Blink and you might miss the beach races Thursday in Ireland
Adrian McGuinness has a unique distinction that may bear fruit again for him at the most temporary of race meets Thursday in Ireland. The trainer nicknamed Ado has been a winner five times in as many years at the Laytown races, which will be run on Laytown Beach.
Not at. On.
They have been doing this in County Meath nearly every September since 1868. Thoroughbreds run on the beach next to the Irish Sea in an event formally recognized by Horse Racing Ireland. Imagine Del Mar leaving the turf and going to the surf once a year. That is Laytown.
Like the food trucks at Monmouth Park, they are there only for a brief while. The horse trailers roll up to a nearby grass paddock, the tide rolls out at mid-morning, rails and timing systems and TV cameras hurriedly pop up, six races are run in less than three hours, and the whole thing quickly gets torn down before the tide rolls back in after sunset.
There are 59 horses and 13 also-eligibles entered in three six-furlong sprints followed by three more going seven furlongs, all in a straight line on the shore interrupted only by a lone S turn before the furlong marker. Thousands of people will pay up to $17.50 each to watch the formalities in a most informal setting. They may be up on the small hill that has gated houses on the adjacent R150 road to the west. Or they may be railbirds on the sand and surf less than a goalkeeper’s kick to the east. A bookmakers ring will be in between. And yes, there will be food trucks. And beer.
McGuinness, who is based 30 miles south in Dublin, has a strike rate of 5-for-18 in his last five trips to the beach races. Early betting suggested Clonmacash, a Great Britain-bred 4-year-old gelding by Charming Thought, has the best chance of getting the 60-year-old trainer his next score. A winner on the turf at the Curragh two weeks ago, Clonmacash was 3-1 late Wednesday against two stablemates and seven other older horses in a $16,129 handicap, the third race of the day.
With only four other minor afternoon meets going on Thursday in England and no other cards in Ireland, familiar names dot the Laytown program. Colin Keane rides two favorites with Lismacbryan in the second race and Ocean Manifest in the fourth. Rival jockeys Shane Foley and Seamie Heffernan also are booked. Gavin Cromwell, Jessica Harrington, Johnny Murtagh and Joseph O’Brien train horses who are entered Thursday.
Intermittent showers and a breezy high of 64 degrees have been forecast for Laytown. Thursday’s card runs from 11:30 a.m. to about 2:15 p.m. EDT. International pari-mutuels will be available to U.S. bettors via advanced-deposit wagering platforms.