many are the beautiful stables beneath Monroes, a legacy from dray horse times and although not used any longer, are still in pristine conditionHis upstairs gig venue/theatre had Richard Thompson, Cry Before Dawn on race week. Sharon Shannon is practically the house musician, upstairs or downstairs. Fun Lovin' Criminals love the place and return again December first race meeting was 155 years back, 1869, and was a two-day event for 90 years before moving to three days in 1959, four in 1971, five in 1974, six in 1982 and, the whole hog, seven days in 1999. "My fascination came from when I was down here with my dad," continues Shark, "my mother and father came down here for years and years, we stayed in the one hotel for the last 30 years. READ MORE: Hewick - on his way to being a movie star? "When I won the Plate (with €800 purchase Hewick in 2022) he was in the ring with me, it was one of the last days he was racing and it was just a proud day for me and for him and we shed a few tears in it."I knew at the time he was getting 'bet' and, in fairness, he stayed for another year, but he hadn't been racing. My father passed away this year but my mother came Wednesday and Thursday."Moreover Shark is not just about the feeding frenzy that comes with a big race week and two very prestigious prize money pots, there is an appreciation for far more than that and god-given lush green scenery."There is very good staff here and that means a lot too. "It's a long hard week for them people coming in there in the morning, walk the track, and then they're around here after dinner, going back and walk the track. 'You're starting at six o'clock in the morning and maybe finish at nine o'clock that night, that's a long week. 'The management here are very good and the bars here, as you can see yourself, you have the Guinness Bar, you have the Champagne Bar which is a new bar they put up a couple of years ago, everyone loves it, even myself!" Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.
The 42
01-08-2025
- The 42
Thurles racecourse announces closure with immediate effect
THURLES RACECOURSE HAS closed with immediate effect and fixtures which had been scheduled for later in the year will not go ahead. The first ever recorded race-meeting at Thurles took place in 1732 and it has been in the hands of the Molony family since the early 1900s. Riona Molony announced the closure in a statement this morning. She thanked the 'extended racecourse family', such as staff, sponsors, the racing community, local businesses, and racegoers for their support. 'It has been an honour and a privilege for our family to have run Thurles Racecourse, and I am officially announcing our retirement today,' said Riona Molony. She said she is 'very proud of the immense contribution our family has made to racing' and remarked that 'horse-racing is part of the fabric of our family'. Advertisement 'My family and I look forward to going racing with you again, as spectators,' she added. The parade ring at Thurles Racecourse Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Her late husband Pierce Molony, who died in 2015, took over the running of the Co Tipperary racecourse from his father Dr Paddy Molony in 1974. 'Since my beloved husband Pierce passed away, with the help of our four daughters Patricia, Helen, Ann Marie and Kate and our wonderful staff, we've managed to keep the show on the road and I know he would be very proud of us for that,' said Riona. She added: 'The girls all have their own families, careers and lives to live. 'Ever increasing industry demands and the cost of doing business has also been a major factor.' Thurles Racecourse is fully licenced to race until 31 December and has 11 prominent fixtures scheduled for the 2025/26 racing calendar. However, these meetings will not go ahead. Riona added: 'We're going to enjoy this time together and relax now the decision is made and the news is out before we consider our options.' 'Surprise to everyone in the industry' The CEO of Horse Racing Ireland, Suzanne Eade, described Thurles Racecourse as a 'cornerstone of the National Hunt programme in Ireland during the winter months'. She said today's announcement 'was a surprise to everyone in the industry'. However, she added that the announcement must have been a 'hugely difficult one' and that she 'respects their decision to take a step back from running racing at Thurles'. Eade remarked that Pierce Molony 'contributed significantly to the Irish racing industry for many years and the Molony family, led by Riona, certainly stepped up following his untimely passing' The Horse Racing Ireland CEO added that she will be seeking a meeting with the Molony family in the near future to discuss their position.
The Irish Sun
01-08-2025
- The Irish Sun
Ruby Walsh warns Thurles Racecourse ‘can't be lost forever' and urges Horse Racing Ireland to ‘stand up and be counted'
RUBY WALSH believes the impact on horse-racing from Thurles' closure will be "felt for some time". The privately-owned track in Tipperary - which hosted its first meeting in 1732 - has 2 Thurles Racecourse has closed with immediate effect Credit: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile 2 Ruby Walsh has reacted to the closure Credit: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile Riona Molony, whose family have owned the venue since the early 1900s, said rising costs were one of the reasons they had decided to pull the plug. Former jockey Ruby Walsh reacted to the shock news in his And he believes the impact on National Hunt Racing will be felt for some time. He wrote: "I doubt too many in the Irish racing world expected to wake up Friday morning after the drama of Thursday's Galway Hurdle to the news that Thurles race course was closing down." Read More on Ruby Walsh "This family-run enterprise has reached a crossroads, and the Molony ladies want a change. "Fair play to them, because the biggest calls are always the hardest to make, and like anyone in any walk of life, they have to do what is right for them." The 12-time Irish champion jockey warned that it won't be as simple as moving the fixtures set for Thurles to other race courses due to its adaptability to winter conditions. And he called for Horse Racing Ireland to "stand up and be counted" by facilitating a takeover of the track. Most read in Sport He continued: "The Molonys' statement does read like they are retiring from the business, but the course is still there, and perhaps another interested party can take over. "That might be something HRI can look into, but either way, Thurles on Thursday without Riona directing the show, Kate as her First Lieutenant, Trish and Helen running the coffee docks, and Anne-Marie making sure everyone else was busy, just won't be the same. Gordon Elliott and Noel Meade in surreal live RTE moment as they react to controversial Galway Hurdle ruling "It has a fabric, a core of local supporters, and an essential role to play in National Hunt racing. "It can't be lost forever, so the HRI board must stand up and be counted. "They are spending millions on the other side of the county on an all-weather track for a decreasing population of horses, so perhaps they could do something to help save a track that already exists, has the fixtures and the stock to fill the demand." Jockey The Cheltenham Festival-winning rider - who was O'Sullivan never recovered from a coma and In touching scenes at Cheltenham the following month, O'Sullivan's beloved horse Marine Nationale, who gave him his first Festival winner, 'HONOUR AND PRIVILEGE' In a statement, Riona Molony said: "It has been an honour and a privilege for our family to have run Thurles Racecourse, and I am officially announcing our retirement today. "We are very proud of the immense contribution our family has made to racing and we are most grateful to our extended racecourse family, our dedicated staff, generous sponsors, loyal patrons and the wider racing community for all your support. "Horseracing is part of the fabric of our family, and we have been very fortunate to have made so many great friends within the industry over the years. "My family and I look forward to going racing with you again, as spectators. "Since my beloved husband Pierce passed away in 2015, with the help of our four daughters Patricia, Helen, Ann Marie and Kate and our wonderful staff, we've managed to keep the show on the road and I know he would be very proud of us for that. "The girls all have their own families, careers and lives to live. "Ever increasing industry demands and the cost of doing business has also been a major factor. "We're going to enjoy this time together and relax now the decision is made and the news is out before we consider our options."
