Blueway Wonder ends a lifetime of waiting for Tipperary greyhound owner

Having failed to get beyond the third round in his previous five outings, Blueway Wonder stepped up markedly on that form to win the 2020/21 Cappoquin Derby Trial Stake to become a first National Coursing Meeting qualifier for his joint owners, Michael Ryan from Kilsheelan and his uncle, Tom O’Neill (79) from Carrick-On-Suir.

The National Meeting gets underway at Powerstown Park, Clonmel at 11am this morning, Friday.
“It’s mainly track dogs that Michael and I keep but we buy a few coursing dogs now and again for a bit of an interest,” says Tom.
“We’ve won a few duffer stakes over the years, but Blueway Wonder is our first-ever trial stake winner and we’re absolutely thrilled.
“I’ve been involved in dogs all my life and so was my father before me.
He won a trial stake at Mooncoin in 1947, when I was just five years old, and from then – although I barely remember it – I always wanted to win one and at last I have, after waiting 74 years.
“Since myself and Michael have been in partnership, we’ve always struggled with names for dogs.
I’d always used Tinvane as my prefix, but we wanted to use something else. It just so happens that the Clonmel to Carrick-On-Suir Blueway runs past the back of Michael’s house and we thought it was perfect and registered it as our prefix.
“We bought Blueway Wonder from Donal and Mary O’Connor from Kilsheelan and I reared him here at home myself.
We then sent him to Ann Wade to be trained and it was Ann who had him for his only outing last year, when he went unsighted in the first round of the Cashel trial stake, which was run at Castleisland.
“Unfortunately, the season was cancelled after that and we never got the chance to see him run again.”
At the end of last season, Tom’s plan for Blueway Wonder was to run him in a few duffer stakes but then came the news that there would be two Derbys and so the trial stake route was back on.
However, there was a further bump in the road before the season started, as Ann Wade announced her retirement from training and so a new trainer was needed for the dog.
“We sent Blueway Wonder to Davy Whelan in Lismore,” says retired farmer Tom, adding that the dog was “a really good winner” of the trial stake in Cappoquin.
“Although he’s been out five times this year, he’s not had much coursing and should be plenty fresh enough going to Clonmel.
“Whatever happens, happens, but what I do know is that having waited a lifetime for a first trial stake winner, I’m going to enjoy every minute between now and then,” said Tom.

Ballydoyle, Rosegreen trainer Kevin Barry (front, second from right) and connections with Horse and Jockey Hotel 2021/22 Oaks qualifier Morocco. Kevin has no trained no fewer than 15 qualifiers for the 96th National Coursing Meeting, which begins at Powerstown Park, Clonmel this Friday morning and continues until the finals day on Monday

It was a great year at camogie and ladies football for one mid Tipperary club