by Victoria Howard

Ireland is known for its beer, greenery, and yes, horse racing. The sport is intricately linked with Irish culture and society. The racing of horses has a long history and is one of the country’s most popular spectator sports that provides its fans with steeple chasing, national hunt, flat and harness racing.

Many of the races were raced on Portmarnock Raceway, a half-mile track that opened in 1969. It was halted when the property was sold for development in 2004 but the races resumed after a sharp recession in the housing market stopped the building of homes. In 2011, the races resumed.

Derek Delaney founded and named a race the Vincent Delaney Memorial (VDM) in memory of his deceased brother, Vincent, which was held every year at Portmarnock drawing thousands of fans.

Many horsemen and women, such as Joe O’Brien, John Menzies, Anthony Haughan, Ian Hanney, Robert Cleary and this month’s young superstar Chelsie Odriscoll, have strong connections to Ireland.

It has recently been announced that harness racing pacing champion Tattoo Artist’s semen will be available to Irish and British breeders. With a record of 1:47.1 and earnings of $2,822,098, the handsome stud is bound to father some incredible babies.

Where were you born and how did you get your start in the sport?

“I was born in County Cork, Ireland, and I currently live there. My step-father Derry has always been involved in harness racing, as his father was. They owned and trained horses from the town of Drimoleague Cork and raced around the local grass tracks.

“I became interested in the sport when I was 15 years old. In Ireland you are permitted to race in Monte races before you officially become a driver [the driving age is 16]. So, I raced in Monte races for a year before completing my three driving qualifiers. I usually race around the local grass tracks, such as Lyre and Dunmanway; although I have driven at the U.K. tracks such as York, Tir Prince and grass tracks.”

When was your aha moment that you knew you wanted to make harness racing a career?

“It was the time I trained my very first horse Rhyds Dilemma with my dad. I loved it and knew I wanted to keep doing it.

“I got bitten by the bug and was so excited by every aspect of the sport. I went on to study Stud Management in Kidalton College for two years and decided to put what I learned into practice.”

What was your most exciting time in the sport so far?

“It was definitely winning my first race in the U.K. with GDs Honey at Appleby Raceway. At the time, I was working with the Gills from Yorkshire and they entered ‘Honey’ into a young drivers race for all the younger drivers coming up through the sport. That drive actually ended up with me winning the Tim Tetrick Drive of the Year Award.”

Presently, how many horses do you have in training?

“My family has six horses in training. They are GDs Honey, Teddy Camden, Ayr Beach, Showtime Notorious, Stateside Lockdown and Emily Rose.”

Do you own any broodmares?

“My broodmare is Stateside Fortune (Armbro Deuce—Panama Canal). She currently has a Sweet Lou colt by her side. This is her first foal and she is back in foal to Foreclosure.”

What woman in harness racing do you admire the most?

“I don’t have one, for I admire ALL women in the sport. I try to follow the local women as well as those in the States. I think it’s important to encourage as many women as possible who are doing what they love.”

What is your goal in the sport?

“My ultimate goal is to push harness racing onto a bigger stage in Ireland whether it be racing or breeding. I plan to use what I’ve learned from working in the U.K. with a trainer and Oakwood Stud to one day build my own successful business in harness racing. I love training horses and get a buzz from racing, but I equally love seeing a foal I’ve bred progress to a racehorse.

“I’ve also learned a lot through college and work placement in different stud farms as part of this. Through this I worked in two thoroughbred stud farms: Charel Park Stud and Powerstown Stud. I helped foal and helped breaking horses as 2-year-olds, and then going to the sales.”

How is racing in Ireland different than in the States?

“Racing in Ireland is on the up and the competition among horses is getting increasingly more difficult. As far as breeding goes, it’s improving every year with the option of breeding to some world class stallions, such as Sweet Lou and now Tattoo Artist. Also, you see many racehorses are being bought and shipped to America to race, and they all proved to be worthy contenders, such as Oakwood Anabella racing in the prestigious Little Brown Jug.

“As far as racing, it is the goal of the IHRA [Irish Harness Racing Association] to secure another hard track to continue the development of the sport and allow racing to reach every corner of Ireland.”

NOTE: After two years at Tir Prince Racetrack in Wales, the 2024 edition of the Vincent Delaney Memorial will take place at Wolverhampton Racecourse in the U.K.