The 16th annual McCarthy Insurance Group raceday proved to be a magnificent day at Cork Racecourse, Mallow on Saturday, January 6.
While it was Little Christmas, for Cork man Mick Winter, it was the season which kept on giving, landing him a winner in the first race, the McCarthy Insurance Group Rated Novice Hurdle and with prices tightening from 9/1 that morning and ending at 15/8, a lot of people walked away feeling the festive cheer.
There was some controversy in the 2nd race when the stewards stepped in and reversed the placings, concluding that first past the post Galthymore had interfered with Schindlers Ark sufficiently to cost him the race handing the win to Gordon Elliott and the Fergies On A Sunday Syndicate.
The feature race, the Gerardine McCarthy Memorial Handicap Hurdle, was taken by outsider Lite Duties which was available at odds as wide as 50/1 in the ring, making it a nice gamble for some lucky punters.
Andrew Hogan, racecourse manager, commented: “For 16 years we have been proud to host the McCarthy Insurance Group Raceday and this year it was a great day to be racing with plenty of excitement on offer with both favourites and long shots coming in. Admissions were up and we had a great mix in through the gates with something for both young and old from bouncy castles, live music and of course some top class racing.”
