Just getting there is an achievement

FOR THE participants, day one of the annual National Coursing Meeting in Clonmel is the worst.

Sixty four bitches and sixty four dogs go to slips for the first round of the Hotel Minella Oaks and the Boylesports Derby, the culmination of a season’s dreams. Just getting there is an achievement - “they’re all winners already,” says well-known trainer John Condon from Conna - each flying hound having won a Trial Stake to reach coursing’s holy grail.

But, having got there, no-one wants to fall at the first hurdle. Many will have turned down big money for their dog, in the hope that with a few wins in Clonmel, it could be worth a hell of a lot more.