Latest news with #Punchestown
Irish Examiner
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Happy Jacky repeats the feat at Cork
The Mark Fahey-trained 11-year-old Happy Jacky, ridden again by 7lb claimer Peter Smithers, repeated last year's win in the three-mile RBC Brewin Dolphin Hurdle, but only after a protracted duel with market rival Reverend Hubert. Committed turning out of the back straight by Smithers, the even-money favourite looked in trouble when Reverend Hubert loomed up in the straight but, in typical fashion, Happy Jacky fought back bravely on the run-in to earn the spoils by a head, before being dismounted by Smithers. 'He's a little warrior and the lads (owners, the Ryans) love him,' stated winning trainer Fahey. 'I thought he was beaten three times and going to win three times up the straight — but that's him — he never gives up.' Smithers said: "Mark has some job done on him. I was going forward all the way, but thought we were in trouble between the last two, but he dug deep for me.' Eddie Power's dual bumper-winner Sunny South West (5-4 favourite) made a successful start over hurdles when, untidy at the first, he made all under Phillip Enright to take the Buy Tickets On Maiden Hurdle at the expense of William Tell and That Danny Feeling. 'He never jumped those rubber hurdles before and was probably travelling too well and had too much time going down to his hurdles,' explained Power. 'He wants two and a half miles and there's a novice for him on the Thursday of Galway.' Meanwhile, in Kilbeggan, the Henry de Bromhead-trained Amirite, runner-up to Idas Boy in the race last year, bagged the €100,000 Kilmurray's Homevalue Hardware Mullingar Midlands National under an inspired, front-running ride by Darragh O'Keeffe. The nine-year-old, without a chase success since October 2022, jumped impeccably in front, with the exception of the last two fences, but found plenty for a determined O'Keeffe to hold second reserve Mica Malpic and Mark Walsh by a head, with an 11-length gap back to favourite Moonovercloon. 'It's great for his owners and everyone at home,' declared a delighted O'Keeffe. 'He's been knocking on the door in plenty of big handicaps and deserved to win a big pot. 'He's a classy horse and loves good ground. If you took his Punchestown effort out of it and looked at his Aintree run, he was probably entitled to be favourite. 'He missed the last two fences but, in fairness to him, he dug deep and stuck his head out when the other horse came to him.' Stable representative Robbie Power added: 'He ran a blinder in the Topham over the National fences and Paddy (owner Paddy Hale) would like to go back to Aintree, for the National, if he gets in.' The De Bromhead team completed an across-the-card double when debutante Salsinha, backed into 5-4 favourite, bolted up in the Cork bumper, under a supremely confident ride by John Gleeson. The Philip Fenton-trained Shraheen defied top-weight in the €30,000 Writech Handicap Hurdle, Niall Moore's mount travelling close to the pace before seizing the initiative and holding Ad Caelum by three-quarters of a length. 'He's a fine horse, with the stamp of a chaser,' stated Fenton. 'That ground is as quick as he'd want. But I'm very pleased to win another nice pot with him. He needs to get out for a break and, all being well, will go chasing in October or November. He has a good technique over fences.'
The Sun
10-06-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
My ‘one-of-a-kind' jockey dad died in a fall just days before I was born – now I'm riding winners for Willie Mullins
A JOCKEY whose dad died in a tragic fall just days before he was born is rocketing up the ranks - banging in winners for Willie Mullins. Sean Cleary-Farrell has three winners from just four rides for the all-conquering Irish trainer this year. 2 He notched his first career double aboard Mullins ' odds-on hotshots Spanish Harlem and Keep Up at Punchestown on Sunday. Mullins' right-hand man David Casey was full of praise for Cleary-Farrell after. And he hinted he could get the leg up in some big-money races aboard Spanish Harlem - who was fourth in the bet365 Gold Cup - when the new season gets going properly. He said: "Sean is in Willie's full-time and is a good rider and works hard. "He took a couple weeks off and rode a winner on the Flat in France. "These days are for lads like him. He's getting his chance and he's taking it with both hands. "Sean gave Spanish Harlem a good ride and he kept galloping well. "I'd say nicer ground suits him and obviously those extended trips. He ran a real good race at Sandown. "I'd say he'll be looking at races like the Kerry National and Munster National." Cleary-Farrell's rapid success is doubly impressive given the heartbreaking circumstances surrounding his father's death aged just 22. Sean Cleary was one of Ireland's 'leading young riders' and described as a 'one-of-a-kind' talent when he was killed in a race at Galway in October 2003. Tragically, Sean Jnr was born just two months after his father passed as a result of severe head injuries suffered in the spill. Describing his father, Cleary-Farrell said on The Irish Field: "My late father Sean died tragically following a fall at Galway, a couple of months before I was born. "Unfortunately, there are very few videos or DVDs of his rides but photos of his winners still adorn the walls of my grandparents' house. "Growing up I was always aware of who he was and what an accomplished jockey he had been during his short career." Mullins took Cleary-Farrell under his wing at Closutton and the conditional jockey says he loves it there. The Irish handler has also started giving more rides to the hugely promising Anna McGuinness, who had another winner under the Mullins banner last weekend. Given the superstars they ride out at Mullins' HQ every day, it's no surprise they're finding it relatively easy work on the racecourse proper. Speaking after his latest win, Cleary-Farrell said: "I can't describe how I feel, it will take me a while to come down off this cloud. "A big thank you to Willie for giving me the opportunity to ride these horses, he's looking after me." Sounds like they'll be looking out for each other in the winner's enclosure for many months, and hopefully years, to come. . Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who:
Daily Mail
07-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Jockey rushed to hospital and racing delayed after 'nasty' parade ring incident at Punchestown
A jockey has been rushed to hospital after a scary incident in the parade ring. Jake Coen required medical attention after being unseated before the first race at Punchestown on Saturday but was 'conscious and talking'. Racing at the Irish track was delayed while the jumps jockey was treated. Coen was set to ride the Gordon Elliott-trained Arch Empire in the 2m novice hurdle, but the horse was withdrawn after unseating its rider. The medical crew on-track were quick on the scene and Coen, who was booked for two more rides on Saturday, was taken to hospital for further assessment. Taking to X, the IHRB confirmed the slight delay, which lasted around 10 minutes, while Dr Jennifer Pugh, Irish Racing's chief medical officer, provided an update. 'Jake Coen has been stood down following a fall on the way to the start of race one at Punchestown,' she said in a brief statement. 'Jake has been transferred to Tallaght University Hospital for further assessment but was conscious and talking leaving the racecourse.' Racing TV presenter Kevin O'Ryan said: 'Jake is moving everything and he is talking and fully conscious, which he has been from the word go. 'He has been taken to Tallaght Hospital as a precautionary measure. But he is fully conscious and moving everything after that nasty incident.' Coen's other rides on Saturday will now go elsewhere while he is treated. It is not currently clear whether he will return to take his further four rides on Sunday.
The Sun
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Jockey Jake Coen rushed to hospital and racing delayed after parade ring incident
'NASTY' FALL He was said to be moving and talking JOCKEY Jake Coen has been rushed to hospital after a terrifying parade ring incident. Racing at Punchestown was delayed while the jumps jockey was attended to. A post from IHRB Stewards on X confirmed a delay while a message posted on Irish Racing's page read: "Delay to the first race at Punchestown as Jake Coen is receiving medical attention following his fall from Arch Empire in the chute leaving the parade ring." Racing TV presenter Kevin O'Ryan said: "Jake is moving everything and he is talking and fully conscious, which he has been from the word go. "He has been taken to Tallaght Hospital as a precautionary measure. "But he is fully conscious and moving everything after that nasty incident." The incident came before the second race at Irish track Punchestown on Epsom Derby day. . Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who:
Irish Times
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Malachy Clerkin: In Rachael Blackmore, horse racing had maybe its greatest ever asset
The hardest thing about writing about horse racing is writing about horse racing. To most people, one horse is no different to the next. They run in circles around big open fields, sometimes jumping over things and sometimes not, with little lads on their backs waving sticks. The commentator's voice rises through the race, and when it's over, there's a brief pause to talk about how rich the bookmakers got. Some of us love it. We're suckers for the thrill of a close one, for the mental calculations everyone's making as they jump the last, for the bottomless courage of the jockeys. Sometimes there's money down, sometimes there isn't. The race is run, the result is called, and a few minutes later, another one goes off somewhere else. Out in the world, though, horse racing leaves virtually no footprint. It is an incorrigibly niche sport, a small slice of a small slice of life. Stop 100 people in the street and ask them to tell you the difference between a hurdle and a fence. Between Leopardstown and Punchestown. Between Paul Townend and Jack Kennedy. Whatever number you think will give you three correct answers, you can probably halve it. So that's the battle. Here's this great sport, full of nuance and intrigue and derring-do and it's completely lost on vast swathes of the sporting public. If they think about it at all, they think in terms of gambling and, let's be honest, who wants to write about that world any more than they have to? Finding a way to make horse racing accessible and interesting to a broad audience is just a tough sell. READ MORE Rachael Blackmore was the first professional female jumps rider in Ireland for almost 30 years. Photograph:Into that world walked Rachael Blackmore a decade ago. A godsend. A jockey who didn't look like the rest of them. Who didn't sound like the rest of them. Who didn't have a famous family name. The first professional female jumps rider in Ireland for almost 30 years. She was a once-in-a-generation story, whether she liked it or not. Famously, she did not. Very much did not, in fact. The first time I interviewed her, we met at Griffith College – she was coming up to Dublin one night a week to do a business degree. This was November 2015, a couple of months after she had ridden her first winner as a pro. She was polite and careful and wary and, despite all her efforts to the contrary, completely fascinating. 'It won't be that big, will it?' she asked a few minutes into the chat. 'Just a small little thing? I don't want it too big. It's not that big a story. Just leave it as a little column at the side. Neat and tidy.' Rachael Blackmore's office was the weigh room and her co-workers were a rolling cast of a few dozen young men chasing the same dream. Photograph:Even then, you got the overwhelming sense of her discomfort in the spotlight. She was borderline aggressive in her modesty. She was no fool and she understood why you were interested. But when it came right down to it, she had four winners in a professional career that was eight months old at that point. No other jockey in the weigh room with those sort of numbers had the outside world asking after them. That was always part of her leeriness with the press. Her office was the weigh room and her co-workers were a rolling cast of a few dozen young men chasing the same dream. She had to face them every day in the hothouse of cut-throat sport. The only way she could feel comfortable was to rise through the ranks without getting special treatment from anyone. From the media most of all. My father-in-law was an avid racing man. He died in early 2019, at the ripe old age of 85. Right up to the end, he would happily pass most afternoons with his paper open at the racing page and a 10-cent yankee scribbled on a betting slip beside it, just for the interest. He had seen everyone come and go in the game for decades. Despite Rachael Blackmore's misgivings and protestations, she was something special. Photograph:It might have been 2017 or thereabouts when we were watching the racing one afternoon and a Blackmore horse beat one of his selections to the line. 'A good jock,' he said in defeat, which was always his seal of approval. If you got a 'good jock' out of Pat Doyle, then a good jock you were. A few years later, on the morning of the 2021 Grand National, my then six-year-old daughter was handed the newspaper and asked did she wanted to pick a horse for the big race later that day. 'Is Rachael Blackmore in this?' she asked. When told that she was, she looked through the card and found her name and we put €1 each way on Minella Times. Somewhere in there is the story of one of the greatest assets horse racing will ever have. Someone who, despite her misgivings and protestations, was actually special. Who offered a way into the sport that was common to everyone from primary school kids to pensioners. And who did it all in her own careful, self-contained way in civilian life before unleashing a ferocious competitor when the tapes went up. Rachael Blackmore on Allaho comes home to win the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham. Photograph: Francesca Altoft/Inpho My favourite Blackmore ride wasn't the Grand National or the Gold Cup or all those gorgeous days on Honeysuckle. It was on Allaho in the 2021 Ryanair Chase, where she bucked out and made all the running from the front. She set such a relentless gallop that six horses in behind her had to be pulled up. That was one more than the previous four Ryanairs combined. The glorious swagger of that ride, the sheer unapologetic confidence Blackmore showed in dominating the race, was such a contrast to the person she presents to the world. To watch her express that side of her on the biggest stage and leave everyone in her dust was something genuinely moving to behold. Her retirement this week is a happy story, sad as the sport is to see her go. She got to call her own way out, unscathed and unbowed, in her own time and on her own terms. Nobody deserves it more.
