ATHEA trainer Eoin McCarthy provided his loyal followers with some great wins, a whopping six in all, during the hugely enjoyable Listowel Harvest Festival.
An ecstatic McCarthy, winner of the Trainers Championship at his local track, told irishracing.com: “Last year, I left here deflated when getting out of jail with just one big-priced winner (250/1) and while loads ran ok, it is a funny game as the only currency is winners.”
“At the back end of last year we didn’t have the string of horses we wanted and it was one-thing-after-another which was going wrong. We worked hard at getting quality young horses though and got back rolling in the spring, after going nine months without a win.
“A month ago, I said we had savage depth with some lovely handicappers, maiden horses and unraced ones and it was the best team we ever had. I dreamed of having six winners but would have settled for three, so this is phenomenal.”
Some of McCarthy’s wins were courtesy of brilliant rides from Newcastle West jockey Gary Noonan, and his owners included former bookmaker Paddy McAuliffe of Kilmallock and Mick Mortell, surely buoyed from the happenings in North Kerry from his hospital bed at UHL.
McCarthy is based just 10 miles from the track.
