Kelleher enjoys hat-trick of wins in Dunmanway

LUKE Kelleher’s rich vein of form continued when he drove three winners at Dunmanway on bank holiday Monday.

Kelleher has forged a formidable partnership with trainer John Shanahan from Leap, who provided two of the three winners.

American Rebel, a winner on his three previous starts, delivered in the top-grade pace, running out a length and a half winner from Brywins Star Ship with favourite Teddy Camden a further length back in third place.

Resolute Diamond, with Kelleher at the helm, enhanced his growing reputation as one of the best four-year-old pacers in the country when taking the Grade F & E pace, ahead of Hail Spartacus in second and Rhyds Panache who ran on late for third.

Resolute Diamond and American Rebel are both owned by Leap native Denis Shanahan, who is based in London where he runs a construction business.

‘Denis is looking forward to making it home for The Red John Memorial Weekend later in the month. Resolute Diamond will go in the Four-Year-Old Grass Derby and American Rebel will run in the Red John Memorial Pace – and they will have a big say in both. We are neighbours of Red Johns family and it's the meeting everyone wants to win at,’ winning trainer John Shanahan explained.

Kelleher teamed up with John Healy and TJ O’Farrell to take the Three-Year-Old Trot and bag his third winner on Inspire Me, who improved on her previous starts and put in a flawless round of trotting and was far too good for her two rivals.

Another young driver Eoin Murphy showed maturity away beyond his 17 years when winning the top-grade trot on Vallanzana for owners Wallace & Griffin from Dublin and Kenmare-based trainer Finbarr Quill.

Doneraile man John Boyle (76) was a popular winner on IB Felicity in the Grade F Pace, while Clare man Paul McInerney, who travels with Boyle to Cork on race days, got an overdue success on Right of Redemption in the Grade G & G1 Pace.

There's an old saying ‘horses for course’ and Dinah Washington, trained at the track by Jeremiah O’Mahony who he jointly owns with Shane Crowley, knows every blade of grass at the venue. Sean Kane travelled down from The Naul in Dublin and combined with Dinah Washington to beat Banderillo Piya by a length.

Racing continues in Dunmanway this Sunday, August 8th at 2.30pm.