We are delighted to announce that the Bobby Browne National Workers Championship will be run for the second time in the 2026/27 season with the final once again taking place at the National Meeting.
A small number of changes have been made to the stake conditions and the full list of conditions can be viewed when you click here (PDF – opens in new window).
Secretaries of coursing clubs are now invited to email eugene@sportingpress.ie should your club be interested in running one of the Qualifying events.
The very popular Three Course Championship will be run for the third time in the 2026/27 season with the final once again taking place at the National Meeting. The winner will be presented with the Powerstown Cup.
A small number of changes have been made to the stake conditions and the full list of conditions can be viewed when you click here (PDF – opens in new window).
Secretaries of coursing clubs are now invited to email eugene@sportingpress.ie should your club be interested in running one of the 16 Qualifying events.
The following are the Clubs which will be holding Reserve Trial Stakes for the 2026/27 season.
Reserves for Derby and Oaks (Club alphabetical)
OAKS
DERBY
1
Ballyheigue & Dist
1
Cappoquin
2
Co Carlow
2
Co Cavan
3
East Donegal 2
3
Doon
4
Freshford
4
Ennis Clarecastle
5
Galbally
5
Johnstown & Url
6
Mallow
6
Kilflynn
7
Mitchelstown
7
Killimer Kilrush
8
Old Kilcullen
8
Macroom
9
Rathcormac
9
Sevenhouses
10
Tradaree
10
South Clare
11
Trim
11
Waterford
Owners and trainers should again note the rule passed at the 2025 AGM of the Irish Coursing Club which brought about a change to the system of replacing qualifiers who are unable to take their place in the Derby and Oaks. They will now be replaced by Reserve TS winners, instead of TS runners-up, which will create an enhanced status for reserve trial stakes.
Where necessary, additional greyhounds will be added to the National Meeting reserve list, consisting of the next best performers: greyhounds that ran up multiple trial stakes etc, and they will be subject to a draw in the event of a number of greyhounds being equal in terms of performance.
The great weather this summer has produced a bumper crop of Oats. Fran Mangan and his crew have been busy in recent weeks cutting and binding sheaves of Oats for the hare husbandry teams at many meetings including the National Meeting and Irish Cup.
Some photos from a great night at the ICC Awards and Dinner Dance on Sunday last. Huge thanks to our sponsors Greyhound & Pet World Abbeyfeale, Flaherty Family Galway, Clonmel Cabins (Billy & Marie Roche), National Meeting Bookmakers, James & Sharon Coss Portlaoise, Bridget Byrne, Surrey/Duagh and Michael Horgan, Mitchelstown. We couldn’t have done it without them. Our cover photo shows connections of Five O Five, Coursing Greyhound of the Year, receive their prizes from Award sponsors, Liam and Helen Murphy, Greyhound and Pet World.
Brendan Matthews receiving his Hall of Fame Award from sponsor Bridget Byrne
Connections of Daoimean Dubh were presented with the Coursing Bitch of the Year Award kindly sponsored by the Flaherty Family, Galway
Billy & Marie Roche, Clonmel Cabins presented Ray Conroy & Leah Eustace with awards for Coursing Brood Bitch of the Year, Laurina
James & Sharon Coss presented James Morrissey and Maria O’Sullivan with award for Open Coursing Greyhound of the Year, Party Diamond.
Denis Gould, representing the National Meeting Bookmakers, presents the Coursing Stud Dog of the Year Award to connections of Upper Hand.
Naomhan Farrell representing Edenderry CC was presented with their €5,000 Club Award by sponsor Michael Horgan.
Niall Curtin & Jack Foley representing Abbeyfeale CC were presented with their €5,000 Club Award by sponsor Michael Horgan.
A Special Merit Award was presented to Aidan Supple, Rathkeale CC & Team Powerstown, accompanied by his wife Phil.
A Special Merit Award was presented to Geraldine Doyle, Johnstown& Urlingford CC
Anne Marie O’Brien made a presentation to Donal Malone, Dan Brassil & John Harty to mark the success of Aran View in the Champion Bitch Stakes at the National Meeting.
Anne Marie O’Brien made a presentation to Ray Conroy, Gerry Holian, Jackie Farrell & Ethan Moloney to mark the success of Seven Barrows in the Derby at the National Meeting.
Anne Marie O’Brien made a presentation to Brian Murphy representing John Boyle to mark the success of Ashmore Mac in the Una O’Sullivan Memorial Irish Cup.
Bridget Leen representing her brother Michael receives the €10,000 first prize in the Classics Club Oaks draw from Michael Sheil.
John Flynn receives the €10,000 first prize in the Classics Club Derby draw from Michael Sheil.
Bill & Breda Lonergan are presented with their cheque by Damian Matthews for winning this season’s Fantasy Coursing competition.
Cormac Thompson is presented with his cheque for winning this season’s Charity Fantasy Coursing competition.
The Votes have been counted and we can now announce the winners of this season’s Coursing Awards in all five greyhound categories. We are also delighted to announce that Mr Brendan Matthews will be inducted into the Irish Coursing Club Hall of Fame (Award kindly sponsored by Mrs Bridget Byrne). Special awards for contribution to our sport will also be made to Mrs Geraldine Doyle (Johnstown & Urlingford) and Mr Aidan Supple (Rathkeale). The 2026 Coursing Awards will be presented on Sunday, May 3rd.
Coursing Greyhound of the Year Kindly sponsored by Greyhound & Pet World, Abbeyfeale
FIVE O FIVE
Coursing Bitch of the Year Kindly sponsored by The Flaherty Family, Galway
DAOIMEAN DUBH
Coursing Brood Bitch of the Year Kindly sponsored by Clonmel Cabins
LAURINA
Coursing Stud Dog of the Year Kindly sponsored by The National Meeting Bookmakers
UPPER HAND
Open Coursing Greyhound of the Year Kindly sponsored by James Coss, Portlaoise
When a course lives up to expectations it really makes one appreciate what a wonderful sport we have. So when the stands at Greenmount Park erupted following the final of the Una O’Sullivan Memorial Irish Cup this afternoon the cheers weren’t only for a brilliant winner but also for a meeting and a coursing season that was so enjoyable. However it really was the perfect course, contested by the two greyhounds which stole the show in every round, Stickmein with his devastating early pace and Ashmore Mac with his ultra consistent fast clocks. Slipper Richard Quinn got them away perfectly behind a miller of a hare and Judge Bernard Goold was in the perfect position to see Ashmore Mac come from behind to take the first and only turn by nothing more than a neck. Joy for John Boyle (Boyle Sports) and the Dowling family, disappointment but pride intact for Nathan & Glen Healy & family.
Ashmore Mac is a son of Blades Of Hope – Ballymac Amber and his dam has now bred a Derby, Oaks & Irish Cup winner. Remarkably Ashmore Mac was successful on the first and last weekend of the season, winning the Reserve Derby TS at Kilflynn. In between he won the full Derby TS at Abbeydorney and reached the Derby quarter-finals at Clonmel. But was there ever a hotter Reserve Derby TS than the one at Kilflynn ?. In the final he had beaten today’s Irish Plate winner and withdrawn from the second round was none other than Seven Barrows !!!.
Pups were also triumphant in the Irish Purse and Irish Plate. The Purse went to Callaway Pat which had been a leading fancy for the Cup but lost sight in the first round when well in control. Trained by Owen McKenna he is owned by the Denis Murphy & Loughlins Bar Syndicate led by our ICC President. The Plate went to Awaiting Trial for owner Paul Horig & trainer Kevin Barry. The winner had an unusual trait of running wide of his game but his superior pace was never in question.
The KMN Syndicate c/o Seamus Neary, Kilkenny will be reliving Butterfield’s just-up defeat by Daoimean Dubh in the first round of the Oaks for a little while yet but she has given them a terrific few months and today she added the Patsy Byrne Select Bitch Stakes to her Castleisland Oaks TS and the Corn Na Feile Puppy Oaks. The Gerry Holian trained bitch was simply superb over the last two days.
It was lovely to see Bernard Quinn and the Woodpark prefix back on the podium at a feature meeting and Woodpark Jewel representing Tradaree was a top class winner of the Kyle Champion Working Members. And would you believe joint owner Eoin Gavin is a past pupil of stake sponsor Michael Field.
The venue has been a very lucky one for John & Alan Troy and Patrick Sutton (Irish Cup 2016, Irish Purse 2025) and they were collecting silverware again today following the success of their dog pup Essentially in the Greenmount Stake.
And so concluded a most enjoyable three days hosted by Co Limerick CC. There is no doubt but the extra week was of great help to them with the preparation of the ground & hares and thankfully they were rewarded with much better weather than had been forecast in advance and a Cup final that was as good as we have seen since they moved to Greenmount Park 22 years ago (when the winner was none other than Ashmore View). We send our heartiest congratulations and thanks to everyone at the club.
Stickmein, an Una O’Sullivan Memorial Irish Cup semi-finalist as a pup 12 months ago, is now 6/4 favourite to go two better in this season’s renewal. His early pace has been a feature of this event so far and none of his opponents have been able to live with it. The other stand-out performer has been the pup Ashmore Mac but despite his fancy clocks he remains a 3/1 chance with all those around him in the bottom half priced similarly. Interestingly we have an even divide of All Age & Pups and the last eight includes two Derby runner-ups, a Derby semi-finalist, a Derby quarter-finalist and an Irish Cup semi-finalist. The other three are a pup beaten just up by the outright winner in Rd3 of this season’s Derby, a pup which never made it to Clonmel and the winner of a very hot Deise Cup at Dungarvan this season (beating Champion Bitch Stakes winner Aran View in the final).
And so the scene is set for what should be a thrilling conclusion to the 2025/26 coursing season. Lets take a quick look at the last eight.
SWEAT THE ASSET: Connections were very disappointed when Bridie, Res A for the Oaks didn’t get a run at Clonmel but getting ample compensation here. Winner of a really competitive Deise Cup at Dungarvan just before Christmas. Will be an outsider but the red collar is enjoying huge favour (21 of the 24 courses this afternoon went to the Red !!).
MAGICAL TITAN: Lost a thrilling RD3 buckle at Clonmel but a shade fortunate to get the flag in RD3 here today against Moyle Alonzo. With a turn he may have been in trouble. Same price as he was yesterday morning so getting the job done but needs to come away better from slips.
STICKMEIN: Killing his opponents with his devastating early speed. Semi-finalist here last year and already on the podium three times this season at Cashel, Ennniscorthy & Glanworth. The one to beat if he keeps bombing away.
SILENT STORM: Was always going to be a most interesting runner in the Irish Cup after missing Clonmel. Changed ownership to the locally based Cuine Syndicate and is giving them a brilliant run. A shade fortunate to get flag over Kerry Craft in RD3 but then again connections were a shade unfortunate not to get flag with Central Giver in RD2 so were due a bit of luck. Will need to stay close in early stages to Stickmein.
ASHMORE MAC: This pup reached the Derby quarter-final earlier this month but his demolition of Mr Trendsetter in RD1 yesterday came as a shock. However it was no fluke with two more fastest of round clocks today. Would be a most popular winner for Derby sponsor John Boyle. Will be on the right collar to the final.
COOGA MAGIC: Derby runner-up in 2025 but has had his problems this season and it is brilliant for his Syndicate owners to have him back to his best. Doing everything right and holding his clocks well. The dogs he beat with ease in RD1 & RD2 are running very well in Purse and Plate which is often a great indicator. However his biggest test is to come.
BALLYMAC AWIL: This season’s Derby runner-up and everyone wondering if the six runs up Clonmel will start taking their toll tomorrow. However he has been very professional in all his courses here so far and once again the ones he beat along the way are still in contention for the Purse & Plate. Could possibly meet his kennel-mate Ashmore Mac in semi-final.
BALLINABOLA CHA: What has been a wonderful All Age season so far for this 2025 Derby semi-finalist isn’t over yet. Could the Irish Cup be joining the Cups won at New Ross, Carlow & Old Kilcullen on the mantlepiece ?. Remember Gigantor had won the Cup at Old Kilcullen also. Has met formidable opponents in all three rounds but is hunting exceptionally well and won’t be easily beaten.
To conclude we will have a quick look at the other stakes.
Patsy Byrne Select All Age Bitch Stake
Clocks & Betting would suggest that this is between the pup Butterfield and last year’s winner Ballymac Mulan. The 6/4 on offer for Ballymac Mulan might prove to be good value.
Dick Fitzgerald Memorial Irish Purse
All eyes will be on Callaway Pat and Mr Trendsetter who were fancied to go a long way in the Irish Cup but made early exits in different circumstances. Another pup running very well and on the favoured red collar all the way is Good Energy. Mr Trendsetter ran his best course this afternoon so might be the one to beat.
Bill Chawke Irish Plate
This is a wide open affair with only one pup remaining, Awaiting Trial. Any of the last eight are capable of winning. Success for Typical Magic would give him a unique Clonmel Powerstown Cup / Irish Plate double but he will be wearing white all the way.
The 115th running of the Irish Cup, kindly sponsored once again by the O’Sullivan family in memory of Una, got off to a great start today at Patrickswell in perfect weather. The majority of the fancied runners made it safely through to RD2, the exceptions being Callaway Pat which lost sight when looking a certain winner and Mr Trendsetter which was put in his place by another of this season’s Derby quarter-finalists Ashmore Mac. It was no surprise to hear that John Boyle’s pup had recorded the fastest clock of the day, 11.86, such was the manner of his victory.
Ante post favourite Magical Titan looked impressive in his straight run but his clock of 12.04 was beaten a number of times afterwards including by another pup Machiavelli (11.93) which Titan now meets tomorrow morning. It should be a thriller but the red collar will definitely be an advantage to the favourite. Second favourite and recent Derby runner-up Ballymac Awil certainly did nothing wrong but perhaps we were expecting a better clock than 11.91 after his fireworks in the early rounds at Clonmel. Derby semi-finalist Mallory Park took a while to get going but his opponent Gunship put in another good display in the Irish Purse this afternoon which makes one look at Mallory Park’s course in a more positive light.
Two of the most impressive runs today came from Stickmein and Cooga Magic. Stickmein, a semi-finalist here 12 months ago, simply bolted from slips and the course was over after 50 yards. Cooga Magic, Derby runner-up 2025, looks to be back to his best and has a great opportunity now of reaching the third day at the very least. Champion Stakes winner Five O Five though looked to be running slightly offline for the majority of his course and could easily have been flagged out. He should win his next but will then have to be at his very best if as expected he meets Stickmein in RD3. Another to catch the eye in that second quarter was Silent Storm which came in from the reserves.
We certainly have some very exciting buckles to look forward to tomorrow morning, not least Ashmore Mac v Challenger Deep, A Bitta Luck v Sparkplug Kerry and Ballinabola Cha v My Town. It looks like a very good renewal of Ireland’s oldest coursing classic, first run 120 years ago, but it is wide open and impossible to predict the Final 8 never mind the Winner. Coursing resumes at 11.30am on Saturday morning. Make sure you are there !!!
American Trio (first quarter), Banoffee Pie (second quarter) and Needham Date (second quarter) will be absentees when the Una O’Sullivan Memorial Irish Cup gets underway at Patrickswell this morning. It is expected that Ballinaveala Finn and Silent Storm and Typical Magic will take their place. 2025 Champion Bitch Stakes winner Metal Queen will also be a non-runner from the Patsy Byrne Select Bitch Stakes on Day 2. The pup Dobbseys Girl will line up instead against Hoping For Five.
IRISH CUP BETTING
Magical Titan is as low as 5/1 to continue the great run in the Irish Cup of greyhounds beaten in the third round of the Derby the same season. Three of the last four Irish Cup winners, Berlin Station, Cool Spirit and Bobby Browne had exited the Derby at the third round stage but made amends at Patrickswell a few weeks later. The thrilling buckle on Day 2 of this year’s National Meeting between Magical Titan and Derby winner Seven Barrows will live long in the memory and coursing enthusiasts eagerly await the reappearance of the Guilfoyle family runner on Friday. Interesting the Top 10 in the betting are equally divided between pups and second season dogs. Nearest to Titan in the betting at 7/1 is another pup and one which almost went all the way in the Derby, runner-up, Ballymac Awil. Early money has come for Derby quarter-finalist Mr Trendsetter, a litter brother of Seven Barrows & Daoimean Dubh, and he is now only 8/1 compared to 12s for the pup which beat him in Clonmel, Mallory Park. Completing the list of pups at the top of the market is Callaway Pat (10/1) who falls into the same category as Magical Titan having reached the third round of the Derby. Not surprisingly one of two second season performers at 8/1 is the recent Champion Stakes winner Five O Five. He is joined at that price by 2025 Derby runner-up Cooga Magic from whom much can be expected if he is back to his best. Both Moyle Alonzo and Ballinabola Cha have already had a very successful season and are priced at 12/1, the same price as My Town who has not visited the winner’s enclosure since taking the Derby TS at Ballyduff in November 2024 but is highly respected. The Patsy Byrne Select Bitch Stake which gets underway on Saturday has the makings of being a vintage renewal. The pup Butterfield heads the market at 2/1 which does seem very short. Ballymac Mulan, going for back to back victories in this event is 5/2 and 2025 Irish Cup runner-up Moyle Magic is 3/1. Metal Queen (winner of the Champion Bitch Stakes at Clonmel last season), Eulogy (Champion Bitch Stakes semi-finalist this season) and Shes Our Sky are next best at 4s and 5s. Both Boylesports and Berkie Browne are now offering ante-post odds but it is worth pointing out that there is a good bit of variation in their prices and it will be interesting to see which of them has got it right.
Sunday: RD 2 Kyle Champion Working Members Stake. RD 1 Greenmount Stakes. RD 2 Select Bitch Stakes. RD 3 Irish Purse. RD 2 Irish Plate. RD 4 Irish Cup. Interval – All Semi-Finals – Interval – All Finals.
IMPORTANT NOTICE – CAR PARKING
Please be aware when attending the 2026 IRISH CUP that recent ground works on the top field mean that parking and viewing from vehicles is very restricted. Parking in this area is limited to Greyhound Trainers and Co. Limerick CC members only. The organisers kindly ask all attendees to respect and follow the instructions of the parking attendants and to use the main racecourse parking facility.
