Clare O’Sullivan and Emma Fitzpatrick will contest the Gretta Cormican Cup final in a bid to secure a semi-final place in next month’s Queen of the Roads.

Growing up in a housing estate in Tralee, Michael O’Callaghan would not have been a likely candidate to be a racehorse trainer for Dubai and Qatari royalty. As the Flat season kicks into gear following the conclusion of the jumps season, the 28-year-old reflects on his journey to here and looks ahead to the future.

A serial renovator, it took Geraldine Dennehy over six months to refurbish Cosima, writes Trish Dromey.

At Naas on Monday, following a six-furlongs handicap, the stewards were called into action after the 11-4 favourite, Captain Power, had beaten 5-1 shot, Dark Alliance, by a short head.

Two meetings this evening, with the first three-year-old hurdle of the season one of the highlights on the card at Roscommon.

Foxtrot Charlie continued the rich vein of form being enjoyed by Dermot Weld and Pat Smullen when beating his elders in the listed Coral.ie Glencairn Stakes in Leopardstown last night.

Galileo Gold will face seven rivals when he chases a Classic double in the Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh tomorrow.

Amongst those in attendance at yesterday morning’s launch of the 2016 flat season at the Curragh were the legendary figures of Jim Bolger, Dermot Weld and Johnny Murtagh who, true to form, entertained as they spoke of past, present and future, often throwing and receiving good-humoured jibes. 

Wexford hosts this afternoon’s action in Ireland, and Masonbrook Lady gets the nap to land the eleven-furlong handicap.

ONE of the more obscure incidents of the Easter Rising took place near Galbally on the Tipperary/Limerick border.

The David Griffiths-trained Take Cover bounced back from a below par run in the Abbaye at Longchamp last time when landing the listed Mercury Stakes in Dundalk last night.

Ian Queally gave Maudlin Magdalen a textbook ride to land the featured Kingdom Gold Cup, worth €30,000 to the winner, last evening at Killarney.

Surprisingly, the only winning favourite on day five of the Galway Festival came in the ultra-competitive Arthur Guinness Handicap, but it was no shock to punters who backed the Tony Martin-trained Tudor City down from a high of 7-1, to a starting price of 5-2. There were a couple of anxious seconds before he prevailed in the cool hands of Fran Berry.

With Willie Mullins having farmed the first race on the three previous days of the Festival, it was no surprise to see his As De Ferbet sent off favourite for yesterday’s opener at Ballybrit.

Old reliables Willie Mullins and Dermot Weld provided punters with the only winning favourites on day three of the Galway Festival and the afternoon had begun just the way the two previous evenings had — Mullins getting off the mark with a winning hurdler.

Mimis Ace, trained by John Kiely for Maura Kiely, Blackrock, earned his ticket to the Boylesports Irish Derby by taking Saturday night’s final of the trial stake at Curraheen Park in great style.

Quite a difficult card for punters tonight at Curraheen Park, where the feature is the final of the Boylesports Greyhound Derby Trial Stake, supported by the Laurels Restaurant A3 525 decider.

Ger Lyons will look for a Group Two opportunity for Ainippe after she came out on top in a thrilling finish to the TRM Ballyogan Stakes at the Curragh yesterday.

Found remains a short price for the Investec Oaks despite being beaten by 25-1 outsider in Iveagh Gardens on her return to action in the Canford Cliffs EBF Athasi Stakes at the Curragh yesterday.

BOYNE BECKONS

Greyscape will be strongly fancied to get off the mark at his third attempt in today’s opener in Cork, the Irish Stallion Farms 2-Y-0 Auction Maiden.

Convergence captured the listed Patton Stakes for Ger Lyons and Colin Keane in Dundalk last night, denying favourite War Envoy, Ryan Moore’s first ride on the track, by a length.

 

Progressive grey Togoville struck again for Georgios Pakidis and Gary Carroll in the featured At The Races Price Rush On Facebook Handicap as Dundalk’s winter season closed last night.

John Oxx might strike with his first runner of 2015, Pour Deux, in tonight’s finale in Dundalk.

Trainer Johnny Levins divulged that the Ayr Gold Cup next September is the long-term target for Your Pal Tal following the progressive five-year-old’s victory in last night’s opener in Dundalk.

Irish punters, starved of any action since last Sunday, get a minor fix at Dundalk tonight.

Sgt Rock should make it third-time-lucky in the Irish Stallion Farms 2-Y-0 Maiden in Dundalk tonight.

Knoxville Bullet looks the banker bet on tonight’s seven-race card in Dundalk.