McCarthy's Listowel success comes 'withabitofluk' Listowel’s current leading trainer Eoin McCarthy was on the mark at the opening meeting of the year at the Kerry course today, as his Burning Ability (13/8 — 9/4f) was the fortunate winner of the Eamon Foran Memorial Maiden Hurdle. Clear-leader Speed For Fun, under Anna McGuinness, held a six lengths advantage at the final flight only to crumple on landing, leaving Burning Ability to score from neatly-named runner-up Withabitofluk . McCarthy had claimed the Leading Trainer award for the September festival at the course, and today reported “in fairness Burning Ability’s form was rock solid and all the horses who had finished around him had won races. Luck was on his side but he did miss the fourth-last hurdle, which cost him four or five lengths. “I’m delighted for the Askeaton-based (Wise Guys) syndicate, who are a good racing bunch and they will party hard in the Top Of The Town Bar tonight.” It was winning jockey Eoin Walsh’s first ride for McCarthy, and he added “Eoin’s agent Gary Cribbin put him forward as being a top man for these races (confined to riders who hadn’t ridden 15 winners last season). In fairness to Eoin, I also rang him yesterday looking to locate a lost set of silks somewhere up the country, which he got, so he is a good sound fellow too.”
