Tipperary club's Coursing Festival - Premier Cup and Top-Class Greyhound Action Await in 2025

With the turning of the New Year that can only mean one thing for Coursing enthusiasts and that is that the annual Coursing Festival in Templetuohy is around the corner.

All roads will lead to the Club’s beautifully appointed grounds next Friday the 3rd of January 2025, which will see the 3-day meeting commence at 11.30am sharp.

Alan Kelly and Liam Kelly will be the officials for the weekend, with Alan handling the Slipper's leathers, whilst the highly experienced Liam will be Judging as the action unfolds.

The Coursing Club is deeply embedded in the psyche of the community around Templetuohy and there is huge pride in running this event each year.

Over its long history Templetuohy CC has built up an enviable reputation for coursing excellence and once again this year the working members of the club have left no stone unturned to ensure all is in readiness for what should be a fantastic weekend of greyhound sport.

The feature event of the meeting is of course the Premier Cup which is today the only All-Aged event being run for 32 runners across the country.

It carries the largest prize money for an All-Aged event also outside of the National Meeting and the Irish Cup meeting with €6,000 going to the winner of this prestigious event. The Club is very grateful to John and Nora Egan of Inch House for their generous sponsorship of this event.

Of course, it also carries 12 Champion Stakes qualification points for the winner and lesser rewards for the runner up and semi-finalists so needless to say as we approach the end of the qualification season this event has attracted a superb line up of competitors vying for one of the most prestigious prizes in the game.

Coursing will start on a Friday morning with the first round of the Premier Cup and the very first course sees two serious contenders for outright honours taking each other on.

A Noble Friend is a very good runner from the prolific kennels of Patrick O’Connor and he recently ran up for the Cup in Listowel.
He is meeting the Balbriggan Cup winner Oakview Adam and it should be a really close buckle between the pair. A Noble Friend might just have too much in hand for this one.

Next up last season’s Irish Plate winner Boherlode Bomber meets the Tipperary Cup winner Rubicon and this will be another ding dong affair, Rubicon might be the one to do the business and progress here. Locally owned Ted The Thief might be too good for Luath Dubh in the next pairing whilst the 1st quarter will conclude with the mouth-watering clash of Jeru Hope and Aristotle.

Jeru Hope is the Cup winner from the Killimer-Kilrush meeting earlier this year whilst Aristotle is back in slips very quickly after running up for the Abbeyfeale All-Aged event last week. The Jeru dog might spring a surprise here and progress. Perhaps Rubicon v Jeru Hope would be our Quarter final pairing here after the 1st days coursing.

The 1st pairing of the 2nd quarter sees two more Cup winners taking each other on, the Lixnaw winner Magical Fionn might just have a little too much in hand for the Listowel winner Ashtown Aris. Sammy Tiger could prove too good for Crobane Casimero in the next buckle.

It should be really close between O Gradys Beach and Bang Over DeBar but O Gradys could just about prevail whilst in the last course of the top half the Cashel runner De Seventh Pious should be able to get over the Waterford representative Sheeraghs Dream. Magical Fionn looks like he could make the last 8 where he looks likely to meet the well-drawn O Gradys Beach.

Fingal Devito has been a great servant for his popular owner Pat Savage and he was the runner up in this event last season, in this year’s renewal he is drawn against the only puppy runner in the field in the shape of Coshair Howdodo.

The pup is bred, owned, trained and nominated by the Coss family in Portlaoise and won the Trial Stake in Westmeath earlier in the year. He might just prove too pacey for his 3rd season opponent. Crew Beans from Clare was in the Champion Stakes last season and he is meeting the New Ross Cup winner Aarons Rich Dan and this should be very close between the pair, with Aarons Rich Dan tentatively tipped to prevail.

Contact ran up for the Trial Stake here last year and he might have a little in hand over the Regional Cup winner Rampant Marvel whilst the last buckle of the quarter should see the well fancied Spartan King progress at the expense of Cooga Galvin.
Coshair Howdodo should progress to the last 8 where Spartan King could be his likely opponent.

The 4th Quarter has 8 bitches going for glory and the pick of these looks like Miltown Malbay winner Breska Living and her likely opponent in the last quarter final might be the Crohane winner Canya Wonder.

The Canya Wonder bitch loved this field last year in winning her Trial Stake and she might be the one to boost her Champion Stakes qualification chances by annexing the 4 points on offer for winning a Quarter here.

Overall, a mouthwatering event looks in prospect with a really top class field assembled for this year’s renewal. Spartan King for the Matthews kennel in Newry might be the one to take outright honours with Jeru Hope maybe his possible final opponent.

The All Aged Bitch Stake and Hennessy Cup sees a really strong field take their chance and last season’s Oaks semi-finalist Marvelous Mover might be the one with Mon Petit, winner of the All Age Bitch Stake at last year’s Irish Cup meeting a likely final opponent. Crannagh Wonder will carry the hopes of the local supporters whilst Magical Amelie for the Guilfoyles of Cloughjordan will have a big chance also.

The Irish Coursing Club this year have come up with an outstanding new initiative in the shape of the 3 Course Championship. This event carrying a fantastic winner’s prize pot of €4,000 has seen 15 qualifiers coming from earlier meetings this year with the local club nominating a qualifier also.

Amiwrong from Nenagh and Kingcormac Jim from Cashel would be popular Tipperary winners of this inaugural 3 Course Championship Grand Final but local Templetuohy hopes will very much center on the chances of Frankfort Girl who is representing the Kelly family who are strong working members of the ‘Tuohy Club.

Last season this bitch was owned and trained by their Dad the much missed and dearly loved late Dinny Kelly and the celebrations will be serious, should this lady or her comrade Crannagh Wonder in the Bitch Stake, reach the winners enclosure on Sunday evening.

Dinny was a tremendous working member of the Club and a legendary figure in the local community and his passing was deeply felt by all involved in Templetuohy Coursing. His family have organized a fundraiser, “Big Dinny’s Memorial Miles for Milford” which is centered on the Coursing weekend and will see his family running from Powerstown Park in Clonmel on Friday and Saturday. There will be a family walk from the village of Templetuohy out to the Coursing field on Saturday reaching the field to coincide with the interval on the 2nd day.

The Kelly family have been overwhelmed with the support they have received with this really worthwhile and fitting memorial in honour of their late parents, Dinny and Eileen Kelly, and hope they will hit their fundraising target over the coming weekend also.

With two 32-runner Trial Stakes carrying all-important Derby and Oaks places for the winners and a 16-runner Longorchard Stake for 2-course runner and the all-important local Derby for Working Members, there’s a really full card up for decision out in Templetuohy this weekend.

Day one will see 2 rounds of the Premier Cup and 1 round of each of the All-Aged Bitch Stake, the 3 Course Championship, and the Longorchard Stake. On Day 2 attention will switch to the juvenile runners with 2 rounds of both Trial Stakes whilst all Stakes will conclude on Sunday with coursing commencing with the Lisdaleen Stake and Everard Cup for Working Members.

Overall, a tremendous weekend of sporting action should ensue. The Club’s running grounds at Longorchard are in pristine condition and as ever the Club have made a huge effort to have the very highest standard of hares possible to ensure top-class coursing over the 3 days.

There are fantastic catering facilities in place and a wonderful catering sub-committee who are looking forward to welcoming patrons old and new to the Club’s well-appointed tea room and Stand.

All of the fantastic progress made by the Club, particularly over the past decade or so has been largely down to the support the Club’s Lotto has received both locally and from the wider coursing public and this support has been invaluable in the developing of the running stretch and spectator facilities as well as funding the nationally leading levels of prize money on offer at the meeting annually.

Should any patrons wish to support the Club’s Lotto with maybe an annual membership costing €100 there will be plenty of Club members on hand to facilitate this over the weekend.

Admission to the course will be €15 each day which will include your card and there is ample parking available inside the field. This parking has indeed been added to this year following some great work completed during the summer.

Coursing will commence each day at 11.30 am sharp, and the draw is available to be seen on the Irish Coursing Club website.