Stars of the future come to the fore at action packed card at Dundalk Stadium

Trainer Tom Mullins made in two winners from just five runners in 2023 when Not Too Real Bad (11/4jf) landed the Find Us On Facebook @dundalkstadium Handicap last Friday night.

Ridden by Jack Cleary, the daughter of Exceed And Excel had finished second or third in each of her last three runs at Dundalk so was hardly winning out of turn. For good measure, she is owned by the trainer’s wife, Helen.

Jack then made it a quick double on the card when Nevada Brave (4/1 fav), who is trained, owned and bred by Luke Comer, won the Irishinjuredjockeys.com Handicap. This win made it three winners from just five rides at Dundalk in 2023 for Jack.

The card’s opening race saw Shabaaby (15/2) secure a first Dundalk win since arriving in Ireland. He looked set to win cosily in the Floodlit Fridays Return To Dundalk Handicap before the 6/4 favourite Zig Zag Zyggy staged a late rally.

But the winner kept on well in winning by half-a-length under Donagh O’Connor. This was trainer Johnny Levins’ first runner of 2023, so he certainly got the year off to a flying start.

The way apprentice/conditional jockey Daniel King switched seamlessly between riding over hurdles or fences and back to the flat scene in 2022 was quite eye catching and he did nothing to change that positive view by winning the Book Online At DundalkStadium.com Handicap on Cursory Exam (4/1jf).

The winner is trained by Ger O’Leary, who took his record at Dundalk in 2023 to two winners and a second from just four runners by virtue of this win. All three of Cursory Exam’s career wins have come at Dundalk over the trip of ten
furlongs and 150 yards.

Trainer John McConnell enjoyed a superb 2022 with around 80 winners between flat and jumps racing, both in Ireland and the UK. And he notched his second winner of the year when Aces Wild (11/2) won the Join Us On Instagram @dundalk_stadium Maiden in the hands of Siobhan Rutledge.

In the last eleven days, John has had a Dundalk winner plus winners at the Leopardstown and Limerick Christmas Festivals, along with success at Musselburgh in Scotland. That is quite a display of versatility.

Siobhan then completed a double on the card when Dutch Glory (14/1) won the first division of the Racing Every Week At Dundalk Handicap for trainer Ross O’Sullivan.

Racing for just the seventh time, the daughter of Cotai Glory was winning for the first time, having shown promise over six furlongs at Dundalk on December 7th on her most recent run. Today’s race distance was seven furlongs.

The second division of the race went to Bronze River (10/1), who was ridden by Sean Bowen. Winning trainer Denis Hogan is another to have ended 2022 in good form, with two Limerick Christmas Festival winners plus one at
Punchestown.

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Champion calendar-year trainer at Dundalk for the last five years, Joseph O’Brien made it three winners already this year at the Stadium when Anann (5/1) made all to win the DundalkStadium.com Maiden under promising apprentice rider Hugh Horgan.

It was Joseph’s only runner on the card and, for good measure, Anann is owned and was bred by his mother, Ann-Marie.

The next fixture at Dundalk is on Friday January 13th. The card is provisionally set to begin at 4.30pm, but this will become 3.55pm or 4pm if a race divides, which is likely given the demand for racing at the Stadium.