Davy’s donkey leaves them trailing in his wake in Youghal

The going was decidedly more firm than Cheltenham and the Cotswolds course will never present the challenge of newly-laid main drainage overlay, but the on-street battle for glory that is Youghal’s Donkey Derby had punters in East Cork smiling last night.

The annual ‘race card’ owes its origins to local star jockey Davy Russell and raises funds for the summer Queen of the Sea Festival, which supports Cork Cancer Centre and the RNLI.

The 2014 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner brought a stable-load of colleagues to the starting line, including Rachel Blackmore, Mark Enright, Martin Hennessy, David McGrath, David Mullins, Jody Townend, Martin Ferris, Davy Condon, Colin Motherway and Patrick Mangan.