Latest news with #DeclanBates
News.com.au
12-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Declan Bates chasing his next Group 1 winner in Stradbroke Handicap aboard Rise At Dawn
Irish jockey Declan Bates is used to playing musical chairs in racing, but he's confident he's on the right horse for the $3m Stradbroke Handicap on Saturday at Eagle Farm. Many pundits thought Bates had been treated harshly when he was stripped of the ride on reigning horse of the year Pride Of Jenni shortly after the frontrunning mare's flop in the Group 1 Cox Plate last September. Owner Tony Ottobre decided to instead go with Ben Melham and then Craig Newitt, despite Declan steering Pride Of Jenni to five wins and five placings from 13 races, and $9m in prizemoney, since he picked up the ride in September 2023. Bates, who has won three of his four Groups 1s on Pride of Jenni, handled the controversial decision with class, saying he felt privileged just to be riding such a talented mare in the first place. 'It wasn't as if there was a fallout or anything,' he told Racenet this week on a bitterly cold morning in Ballarat. 'I probably knew it would come to an end at some point and when it happened, I just felt I was lucky to be on board when I was. 'It provided me with some of the best days of my career. I'm happy to just keep working away and now I'm looking for the next one (Group 1 winner), that's how it works.' That Group 1 winner could easily be the Ben, JD and Will Hayes -trained Rise At Dawn, who is $9.50 in betting for the 1400m Stradbroke at Eagle Farm on Saturday. The four-year-old gelding is only one of two horses in single figures in the market, with the other being stablemate War Machine ($2.70). Bates, 36, has been on board War Machine for seven of his 12 races but Tim Clark will ride the hot Stradbroke favourite on Saturday. 'The favourite will be hard to beat and he's actually a horse I do know very well,' Bates said. 'I've ridden him a few times and won a couple of races on him in the early days. 'He's coming off two really good wins but it's probably a step up for him. He looks to be well in but he probably does need to pick up again if he's going to win. 'My fella's had a couple of runs in some really competitive races like the Doncaster Mile in Sydney (where he finished fourth) so he's sort of well seasoned and he'll be hard to beat.' Bates will fly up to Brisbane on Friday night to ready himself for his first tilt at a Group 1 in Queensland on a horse he's never ridden before. 'It looks to be a pretty wide-open race, really,' he said. 'He (Rise At Dawn) should be hard-fit now with a good run under his belt and he gets in with a light weight. 'He ticks plenty of boxes and so I'm very confident he's going to run well.' Rise At Dawn is coming off a fifth placing in the Kingsford Smith Cup last Saturday and Bates expects him to improve as he backs up just seven days later. 'He'll get in with a light weight – would you call it a drop in grade maybe – and the extra 100m should suit,' Bates said 'He'll need everything to go right on the day but if it does then he'll be thereabouts for sure.'
Irish Independent
09-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Maiden voyage of Wexford River Cruise sets a high bar for tourism – ‘I feel like an excited child and I'm ashamed I've never been on the water'
From the very moment the Wexford River Cruise docked in Wexford Harbour, it created a buzz of curiosity and excitement among locals, which has been the focal point of the town since. The hive of activity on the quay front emanating from the latest addition to the Three Sisters Cruise Company set the bar high for its maiden voyage, but, as expected, once the Kilmore Quay Skipper, Declan Bates, sparks an idea, its often the plans not only come to fruition, but continue to offer the very best in terms of highlighting what the county can truly offer in the tourism realm on the waters.
Irish Independent
28-04-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Wexford cruise passengers enjoy exhilarating RNLI life saving exhibition during fundraiser
Prior to the sailing the weather was mixed but once all were aboard in the warmth of the salon, the Barrow Princess slipped its berth and proceeded down the River Barrow. It wasn't long before the weather began to warm, leading to passengers exploring the upper deck to take in the scenery at the low end of the tide where birds could be seen feeding along the shoreline, this changed on the return journey with the rising tide making for a different scenic picture. Landmarks along the route were observed as the Barrow Princes passed under the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy bridge, which was a first for most on the trip, similarly was passing through the much older Barrow Railway bridge were the Barrow Princess was met by the RNLI Fethard on Sea Inshore D21 and crew who carried out a display of a 'man overboard' training exercise. The display of how the team carries out their work highlighted to the passengers how suddenly anyone in the water can go out of sight, despite having a view from the height of the upper deck. They marvelled at the speed the lifeboat crew recovered the man overboard in choppy waters with poor visibility. The speedy recovery exhibition was evidence of the hours of training and commitment from the RNLI members. Throughout the exercise they were using a grid search pattern to locate the man overboard without a lifejacket, which also showed the importance of wearing a floatation jacket when on the water. Hugh Burke of the RNLI Fethard on Sea lifeboat station gave a full account of what was unfolding in the exercise over mic for all to hear on the Barrow Princess. As a fundraiser initiated by cruise tour owner and skipper, Declan Bates, the company has not accepted any profits from the tickets of the tour and redirected them to the RNLI of which the proceeds will be put towards training and equipment in ensuring the safety of the crew in their voluntary role of saving lives at sea. While Declan couldn't be present on the day of the event, due to running trips out to the Saltee Islands, a presentation was accepted on his behalf by Skipper, Mick Kineen, and Suzanne Finn of the Barrow Princess. While onboard, another special presentation was made by John Dimond to Willie McCormick for his involvement in the community from running local table quizzes, being a member of the brass band and local pantomime. The next opportunity to fundraise for the RNLI is the Mayday Mile, which is just a few days away. Similarly, the Aldi Mayday Yellow Wellie will be on May 1 in selected stores around the country, and more details can be found on if you wish to get involved.
