Gigginstown House Midlands National set for Kilbeggan races

The highlight of the Kilbeggan racing season each year is the Gigginstown House Midlands National and next Friday 16th July should be no exception with a top class card and the usual good field for the big race. With the Dáil closed, kids on holidays, family entertainment, an unexpected good summer, the social event of the year in the Midlands will bring large crowds including some of the best dressed ladies in the country commencing at 6pm. Gigginstown House is again generously sponsoring the Midlands National of €50,000, which has become the most valuable and prestigious chase of the summer racing season outside of the Galway Plate. J.P.McManus recently held his charity golf tournament at Adare Manor Golf Club with Tiger Woods as the main guest. It was a case of caps off to J.P as millions were raised for charity. In July last year his horse Cool Running won the Midlands National for him with the better fancied Line Ball with Tony McCoy on board only in fourth place. Mouse Morris trainer of Michael O'Leary's Cheltenham Gold Cup winner War of Attrition won the first ever Midlands National in 1997 with Cristy's Picnic. Gigginstown House won it in 2004 with Night Busker and in 2005 with Trotsky and hopefully they will have a runner next Friday. It has traditionally been a very competitive chase and next Friday should be no exception. Another great contributor to racing and to Kilbeggan in particular is Robert Bagnall and he is sponsoring the Hilamar Hotel, Kinnegad Handicap Hurdle and the European Breeder's Fund are sponsoring the novice chase again. The Tom McCormack Memorial Cup honouring the man who was Secretary of Kilbeggan Race Committee for 20 years is also on the card. Best Dressed Ladies Competition Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote about "the experience of the lady who declared that the sense of being perfectly well dressed gives a feeling of inner tranquillity, which religion is powerless to bestow". Then again people would say that to some ladies being well dressed is a religion! KHAN boutique in Mullingar are sponsoring the Best Dressed Ladies Competition which will be judged by XPOSE regular, Image Magazine fashion contributor and Sunday Independent Beauty Editor Triona McCarthy, top Irish Designer Rachel Mackay and Head of News from Midlands 103, Clara Walsh. The winner will collect a prize of €2,500 including a shopping spree at KHAN Boutique Mullingar & Blackrock, a day at the luxurious Mount Temple Spa, and much more and all finalists will receive a goody bag from Jacob's Creek. The Best Dressed Ladies Competition is one of the highlights of the year and here is a banker tip from Triona McCarthy to all the ladies "My advice is to choose an outfit that complements your figure and colouring and then to find a hat and shoes to match". D Four Dave and C for Coup The June meeting in Kilbeggan was a great success with good crowds and some interesting racing but little did the attendance realize that around 7pm in the Hurley Family Handicap Hurdle a dramatic event was unfolding which apparently came straight out of a Dick Francis novel. D for Dave ridden by Mark Walshe, trained by Conor O'Dwyer, and owned by Douglas Taylor galloped away with the race beating the punter's favourite into second place. It was only over the following days that the well publicised story of a coup netting around €200,000 came to light. Douglas Taylor masterminded a gamble, which involved around 150 people being driven in 50 cars to bookie offices in Dublin and Kildare to put on a bet of €200 at exactly five minutes before the race at around 14/1. It may not have benefited ordinary punters but it took nerve and udacity to pull it off. Mr Taylor indicated that it was only a dry run for a bigger coup. Would he try Kilbeggan again next Friday? In any case this meeting just like one of Dick Francis's racing novels should be a "thriller", with a chance to "murder" the bookies in the betting ring, "cliffhanger" finishes, "fast paced" horses, a few "red herring" tips, "beautiful ladies" for the best dressed ladies competition with loads of "suspense, tension and excitement" to satisfy all patrons. It will be a "crime" not to be there as it will be a great evening with a "happy ending". Remember the first race begins at 6pm