DUBLIN, Ireland – The entries are out, the ante-post betting odds are out and things are really starting to hot up around the 5th annual Ladbroke’s Vincent Delaney Memorial at Portmarnock Raceway.
A record 80 horses have been nominated, an increase of 33% on 2015 and justifying event promoter Derek Delaney’s decision to split the race into separate colts and fillies divisions with a new sponsor on board for the filly’s final, Adam Bowden of Diamond Creek Farm.
There are 32 different sires represented with the progeny of Kikicolt securing most nominations on 14. He is followed by Pro Bono Best with 9, Hasty Hall on 7 and Dragon Again and Ayr Glory with 5 each.
Exciting new stallions with their debut runners include Art Director, Artistic Fella, Big Jim, If I Can Dream, Rocknroll Heaven and Shadow Play, whilst domestic standing stallions My Panmar, Ayr Glory and Windsong Dynamite will also be represented for the first time ever in 2016.
A lot of eyes will be on the 4 x Somebeachsomewhere offspring, especially Tothebeachandback, which was a $72,000 purchase at Harrisburg in 2015.
On the subject of sales prices, it appears that owners are writing bigger and bigger cheques with each passing year in an effort to win this event and use it as a Launchpad for the remainder of their careers.
In addition to a $72,000 colt, other pricey yearlings in the line-up include a $42,000, $40,000, $37,000 and $30,000 purchases.
Such prices paid hallmark to the fact that the Vincent Delaney Memorial has really captivated the imagination in the UK and Ireland and owners in both countries are determined to have their name engraved on that coveted trophy.
The event has also now taken on a truly International flavour with some United States, Australian and New Zealand investors getting involved in syndicates that have targeted both the colts and fillies divisions.
Oakwood Dragoness and Rebel Rauser will be the first ever runners comprising of International part-ownership and a win for either horse will surely make headlines the world over, quite an achievement for a country that is still perceived as a minnow in the big wide world of harness racing.
So far the home team have been unable to keep the top prize in Ireland, a trend that seems likely to continue for this renewal with the lion’s share of the entries emanating from the UK. 44 of the 80 nominations have come from across the water and the advantage lies squarely with the UK raiders for both the colts and fillies divisions and bookmaker Dan Carlin is likely to be short odds about both prizes leaving the emerald isle once again.
All out to repel the raiders will be Irelands leading trainers Billy Roche and William Flanagan with 5 nominations each. Alan Wallace, Joe Sheridan and Tadhg Murphy have 3 nominations apiece and these five trainers represent half of all Irish entries.
Spearheading the UK challenge is William “Rocker” Laidler, who is down as trainer of five colts followed by Tereas Haythornthwaite and Samboy Howard, who have both entered four each. Teresa Haythornthwaite, of course, is a former winning trainer of the Vincent Delaney Memorial as is John Gill (twice) and Sally Teeboon and all three trainers have shown their appetites for targeting this event are undiminished with multiple entries each.
The four Haythornthwaite stakes freshman are for established owners Claire Fletcher, Richard Walker and David Gibbons (owner of Frisco Fiddler – winner back in 2012) whilst John Gill attempts to win it for the 3rd time with three horses owned by North Wales Racing, Richard Thompson and Viccy Elvin.
Sally Teeboon, trainer of last year’s winner, Miraculous, teams up again with the same owner Arnie Flower in the hopes of lightning striking twice whilst John Campbell and John O’Neil are two other new owners hoping Sally can repeat the dose 12 months on.
Bookmaker Dan Carlin has just released the odds for both the colts and fillies divisions and the Belfastman has already reported a flurry of early bets on prospects that must be impressing their owners in their work so far.
Co-favourites in the colts division at 5/1 are Steven Gilvear’s Someones Fantasy (Somebeachsomewhere) a $30,000 Harrisburg yearling and Raymond Hushka’s Elmo Hanover (Dragon Again) a $42,000 acquisition also from Harrisburg.
In the fillies division Oakwood Dragoness is the clear favourite at 5/1. A £15,000 buy at Builth Wells sale in Wales in October 2015, the Dragon Again daughter out of Abbey Won is owned by a syndicate which includes top New Zealand trainer Cran Delgaty, current World driving champion Dexter Dunn and Australian trainer Clive Dalton amongst its members.
Oakwood Dragoness is followed in the betting by 3 others priced at 6/1 – Claire Fletchers On Her Way Again a $37,000 purchase at Forest City Sale, the Scottish bred She Be Rockin by Rock’n’roll Hanover out of Utopian Hanover (imported in utero) owned by Steven Gilvear and the Flanagan Bros Meadowbranch Rose, who is out of Irish Hall of Fame broodmare Churchill Queen by super sire Kikcolt.
The long journey for these 80 yearlings has begun and all roads now lead to Portmarnock for their date with destiny on August 13th and to paraphrase the festivals guest announcer/commentator, Roger Huston…..”you really must BE THERE!”
By Thomas Bennett, for Harnesslink