Irish Coursing Club

The Irish Coursing Club are delighted that Sinn Fein passed a motion at their Ard Fheis last weekend not to ban coursing. This motion was tabled as a direct result of last years motion which had called on the party to ban the sport.
The following is the text of the motion as amended from the Ard Chomhairle:

Without prejudice to the partys continued position of opposition to cruel farming and animal harvesting practices, unnecessary and cruel animal testing, and the infliction of cruelty to animals, especially for the purposes of entertainment, this Ard Fheis:

• Acknowledges the support in rural Ireland for traditional rural occupations including hunting and fishing and hare coursing.
• Acknowledges the value that these pursuits bring to local rural economies, and the potential economic damage posed by an outright ban.
• Believes that hunting and fishing should continue to be regulated in the interests of sustainable wildlife management.
• Believes that Irish hare coursing practices should be regulated to ensure sustainable wildlife management and to minimise unnecessary suffering to the animals involved.
• Believes that the banning of hare coursing would drive it underground and remove current regulations, which are essential to protect the animals involved. Therefore we oppose such an outright ban.
• Affirms that it continues to oppose bloodsports by which it means dog fighting, badger baiting, cock fighting and bull fighting.

BEXHILL BRIAN yesterday added the JP McManus Irish Cup to the Classics Club Champion Stakes which he had won at Clonmel earlier in the month.
In an exciting final the pup KERRY CALL burst from slips causing Bexhill to change sides at a very early stage. There was clear daylight between them at halfway but as he had done in his courses against Lisloose Eoin and Kyle Basil, Bexhill Eoin changed to another gear from that point and swept past Kerry Call for a decisive victory.
It is a fifth Classic for his owners John Barrett and Conor Sheehan from Glin (Bexhill Drive – Irish Cup 1993), (Bexhill Cottage – Oaks 1996) (Bexhill Eoin – Derby 2006) (Bexhill Brian – Champion Stakes and Irish Cup 2010) and we are starting to lose count of how many this is for his trainer, the maestro from Newry Brendan Matthews.
The winning nominator is Patrickswell publican Christy Murphy.

Bexhill Brian got a judges decision in his quarter-final with Kyle Basil (Basil led nearly all the way but appeared to be slightly wide of his quarry allowing Brian to drive in for the opening score). At this stage the winner was assured of a Bye into the final as Party Jay Cee was brought all the way back to the slippers hut after winning the top quarter-final from Carrowkeal Wally. Kerry Call got the better of High And Mighty after a thrilling buckle before Dougal Town came from behind to oust Beyond Killimer.
Bexhill Brian then ran a straight Bye and seconds later he was joined in the final by Kerry Call who proved a couple of lengths too strong for Dougal Town.

It was great to see JP McManus in the parade ring afterwards to present the Irish Cup to the connections of Bexhill Brian.

History was surely made at Patrickswell yesterday when the 2007 Oaks dividers Chubbys Accord and Qualityandgold provided both finalists in the Irish Stud Dog Owners & Landowners Select All Age Bitch Stake.
In the end victory went to the Brian and Laurence Jones owned KALANOVA (Bexhill Eoin – Qualityandgold) who came away much the better from slips and maintained a good advantage all the way over QUALITY AND DASH (Bexhill Eoin – Chubbys Accord) who is jointly owned by Laura O’Meara and the late Murt Ryan.

There was some compensation for the Kerry Call team when KERRY CALLING was a very good winner of the Woodlands House Irish Purse. This fellow hunted keenly in every course. Runner -up was Carrigmore Heart.

MOOT POINT was 3/1 for the final of the Bill Chawke Irish Plate and caused a massive upset when he disposed of Lisloose Eoin. This was a great success for Sir Mark Prescott and trainer Michael J O Donovan.

The Galbally working members stake winner SMALL BIT GONE always looked a bit special in the Dunraven Arms Hotel Inter Club Champion Working Members Stake and he duly took the 3000 euro first prize. Moorstown Mia too had won many admirers on her way to the final.

With his Trial Stake and Cup winning form the Cork Open representative KILTY WAZZER stood out as a good thing in the Earl of Dunraven Kilgobbin Stake and so it proved although Savings Aughrim did give him plenty to do in the final.

And so concluded a memorable meeting and a memorable season. As enthusiasts left Limerick Racecourse yesterday afternoon they all had the same thing to say, SEE YOU IN LISCANNOR / KILFLYNN.

Champion Stakes winner BEXHILL BRIAN is the new favourite for the JP McManus Irish Cup after a third round of shocks. Going into the afternoon session today the market leaders were Tipoka and Wallace Flyer but both exited to opponents blessed with early foot, PARTY JAY CEE and DOUGAL TOWN respectively.
Party Jay Cee is known to love the red collar and the third round was the only time he would be wearing the white. However he burst from slips and crossed over in front of Tipoka immediately to take up his favourite position. Tipoka then went slightly offline and could never make up the deficit.
Dougal Town caused an even bigger shock later but his winning margin would suggest that all was not right with Wallace Flyer.

CARROWKEAL WALLY who came in as a Reserve continues to impress and has gone from 40s to 4s in the betting. Remember he gave KYLE BASIL a close call in the Derby Trial Stake final at Galbally. They could meet again in the semi-final here tomorrow. On the clock KYLE BASIL has a length in hand of his next opponent BEXHILL BRIAN but as we all know clocks mean very little at this stage. It could be a tremendous buckle between these two Limerick owned runners.
Bexhill Brian and Lisloose Eoin had a brilliant second round course with the latter showing in front for much of the way.

In the bottom half nothing is going better than KERRY CALL. Could he possibly give Patsy and Pa their three in-a-row ?. His quarter final opponent is Corn Na Feile winner HIGH AND MIGHTY who was fastest in the morning session but went back a little in the third round. The field is completed by the pup BEYOND KILLIMER who is also doing everything right and is now set to take on DOUGAL TOWN in an all Cork quarter-final.

Todays meeting was held in brilliant sunshine and cards were sold out. With stout running hares the scene is set for a great day of coursing tomorrow and the perfect finale to the 2009/10 coursing season. Where did it go ?????

SECOND ROUND
Party Jay Cee 11.12
Carrowkeal Wally 11.01
Bexhill Brian 10.98
Kyle Basil 10.93
High And Mighty 10.88
Kerry Call 11.07
Beyond Killimer 11.03
Dougal Town 11.20

THIRD ROUND
Party Jay Cee 11.23
Carrowkeal Wally 11.23
Bexhill Brian 11.13
Kyle Basil 11.08
High And Mighty 11.14
Kerry Call 11.08
Beyond Killimer 11.27
Dougal Town 11.19

Defending champion Sandy Sea made a first round exit from the JP McManus Irish Cup earlier today. Running off the red collar he changed sides behind Gifted Hero very early in the course before coming back at his opponent on the correct side. However the turn came just in time for GIFTED HERO in what turned out to be the second fastest clock of the opening day (10.96secs).

The well drawn TIPOKA (11.00 secs) is now 4/1 joint favourite and in the morning he meets FLOATING RAIN (11.09 secs) who was involved in a hard hunt.
The other joint favourite is WALLACE FLYER who was fastest up today (10.95 secs). In the morning he meets his kennel mate CITY DEAL who put out Brazing Serpent in another fast time (11.05 secs).

A very interesting second round buckle will be that between BEXHILL BRIAN (11.04 secs) and LISLOOSE EOIN (11.10 secs). The latter may have been slightly offline but Alarm Time gave him a big scare. Mind you Alarm Time did run very well in the Irish Purse after lunch.

KERRY CALL get the better of the litter brothers (11.00 secs) and he could yet give Pa Fitzgerald / Patsy Byrne a big say in this Classic despite the elimination of their 2009 Champion. He will definitely get to Sunday if he puts in two similar runs tomorrow.

STIFF TEST (11.02 secs) PREVELENCE (11.10 secs) and HIGH AND MIGHTY (11.11 secs) were other pups to impress while PARTY JAY CEE (11.04 secs) and KILBEACANTY HILL (11.06 secs) clocked fastest of the other All Ages.
TORY HILL BLONDE won against City Terminator after they were sent back to slips.

Coursing resumes at 11.30am on Saturday with Round 2 of the Irish Cup

All roads lead to Limerick Racecourse, Patrickswell this weekend for the 104th running of the Irish Cup. The action gets underway tomorrow (Friday) and the final flag of the 2009/10 coursing season will be pulled sometime around 3pm on Sunday afternoon.
After a powerful display by the pups at the National Meeting there is much talk about the younger brigade dominating this years JP McManus Irish Cup. However only one pup has won in the six years that the event has been staged at this venue and the one thing certain is that the experience of the All Age runners will come into play. Remember too that the field includes not only the brilliant Sandy Sea who is hoping to become the third greyhound in history to win back to back Irish Cups but also the Champion Stakes winners of 2009 and 2010.
This 80,000 euro first prize will take some winning.
Sandy Sea currently leads the betting at 6/1, followed by 7/1 Wallace Flyer, 8/1 Lisloose Eoin, 10/1 Bexhill Brian & Brazing Serpent, 14/1 Tipoka, Party Jay Cee, Prevelence, Kyle Basil, Likely Treble, High And Mighty, Kerry Calling, City Deal, 16/1 Bar.
Eshwary Laura and Cleanaway Smurf have been made joint 3/1 favourites for the Select Champion Bitch Stakes with Helens Diva and Delotti both on 6s.

Claddagh Hight has been confirmed as a non-runner from the first round of the Irish Cup. He was due to meet Carrigmore Heart. A reserve will now take his place.

Irish hares are eighteen times more abundant in areas managed by the Irish Coursing Club (ICC) than at similar sites in the wider countryside a recent study by Queens University Belfast has shown.
There are approximately 89 local coursing clubs distributed throughout Ireland and each is associated with a number of discrete localities, known colloquially as hare preserves. These are managed favourably for hares including predator control, prohibition of other forms of hunting such as shooting and poaching and the maintenance and enhancement of suitable hare habitat.
Anti-field sports organisations, in addition to animal welfare objections, dispute the efficacy of ICC hare population management practices claiming that annual harvesting of hares causes local population declines and expiration.
The research team, lead by Dr. Neil Reid, Quercus Centre Manager at Queens, indirectly tested the efficacy of management practices by comparing hare numbers within preserves to that in the wider countryside.
Dr Reid said: While we cannot rule out the role of habitat, our results suggest that hare numbers are maintained at high levels in ICC preserves either because clubs select areas of high hare density and subsequently have a negligible effect on numbers, or that active population management positively increases hare abundance.
The research, published in the peer-reviewed international journal Acta Theriologica, suggests that field sports such as shooting, hunting and hare coursing promote the multifunctional use of farmland in which wildlife provides a resource for non-agricultural activities supporting sustainable development. Also, field sports may offer financial and recreational incentives to farmers and private landowners who are frequently willing to accept conservation costs over a wider area than Government can afford to subsidize.
Co-author Professor Ian Montgomery, Head of the School of Biological Sciences at Queens said: The Irish Hare is one of the highest priority species for conservation action in Ireland and without concessions for its role in conservation, any change in the legal status of hare coursing under animal welfare grounds, may necessitate an increase in Government subsidies for conservation on private land together with a strengthened capacity for legislative enforcement.
This latest research follows on from a previous study published by the same group in the journal Animal Welfare during 2007, which showed that survival of hares at coursing events significantly improved with the introduction of compulsory muzzling of greyhounds in 1993, while improved levels of captive animal husbandry reduced mortality yet further. It is estimated that about four per cent of the 6,000 or so hares netted by the ICC each year are killed with the rest being released back into the wild.
Further information on the study is available on the Quercus website at www.quercus.ac.uk.

Order of Running for the 2010 Irish Cup meeting
Friday 26th, Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th February
At Limerick Racecourse, Patrickswell.

Judge: Gerry Mulcaire Slipper: Richie Quinn

First brace in slips 11.30am each day.

Friday:
Start with First Round of the JP McManus Irish Cup then First round of Inter Club Champion Working Members Stake (before interval).
First round of the Irish Purse and Second round of the Inter Club Champion Working Members Stake (after interval).

Saturday:
Start with Second round of the JP McManus Irish Cup followed by First Round of the Select Champion Bitch Stake (before interval).
Third round of JP McManus Irish Cup, Second round of Select Champion Bitch Stake, Second round of the Irish Purse and First round of the Irish Plate (after the interval).

Sunday:
Start with First round of Earl of Dunraven Kilgobbin Stake, Third round of Inter Club Champion Working Members Stake and complete card.

Thomas Kennedy ns Tower Cross v Patsy & Teddy Browne ns Tipoka (p)
Jack O’ Rourke ns Fealesuir Johnny (p) v Jimmy Flaherty ns Floating Rain
Richard Savage ns Party Jay Cee v Tadgh O’Sullivan ns Kildonogue Billy (p)
John Garrahy ns Oilean Fantasy (p) v Brian Tansey ns Jiving Rythm
Vincent Purtill ns City Terminator (p) v Earl of Dunraven ns Tory Hill Blonde (p)
Kevin Smith ns Begorragh (p) v Liam Riordan ns Hecantwin
Luke Kilcoyne ns Banna Joker v Dermot Cox ns Mungos Brief
Ned Relihan ns Claddagh Hight (p) v Pat Dalton ns Carrigmore Heart
Christy Murphy ns Bexhill Brian v Brendan Farrelly ns Dale Indecisive
Peter O’Loghlen ns Alarm Time v Tony Reddan ns Lisloose Eoin (p)
Brian Murphy ns Donard King v Michael Mann ns Shandrum Bar
Bernard Barry ns Mungos Classic v Mary & Edmund Costelloe ns Cooga Ruby (p)
Seamus Mulvaney ns Ty Bach v Jimmy Browne ns Prevelence (p)
Joe & Jack Molloy ns Feede Fred v Betty Brodie ns Kilbeacanty Hill
Marie Field ns Kyle Basil (p) v Jimmy Quinn ns Flow On Ted
David & Mgt Casey ns Likely Treble (p) v Orna Comerford ns Beyond Gaisce (p)
Ml O’Donovan ns Gallys Bridge (p) v Leo Walsh ns Catunda Ashmore
Patsy Byrne ns Sandy Sea v Terry Corden ns Gifted Hero
Ml Spillane ns Gingerbread Lad v Ml Kelleher ns High And Mighty (p)
Matthew Ryan ns Ho John Ran v John Ronan & Tom Mulcahy ns Eshwary Brae
Des Grace ns Kerry Call (p) v Dan Lynch ns Kerry Calling (p)
Sara Mangan ns Wake Up Rascal v Oliver Scallon ns Ronans Man
Dr. Paul Nolan ns Cernunnos v Fr. John Fitzgibbon ns Quarrymount Man
Ernest Smith ns Scotch Action v Aidan Tynan ns Big Mans Bluff
Pat Daly ns Beyond Killimer (p) v Noreen McManus ns Atlantic Style
Stephen Gleeson ns Vacume Electric v Murty McMahon ns Stiff Test (p)
Nora & Oliver Raleigh ns Duarigle Allstar v Sir Mark Prescott ns Moot Point (p)
Gerry & Charlie Chawke ns Serene Digital v Brian Divilly ns Lixnaw View
Ml Horgan ns Macroney Caesar v Kieran Barry & John Harty ns Dougal Town
Matt Feheney ns Lone Boxer (p) v Con Ryan ns Splodge
Brendan Matthews ns Wallace Flyer v Mike McKenna ns Jacks Navigator
Jim Hennessy ns Brazing Serpent (p) v Brendan Duffy ns City Deal (p)

2009/10 Season
President: Brian Divilly
Treasurer: John Egan

Executive Committee:
Chairman: Noel Holland Vice Chairman: Tom Mulcahy
Members: Berkie Browne, Jerry Burke, Brian Divilly, Liam Drennan, John Egan, Brendan Farrelly, Paddy Holohan, Fran Mangan, Lexie Marmion, Tony McNamee, Phil Meaney, Tom Murphy, Brendan Purcell, Richie Quinn, Brian Walsh, Joe White.

Provincial Committee Chairmen:
Connacht: Lexie Marmion
Leinster: Tony McNamee
Munster: Jack O'Rourke
Ulster : Charlie McDaid

'The Executive Committee at its meeting on August 4th made the following appointments to the respective committees. The Executive Committee selected to streamline the membership on each committee in recognition of the current economic climate'.

Finance and Management Committee
Chairman: Brian Divilly
N Holland, F Mangan, T Murphy, J Egan (Treasurer), DJ Histon (Secretary)

General Purposes Committee (Chairman to be appointed)
B Browne, L Drennan, L Marmion, T Mulcahy, B Purcell, B Walsh, DJ Histon (Secretary)

Northern Sub-Committee (Two members to be co-opted)
B Walsh, J White, DJ Histon (Secretary)

Irish Cup Committee
B Farrelly, T Mulcahy, R Quinn

AI Administration Committee
As General Purposes Sub Committee (except Secretary)
Chairman appointed by Executive Committee

AI Appeals Committee
Picked by President and Chairman Executive Committee
Limited to five members.

IT is the duty of the Control Steward and Slip Steward to ensure the appropriate coursing muzzle is fitted correctly prior to each course. It is not intended to cause offence to owners while undertaking this duty.
Owners/Trainers are advised to ensure the correct size muzzle (Bitch muzzle or Male muzzle) is fitted sufficiently tight to prevent a muzzle becoming dislodged on impact with the ground or other object.
The condition of the muzzle and in particular the webbing should be noted.
The implementation of this procedure is to protect the welfare of the greyhound and most importantly the hare.
Thank you for your co-operation.

D.J. Histon,
Secretary I.C.C.

Bitch and litter inspections, both track and coursing, will take place on a continuous basis going forward. This practice is in keeping with maintaining the integrity of the Stud Book and to assist in verifying breeding data for all industry stakeholders. The format will entail inspection of bitches prior/post whelping and will be conducted by dedicated inspection staff.
The success of this activity is dependent on full co-operation by all.

Signed: Keeper of the Stud Book, D.J. Histon

A form for entering your greyhound(s) at any coursing meeting this season can now be downloaded and printed from this web site.

Simply click on ‘Coursing Entry Form download’ which can be found on the left hand side of this home page.

In recent years, a neurological condition of greyhounds has been observed at University College Dublin (UCD).
This condition occurs in young dogs aged between four and 18 months, of both sexes, and often affects multiple animals in the same litter. The clinical signs vary in severity and type, but include any combination of dullness, weight loss, head tilt, unsteady gait, circling, blindness, aggression and vocalisation. The condition is invariably fatal despite treatment, and can be confirmed only by post-mortem examination.
Although the occurrence of this disorder in multiple animals of the same litter is suggestive of an underlying infectious cause, exhaustive research to date has failed to implicate the standard agents likely to be responsible. University College Dublin has examined cases over a number of years, indicating that the disorder continues to exist within the Irish greyhound industry.
UCD has recently obtained funding to undertake further investigations and would appreciate your help in identifying new cases. If you observe any of the above clinical signs, or have any greyhounds in which you suspect a brain problem, we would be grateful if you could contact us, in confidence, at the numbers or emails listed below. Individual cases can be discussed, and if warranted, clinical assessment and initial screening tests performed free of charge.

Robert Shiel:
Telephone 01 7166000; or email robert.shiel@ucd.ie

Sean Callanan:
Telephone 01 7166152; or email sean.callanan@ucd.ie