The Galloping Lads are hoping to walk on air at National Coursing Meeting in Tipperary

When owners and trainers start arriving at Powerstown Park for the start of the National Coursing Meeting in Clonmel this Saturday, they will have journeyed from all over the country and far beyond – but one particular syndicate will have the shortest trip of all.

They are named the Galloping Lads Syndicate, but one of the members will be strolling, rather than galloping, down to the coursing stretch as he lives at the edge of the racecourse – and the others aren’t very far away either, living just miles from Clonmel.

They’ll be cheering on their BoyleSports Derby runner Moyle Alonzo and Horse & Jockey Hotel Oaks contender Moyle Magic, who have a longer trip to Tipp as they are both trained and bred by the maestro Liam Dowling in Ballymacelligott, Kerry. And while just getting to the National Meeting already seems like a win, it would be very sweet to be still there on the last day, as the meeting continues on Sunday and Monday, February 2 and 3.

The syndicate is led by Pat Creed, who lives on the perimeter of Powerstown Park and could probably see the action from his sitting room window, if he didn’t prefer to walk down the road to be in the thick of it.

Another member is Jim Moore of Carrick-on-Suir, who bred two trial stake winners Pat owned with Donal O’Connor in recent years, Part Exchange and Alonso Blonde.

Pat Creed stated: “Liam (Dowling) stays with one of the syndicate members every year for the National Meeting and has had lots of luck in Clonmel since he started doing that. We decided we’d get two saplings for this season, so we got them after Christmas last year. They never left Kerry – they stayed in Ballymacelligott to be reared and trained”.

That’s where they also qualified, both winning their trial stakes on the Ballyduff field.

First up was Moyle Magic, by Boylesportsmagic out of Liam’s 2020-21 Oaks winner Ballymac Floral. She won the 32 Oaks Trial Stake at Ballyduff, having previously reached the semi-final at Glin; and after Christmas got to the second round of the Corn na Féile Oaks at Abbeyfeale.

Moyle Alonzo, by Adios Alonso out of Liam’s 2019 Oaks winner Ballymac Enya, ran in Abbeydorney, Ballyduff and Lixnaw before claiming his ticket in the Co Kerry meeting, which also happened to be run on the Ballyduff field.

Pat said: “They both won their trial stakes on the same field, but at different meetings. It’s great to have two qualified. A few years ago myself and Donal O’Connor bought two pups from Jim Moore, out of Live At Two. Part Exchange got to the semi-final of the Derby and his sister Alonso Blonde got to the semi-final of the Kitty Butler Stake the same year, 2018.

“So we brought Jim into this syndicate and he picked out the two pups we have this year. We decided to get one dog and one bitch.

“The field should suit them. They both like long fields. They are very young, but we hope they’ll stay in as long as they can. The winning is to get to Powerstown – it’s a dream come true”.

As a Tipp native who spent many years living and working in Dublin, it’s only since moving back to the Premier County that Pat has enjoyed good success on the field.

“These are the sixth and seventh qualifiers I’ve been involved with since moving back from Dublin. I never had great luck before that”.

His fellow syndicate member Jim Moore has been a long time in the game, with a high point being 1982 when he handled River King for his father-in-law Paddy Russell. He qualified for the Champion Stakes, and was a quarter-finalist in the Irish Cup.

Jim has also been very successful in breeding over the years, and while he has retired from that end of the game, he still runs a few track dogs.

He’s delighted to have got this far. He said: “It’s some luck, to buy two dogs, and get both to Powerstown. It’s great”.

He explained that his involvement with the syndicate goes back to when he sold the Live At Two pups to Pat Creed and Donal O’Connor. “We kept in touch since then and are good friends”.

Meanwhile, other local contenders at the National Meeting include Blueway Maggie, which will run in the Champion Bitch Stakes, which is held on the final day, Monday, February 3.

Blueway Maggie is owned by Michael Ryan from Kilsheelan and Tom O’Neill from Carrick-on-Suir and is aiming to follow up on her good form at last year’s meeting, when she reached the third round of the Oaks.

In the Derby, owner James Goold from Prices Lot in Cashel has Atykit Bodacious, which qualified in Borrisoleigh.

Another Derby runner, Slanestown Tyson, which is owned and trained by Conor O’Donnell in Slanestown, Fethard, qualified in Freshford.

In the Oaks, meanwhile, David O’Sullivan from Clonmel, the owner of Miss Ellies takeaway in Irishtown, is the joint owner with Davy Graham of Mccloskeys Queen.

There’s great excitement in the Ryan household in The Commons, Cashel, with Micky “Gilly” Ryan and his son Mattie delighted to be back in the big time with an Oaks runner in Key Outluck.

Newinn Candy will carry the hopes of Shari Anne O’Donnell from New Inn and Joe Blair.

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The Flannery/Walsh Syndicate from Clonmel, which includes Michael Flannery and John “Jake” Walsh, have an Oaks runner in Rockfield Glory. That bitch’s litter sister, Tree Top Maggie, also runs in the Oaks, and is owned by Bill and Breda Lonergan from Cahir.