Bob Cleary hopes for celebration weekend

WASHINGTON, PA  June 4, 2021 — The inaugural Irish American Celebration Weekend is underway, and there’s one Irishman who hopes the festivities include his personal celebration in The Meadows winners’ circle.

That would be Robert Cleary, the West Cork-born trainer, who’ll send out Always B First in Saturday’s $149,532 Pennsylvania Sires Stake for sophomore filly pacers, where she’ll seek her second straight PASS victory. The event, known as the Adios Betty, goes as races 9 and 11, and the Belmont Day card also features a $100,000 PA Stallion Series stake for 3-year-old filly pacers. Special post time is 11:25 AM.

A $65,000 yearling purchase for Oompa’s Farm, Robert Mondillo, Craig Henderson and Allen Wenc, Always B First raced sparingly at 2 and did not take a mark.

“She was immature and had some growing issues,” Cleary says. “We gave her a couple starts that didn’t go the way we wanted, so we shut her down. But she trained down and qualified well this year.”

The daughter of Always B Miki-Gallie Beach captured two of her first three outings this year, but those were in overnights. What persuaded her connections that she was ready for stakes company?

“In her last win at the Meadowlands,” Cleary recalls, “the weather was horrendous, the strongest winds you could imagine. She came the back half faster than the Open mares. That made us realize she had the opportunity to be a top filly.”

She demonstrated that again in the May 19 PASS at Harrah’s Philadelphia when she dueled early and still rolled home in 27.2 to score in a sparkling 1:50.

Always B First leaves from post 5, race 11, with Tim Tetrick, and Cleary indicates he’s not overly concerned with trip.

“You always want one covered up. But she’s pretty versatile. I think she’ll be okay however it works out.”

The Irish American Celebration Weekend, by the way, is designed to support harness racing in Ireland and features 17 races from Portmarnock Raceway. Sponsors on this side of the pond include Hanover Shoe Farms, Winbak Farm and owner Bill Donovan while such celebrities as John Campbell, Casie Coleman Herlihy and Yannick Gingras will participate via prerecorded interviews.

Cleary, who relocated to North America in 2004, was invited to take part in a Zoom call for the event but was forced to decline due to a schedule conflict.

The other Adios Betty division features two stars from the Ron Burke stable. Continualou (post 2, Ronnie Wrenn, Jr.) kicked off her campaign in that May 19 PASS and scored a 1:51 front-end win. Her stablemate, Blue Diamond Eyes, (post 6, David Miller) has an unusual credit on her resume. The winner of more than $550,000 is the reigning champion in both Pennsylvania and Kentucky, a feat made possible by the eligibility rules in those states.