Listowel Race week is upon us again, 7 days of fun and frolics with racing somewhere in the middle. The big race of the week will happen on Wednesday with the Guinness Kerry National worth €200,000 will be on offer.
Ryan Moore will ride in Listowel for the first time in his illustrious career on Tuesday. In the words of JB Keane, “ Listowel Races is a state of mind” and when the meeting kicks off and for a few weeks before hand you can see just that because the build-up goes on for a number of weeks for all the business in the town.
Listowel’s famed Harvest festival takes on a life of its own. Many people return year in, year out to meet old acquaintances and make new friendships. Several thousand people make the pilgrimage including this author who has been going since the late 90s.
My love of horse racing has a lot to do with this race meeting and certain people involved in the meeting like Pat Healy of Healy Racing photography fame and his extended family.
My mother’s working life was spent in Listowel so there again meant another link to the meeting. It is a meeting that means a lot and every year I feel like I am renewing my love of the Sport.
Another family that drove my love of national hunt racing are the Coolahan family where the late Mike Joe Coolahan’s love of the equine industry rubbed off on yours truly as well as his son Michael who was a farrier for many years and daughter Eleanor who spent time working in a few stable yards over the past 20 years.
His granddaughter Anna is also involved in the industry so you can see that one man’s drive and passion can have far reaching effects on those around him, including those not directly related to him like myself but having spent many years in his company you cannot be but impacted positively by his love of all things equine.
Many people make the effort to go for one day at least and they enjoy the fun and games attached to a day at the Races.
I know it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but for the most part there is something for everyone in Listowel as they have tried in recent years to up there game in terms of attracting new people that may not have any interest in the racing side of things.
From a personal point of view, I love the week. It has meant a lot to me. Meeting my first sport hero Charlie Swan back in 1998 is still a moment I treasure and hold dear. That happened thanks to Pat Healy and my Mam and it is a photo I will always look at fondly..
Meeting Rachael Blackmore last year was also a highlight as I had interviewed her back in 2021 during Covid times about her fantastic achievements at Cheltenham and winning the Grand National.
Enjoy the next week and what comes with it….