The Irish Harness Racing Association have reported extreme satisfaction with how their inaugural Irish American Weekend passed off over June 5 and 6 at Portmarnock Raceway.
"In some ways, this was a dry run for 2022," stated IHRA chairman Mark Flanagan. "We were constrained like all sporting organisations by the COVID situation. We reached out to the rest of the world with our live streaming and a series of interviews with world figures and some home grown talent."
"The IHRA is grateful to the connections of Cattlewash, Betting Line and Heston Blue Chip for donating breedings to these top class stallions. We have created the Invest in Ourselves Initiative, which will improve our breeding and some of the proceeds set up the first Irish American weekend. The weekend was to celebrate the help from the U.S.A."
Mark Flanagan went on to say, "We have invited Yannick Gingras and John Campbell for 2022, travel restrictions permitting. The IHRA will also invite a few sponsors, breeders and administrators from America in 2022 and in future years."
A total of €75,000 was on offer across 17 races. Pre-recorded interviews were shown with the live stream. The program featured eliminations (or heats as they are known in Ireland) and finals for aged pacers and trotters, as well as the Derby, Oaks and four year old Graduate series.
There was a fairytale result when Donovan’s Betting Line gelding Bequest took out the €3,000 Irish American Derby for his West Cork based partners, the Murphy brothers. Driver Donal Murphy helped select the colt (now gelded) in Lexington in 2019.
"Bill always likes to buy one to race in Ireland," was part of the post race interviews. Local owner and pundit John Roche was compere in the public enclosure and gelled well with commentator James Griffin.
Fittingly, Bequest, by Betting Line, is one of the three stallions in the new initiative. Casie Coleman Herlihy, trainer and owner, and Dr. Bridgettte Jablonsky, vice president at the stallion's workplace at Hanover Shoe Farms, were both enthusiastic about the stallion in their interviews.
Other interviewees included John Campbell, retired champion driver and President of the Hambletonian Society; Eric Cherry, owner and breeder; Bill Donovan, founder of the event and sponsor of the Red John Festival, Cork (Ireland); Yannick Gingras, leading driver; Anthony Haughan, Irish-born trainer and driver based in Canada; Madame Emmanuelle Morvillers, International Dept. Le TROT, France; Bill O’ Donnell, retired driver and horsemen’s president in Ontario; John Richardson, multiple champion driver, Ireland.
The IHRA website will direct readers to race replays and also these interviews. Results from Ireland can be seen weekly on www.irishharnessracing.com.
Persons interested in travelling for the 2022 renewal, provisionally scheduled for June 4 and 5, can obtain help with booking by emailing [email protected].
(IHRA)