Dessie Scahill will leave rich legacy

When Dessie Scahill puts down his binoculars at the end of the Curragh Derby meeting this afternoon he will surely do so with a sense of real sadness.

It will signal the end of an era, his 48th and final Derby call. It has been well publicised this week that Scahill, who will celebrate his 70th birthday next month, is on the verge of drawing stumps on an honourable career and so the distinctive voice of the best-known racing commentator this country has ever produced, arguably best loved as well, will fall silent on July 26, the last day of his final contract with the Association of Irish Racecourses (AIR).

Scahill is an icon of the game and has more than stood the test of time.