Eight straight season’s sweep for Rhyds Ponder

WEST CORK, Ireland – On a day that Ireland celebrated 100 years since the 1916 Easter Rising, Rhyds Ponder cemented his position as the leading Road Pacer for the 2016 West Cork Winter Road Racing season.

This son of Hasty Hall who was crowned All Ireland Champion last week in Old Chapel rounded off the year with seven wins from seven starts with another top drawer performance in Ballydehob.

Deirdre Goggin has been in the plate for all those wins and it was fitting that this win would ensure that Goggin would secure the jockey of the year award.

"Ponder" now on an eight win running streak collects "Horse Of The Year" for 2016.

As in all their wins Rhyds Ponder set a relentless pace and battered his five rivals into submission and again had Dream Maker six lengths behind with Rhyds Trixter another length third.

"A long Summer on grass " declared owner Niall Forbes was the plan for the newly crowned champ.

It was a good day all round for the Goggin family with Carol (a sister of Deirdre )winning the best dressed lady competition .

It was a day for the lady jockeys as Marie "Funsize " Moloney rode a double on the day which gave her the leading jockey of the day gong.

Lakeview Romeo made in three on the spin with another win in the Novice . Moloney sent him to the front after a furlong and three lengths seperated them and See You Later at the finish .

Wellfield Damian a model of consistency all season made light work of his five rivals in the Grade E to give Moloney her second winner of the afternoon .This was a popular winner for owners Harry & Mary Bennett.

David Brickley also rode a brace on the day .Meadowbranch Kiki set the ball in motion in the Grade D .Again front running tactics were employed and despite the best efforts of Lakeview Walter this son of Kikicolt held on to win by two lengths .

Ringo Kid completed the brace for Brickley in the "Golden Mile"but in this two runner contest was made to work hard by Easter Lilly who seems to reserve her best runs for this fixture .A half a length between these two at the finish .

So the 2016 Road racing season draws to a close but already racegoers are looking ahead to the Summer Harness Racing Season which kicks off at Inchadoney Beach on May 8th .

So 2016 will be remembered as the year RHYDS PONDER swept all before him .

by Tim Kelleher, for Harnesslink

RESULTS

Novice Pace (The Denis Murphy Cup & Christy Hurley Plant Hire Trophy )

1. M Kelleher LAKEVIEW ROMEO Marie Moloney

2. S Crowley SEE YOU LATER J O Reilly

3. N Forbes THE HATCHET LADY M O Reilly

DIST 3l 6l SP 4/5 EV 3/1 3 Ran

Grade E (The Martin Swanton Cup & Committee Trophy)

1. H & M Bennett WELLFIELD DAMIAN Marie Moloney

2. G Kane BIG JIM T O Leary

3. J Cullinane ROKOCOKO J O Reilly

DIST 6l 6l SP 1/2 5/2 4/1 6 Ran

Grade C & D (The Irish Whip Cup & Committee Trophy)

1. Brickley /Shanahan MEADOWBRANCH KIKI D Brickley

2. C & R Joyce LAKEVIEW WALTER M O Reilly

3.C O Sullivan HILLSIDE DARTANIAN Deirdre Goggin

DIST 2l 10l SP 4/6 EV 5/4 3 Ran

Golden Mile (The Neillie Cleary Memorial & Sandboat Bar Cup)

1. Jennie Brickley RINGO KID D Brickley

2. C Caverly EASTER LILLY Marie Moloney

DIST 1/2l SP 1/4 3/1 2 Ran

Grade A & B (The Bobby Joe Cup & Jimmy Wolfe Memorial Cup)

1. N Forbes RHYDS PONDER Deirdre Goggin

2. Shanahan / Mycock DREAM MAKER D Brickley

3. Deasy/Hurley/Keohane RHYDS TRXTER J O Reilly

DISt 6l 1l SP 2/5 5/2 4/1 5 Ran