Chris O'Reilly created his own bit of history on Saturday night when he became the first West Cork based driver to win on the American harness racing circuit at Pompano Park in south Florida.
An invite was sent from Jeff Schaefer, a prominent blacksmith and amateur harness driver at Pompano Park to Lee Morris in Wales to bring a team of amateur drivers to the USA.
Morris contacted O'Reilly to see if he would travel to Florida to take part in this USA V IRELAND UK challenge .
it was a chance of a life time for O'Reilly, whose family are an integral part of harness racing in West Cork. Fast forward to last Saturday night, and through modern technology, all the action from Pompano park was beamed live to the "Home Contingent " at the Mai Deanes Bar in Drimoleague.
In the first of three races luck was not with O'Reilly, ut it turned to gold in the second of the three races where Chris drove A CROWN FOR LINDY to victory in1:59.3, becoming the first West Cork driver to win on US soil. It was also the fastest mile ever for O'Reilly and it was the first time he had ever driving a trotter!
Team Ireland/UK sounding defeated the American Team, winning two of the three races.
Chris, a carpenter by trade and part time harness racing driver, was welcomed back to the winners enclosure by the locals and in a post race interview gave an insight of harness racing here in West Cork.
The local media were taken aback with his insight into the racing here in Ireland as O'Reilly explained how there are just a dozen race meets in Cork and that they are all on grass turf courses.
Management at Pompano Park, who organised this US vs IRELAND/UK challenge are already planning ahead to 2018 after the worldwide success of this event . The US amateur drivers have been invited and will be coming to Ireland next August, competing at Portmarnock Raceway in Dublin.
But Chris O'Reilly will be long remembered as the man who put West Cork on the harness racing map in 2016.
by Tim Kelleher, for Harnesslink