Jockey foils diesel thieves who targeted horse trainer

Champion jockey Davy Russell came to the rescue on Thursday when a horse transporter belonging to trainer Jimmy Mangan was targeted by diesel fuel thieves.

Russell, who competes in National Hunt racing, was travelling to a race meeting in Gowran Park when he noticed Mangan’s transporter in a lay-by. It was surrounded by a group of men who were siphoning fuel from its tanks.

Accompanied by brother-in-law Colman Walsh, Davy got out and approached the transporter.

“They seemed to have some kind of mechanism with them to get the diesel,” Russell explained. “The lorry was on the way to the race meeting. Once we arrived the guys who were doing it took off. We stayed to make sure that Jimmy Mangan’s driver was OK.”

The pair’s quick thinking was praised by Mangan who said that his driver, Pat Murphy, was unnerved by the incident but had come to no physical harm. Murphy had been carrying two horses, Fair Dilemma and Castle Wings, to Gowran Park in Kilkenny when the incident happened between Dungarvan and Kilmeaden in Co. Waterford.

“Pat was in shock afterwards but he is all right now,” said Mangan, a Grand National-winning trainer. “Pat wasn’t hurt and the horses didn’t come to any harm either.”

Both horses went on to take part in proceedings at Gowran Park. Castle Wings came third in the Kclr 96fm Heart Of Carlow Kilkenny Carey’s Cottage Cup Handicap Steeplechase while Fair Dilemma came fifth in the Martinstown Opportunity Handicap Hurdle.

Investigations are being jointly co-ordinated by gardaí in Dungarvan and Kilmeaden. The thieves are believed to be part of a gang that is targeting diesel vehicles in the Co Waterford area.