BY MICHAEL O’LEARY
One of the most exciting weekends of the Racing Year takes place this weekend as the jumps action return to Gowran Park, with a two-day meeting taking place today (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday).
Along with The action in Gowran Park, Sunday is a huge day with a superb mixed card of Flat and National Hunt forming Super Sunday in Tipperary, while one of the biggest races in the world takes centrestage in Longchamp in France with The Prix De L’Arc De Triomphe.
The return of the jumps to Gowran Park marks an exciting time on the National Hunt Calendar, as this is the time of the year where the jumps season swings into gear following on from last weeks Listowel Festival.
As mentioned, The jumps season in Gowran Park commences today (Friday) with the featured races The Pat Walsh Mares Hurdle and The Mucklemeg Mares Bumper, while the feature race tomorrow is The Grade 2 PWC Champion Steeplechase.
This afternoon’s meeting will be particularly poignant, as it will remember and honour Pat Walsh on the week of the 10th anniversary of his untimely passing.
The Mares Hurdle has been run in his honour since 2015, and it’s a most fitting tribute to have a race in his memory after he was Track Foreman in Gowran Park for over 30 years.
Pat passed away unexpectedly this week 10 years ago in 2014, and his anniversary this week coincides with this weekend’s meeting making it most appropriate to host the staging of the Pat Walsh Mares Hurdle.
His untimely passing continues to be sorely felt around the parish a decade on. He was a leading figure both on and off stage with The Gowran Pantomime Society, while he was also centrally involved with founding of The Gowran Little Theatre Group just a few years prior to his passing.
His Son-in-law Raymond Dreeling took over as Track Foreman and along with the rest of the team in Gowran Park, they have continued on the trojan work as a fitting tribute to Pat’s legacy.
The feature race tomorrow is The Grade 2 PWC Gowran Park Champion Steeplechase which was won for the past two years by the Willie Mullins trained Easy Game, and he also won the race in 2020.
If Easy Game runs tomorrow and wins, he will equal the record of Sizing Europe who won The Gowran Park Champion Steeplechase 4 times, although The Henry De Bromhead trained Cheltenham Champion Chase winner(2011) won the race for four years on the trot from 2011-2014.
The first running of The Champion Steeplechase was won in 1998 by Dorans Pride with Richard Dunwoody on board in a high class quality field that featured Danoli, Hill Society, Merry Gale and Moscow Express.
Trained by Michael Hourigan, Dorans Pride was a highly accomplished horse who won several featured races including The Stayers Hurdle(1995), Hennessy Gold Cup and Ericsson Chase (1998), and Kerry National (1997), while he was also placed twice in The Cheltenham Gold Cup (1997 and 1998) when finishing third on both occassions.
That inaugural running of The Champion Steeplechase was part of a new Three-Day Festival that was run on a Wednesday in front of a packed capacity, and it has produced an illustrious roll of honour since it’s first running of the race 26 years ago.
Barrow Drive was a most popular victory for local trainer Tony Mullins in 2002, while Kicking King who won in 2004 who would subsequently go onto win The King George and The Cheltenham Gold Cup (2005) later that season.
Other local winners were Justified in 2007 trained by Dusty Sheehy from Graiguenamanagh trained with Ruby Walsh onboard, while Mooncoin Trainer Eoin Doyle was successful with The Fonze in 2009.
A victory for Champion Trainer Willie Mullins in tomorrow’s feature would provide him with a record breaking 6th victory and also a 5th consecutive triumph, as Royal Rendezvous won in 2021 to add to Easy Games hat-trick of triumphs in 2020, 2022 and 2023.
Gowran man Danny Mullins was on board Royal Rendezvous in 2021 a few months after he won The Galway Plate, while Danny was among the winners at The Listowel Festival last week when he partnered A Tipp For Gold trained by his Mum Mags Mullins to win The Connollys Red Mills EBF Auction Maiden Hurdle.
While interviewed by TG4 after the race, Danny’s new hairstyle was revealed that got plenty of reaction.
Meanwhile, following the final flat meeting of the season on Monday 21st October, The TG4 cameras will be out in force as they broadcast live from Gowran Park on Saturday 9th November.
Racing will take a break from Gowran Park until early 2025 when their two most prestigious meetings of the year take place, with Thyestes Day on Thursday 23rd January followed by Red Mills Race Day on Saturday 15th February.
Gowran Park’s National Hunt season will conclude with their Holden Plant Rentals Race Day on Saturday 8th March, just before the start of The Cheltenham Festival.
Plenty to look forward to in the months ahead at Gowran Park with the jumps making a most welcome return today, as it honours a great Gowran Park and Gowran Parish stalwart who will never be forgotten as his legacy will continue to live on.
