The mid-June Tipperary festival of racing with meetings at all three County tracks continues at Thurles today and no one can excuse the Irish Horse Racing Authority of frittering away its cash reserves on the rich racehorse owners in this corner of the country.
For the first time ever an Apprentice Claiming race is the "feature" and this sponsorship on the part of Dheikh Mamdan Al Maktoum's Derrinstown Stud is the only event today with a gross prize fund of more than £4,000.
This is likely to be credited to the account of the Leahy family courtesy of Mysterious Miss. She boasted some decent two-year-old runs, including finishing second to Kalagold in a Tralee fillies maiden.
She has not improved from two to three but her effort against Miss Chiquita in a similar claimer at Limerick indicates that she should get her opportunity at today's weights.
In the Spring of 1997 Henry Cleary's Dusky Lamp was second twice running in Thurles and Limerick bumpers won by Back To The Nest and Windgap Hill. This year he has been campaigning under Turf Club Rules and a rating of 70 together with the assistance of John Berry should make him a successful nap choice in the Devil's Bit Flat Race.
The Clonmel Supporters Club have rallied round to provide the Sunday feature although this has still been rewarded with the only field of the weekend for which there are not enough runners to ensure 1-2-3 win and place betting. Le Ciel, who finished fifth behind the disqualified San Sebastian and the promoted Archive Footage at Cork, may be up to giving the weight away in the light of the Ascot Stakes win by San Sebastian.
Her trainer, Pat Flynn, could start the day with a winner, Cochis Run, while the versatile Colm's Rock can open his account over fences for Frances Crowley.
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