Knight Of Venosas, trained by Henry Harty and ridden by his son, took home £252 after winning the first Kerry National in 1945 and today Listowel stages its first £100,000 race. This mammoth prize has drawn two smart English handicap chasers, Flying Instructor and Red Ark, and thanks to their presence in the field my selection Monty's Pass has been saved from having to shoulder 12st.
He has run some fine races this summer on the Kerry circuit, running Moscow Express to a short head at Killarney and then beating Quinze comfortably at Tralee. Last year saw the first English-trained winner of a Kerry National and Flying Instructor for all his weight is such a dashingly bold jumper that he will set it up to all the runners.
The Schering-Plough Animal Health Hurdle is set up for a match between Hartigan and Goldstreet. Last time out Goldstreet beat Hartigan's odds-on stablemate Get It On for second place behind Golden Row at Tralee and now he can again beat one of Christy Roche's favourites, Hartigan having won his maiden hurdle at Galway.
Lord Edwards Army has to reverse Galway placings with Aberdeenshire in the Esat Digifone Maiden Hurdle where the key factor can be the distance. Paddy Mullins horse proved himself a stayer in the making when winning his Kilbeggan bumpet over 2m 3f.
Patsy Byrne, who trained this year's Irish Greyhound Derby winner, is the sponsor of the opening flat race on the card and here Nebulae can show that she is a typical John Oxx prepared late maturing three-year-old filly.
She did not run at two and first time out at Roscommon a month ago she went clear of her field but then started to tire and only held on by half a length from Turtle Dancer.
A leading National Hunt rider was injured for the second successive day at Listowel when Barry Geraghty sustained a broken collar-bone yesterday. The former champion took a crashing fall from Diaz at the fourth last flight in the featured Listowel Races Supporters Club Lartigue Hurdle. The ill-fated Tom Taaffe-trained gelding was on the heels of the leaders at that point.
Geraghty appeared to be kicked by a number of pursuing horses, and he was taken to Tralee General Hospital for x-rays. Reigning champion Ruby Walsh is likely to be on the sidelines for over a month after dislocating his hip here on Monday .
Paul Carberry currently heads the jockeys' title race, and the Meathman moved onto the 38-winner mark when taking the Lartigue Hurdle aboard Snob Wells. Noel Meade's charge was always travelling well and headed the pace-setting Sweet Brief after the second last hurdle to score by four lengths.
The surprise victories of Society Friend, Givenchy De Solzen and Ballylusky ensured that the Jackpot pool of £15,934 was not won Givenchy De Solzen provided trainer Arthur Moore with "a nice surprise" when leading on the run-in to take the Listowel Arms Handicap Chase in the hands of Danny Howard. The seven-year-old gelding could make a quick reappearance over hurdles here on Friday.
