19:50 Well I have to say racing at Laytown was an experience. Watching them set up in the morning you did wonder if it would ever be fit for racing.
The biggest surprise was the number of Brits at the meeting, they certainly outnumbered the locals. As I write this at Dublin airport teh racegoers are heading home - they are easy to spot - just look at the shoes covered in Laytown sand and the splattered trousers.
It is a shame the weather was not more clement but you can’t have everything. All in all a great day out.
19:40 Well as expected the laptop died – well went into a deep sleep.
Lets look at the final two races.
Race five was a six furlong sprint and it turned out to be a good little contest with the action, again, coming at the end.
Doorock was quickly away along with Knockmealdown and these two set the early pace along with Option Be .
Two out it was Option Be under Fran Berry who took up the running but there were several running on horses in the field, two of whom caught the eye.
One of them Richelieu caught the eye because he went on to win, however the more eye catching performance came from Ideal Appeal under Ruby Walsh who came like a bat out of hell in the final furlong and would surely have won the race had it been 20 yards further.
The finale was another amateur riders event over seven and, like the previous amateur event there was one name which dominated – Nina Carberry. This time her win was even more convincing.
Riding most of the race tracking the leaders on Munich, she launched her challenge two out and the further they went the further she extended her lead winning by an easy 4½ lengths for what can only be described as a facile victory. For the record Romeo’s On Fire finished a clear second a further four lengths ahead of the dead heating Four Corners and Tribes And Banners in third.
16:40 Seven furlongs again this time for amateur riders. However if we are talking amateur riders in Ireland we are talking the likes of Katie Walsh and, of course Nina Carberry and it was the latter who sluiced up in this event.
Halfway the field was pretty well bunched with most of the field in contention. In the final stages Shaimaa took up the running, however lurking just behind was Miss Carberry on Grand Opera and once given free reign the race was over in a matter of strides as Grand Opera ran out the longest distance, and easiest, winner of the afternoon so far.
Shaimaa held on for second and early leader Nortburn took third. The first three four and a half lengths clear of the remainder who were strung out.
This may be the last update for a while as my laptop is wet and not very happy.
16:05 Another seven furlong heat and finally a race where the judge was not called into action.
Parquetry set the early pace but by halfway the lead had been ceded to Silidan under Darren McDonogh and he managed to hold on to take the race despite a strong challenge from Rookwith who came with what appeared to be a winning run a furlong out.
Third place went to the running on Rockazar.
15:40 Up to seven furlongs in our second event and I hope the conditions are better for the horses than they are for the punters at the track as I am wet and thouroughly hacked off.
There was some fun before the start when Follow A Star unshipped Davis Casey three times before the starter lost patience and withdrew the horse.
Lothario was first away under Paul Carberry but after a furlong it was Pix who made the running on what appeared to be the favoured far side of the track. Although it should be noted with a flip start there is no draw to run to here this afternoon.
Solomons Secret kept the leader company.
However the complexion of the race changed two out when Redwater River under Pat Smullen came with a run along with January under Ruby Walsh and the race looked to be between these two however January seemed to tire whilst, conversely, Topenhall came from the clouds to force another tight finish, denying Redwater River by a neck.
15:10 A six furlong sprint to get us underway and a three way photograph in a close finish.
Maid Of Lorn set the early pace but after two furlongs it was Patrickswell who was taking them along in what looks like testing conditions. He was soon joined by Mt Weather and the two were involved in a dour fight to the finish, joined in the latter stages by Adriatic who ran on well under Fran Berry.
As they passed the line it was down to the judge to separate them and Mt Weather was called the short head winner.
Despite the close finish the field was well strung out with the last two coming home a distance behind.
14:00 An hour before we start and the weather is changable one minute sunny the next lashing down.
The most surprising aspect for me is there are more British accents here than Irish.
12:45 Two and a quarter hours to the first race and something resembling a racecourse is now appearing, however along with a racecourse the rain has returned - two hours earlier than forecast.
11:00 Four hours to the first race and still no sign of a race track although there is plenty of activity. The sun has just come out as well - fingers crossed.
08:20 Good news, but it is early, the rain has stopped, although there are some showers forecast for this afternoon.
It is really surreal at Laytown. I arrived here yesterday afternoon and apart from a few marquees there was little indication there will be racing gere today.
As the tide starts to go out work frantically begins on building the course.
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Non-Runners
3:00
Reservers
3:30
8 Absa Lutte (Irregular passport)
Reserves
4:00
Reserves
4:35
Reserves
5:05
Reserves
5:35
Reserves
Results
3:00
1st 8 Mt Weather 7/1
2nd 9 Patrickswell 14/1
3rd 1 Adriatic 10/1
10 Ran NR's 11, 12 & 13
Distances
Tote
Win £8.70 Rock
Place £2.90 £4.70 £4.60
Exacta £189.20
3:30
1st 7 Topenhall 14/1
2nd 4 Redwater River 5/2
3rd 2 January 2/1 fav
8 Ran NR's 8 , 11 , 12 & 13
W/D 1
Distances Head & 2 1/2L
Tote
Win £10.00
Place £5.20 £1.50 £1.20
Exacta £34.30
Rule 4 5p in the £
4:00
1st 10 Silidan 10/1
2nd 6 Rookwith 10/1
3rd 3 Rockazar 5/1
10 Ran NR's 11, 12 & 13
Distances 1 3/4L & 1 1/2L
Tote
Win £16.70
Place £8.00 £3.10 £1,80
Exacta £
4:35
1st 7 Grand Opera 3/1 fav
2nd 2 Shaimaa 11/28/1
3rd 1 Nortburn
10 Ran NR's 11, 12 & 13
Distances 1 3/4L & 2L
Tote
Win £3.50
Place £1.60 £1.90 £2.90
Exacta £16.30
5:05
1st 1 Richelieu 7/2 fav
2nd 3 Option Be 9/2
3rd 5 Ideal Appeal 6/1
10 Ran NR's 11, 12 & 13
Distances 1L & neck
Tote
Win £4.40
Place £2.60 £1.60 £1.70
Exacta £13.10
5:35
1st 2 Munich 5/2 jf
2nd 4 Romeo's On Fire 5/2 jf
3rd 1 Four Corners 16/1
3rd 9 Tribes And Banner 9/1
10 Ran NR's 11, 12 & 13
Distances 4 1/2L & 4L
Tote
Win £2.40
Place £1.10 £1.80 £2.90 £1.70
Exacta £5.90
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