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Winners of The Castle Bar Rollover, Danny Diggins and Tom Clifford (front) with Mandy McKenzie Vass, Paul Barry, Jamie Wrenn, Peter McKenzie Vass and Sean Fitzgerald. Photo by Dermot Crean
AND so it ends.
After 195 entries, 28 races, €19,500 in prize money, the winner of The Castle Bar rollover was announced on Friday evening…but what a dramatic way to win the cash!
The ‘Speed And Degrees’ duo of Tom Clifford and Danny Diggins were languishing behind in the field with one race to go, but that was about to change dramatically.
(click to enlarge) The final leaderboard in the Cheltenham Rollover in The Castle Bar.
Outsider, Solar Impulse, came home at 28/1 in the last race of the festival to catapult the boys into the top spot to win by two points and secure the €6,000 top prize.
So what was the winning formula?
“We picked the horses and studied the form, but Tom is the real horse man, he knows what he’s doing,” said Danny Diggins.
“I studied the form every day,” said Tom Clifford, a native of St Brendan’s Park. “I tried to win it for my mother Chrissie who passed away in 2011. She loved the horses and finished second in the competition years ago,” he said.
It finished off quite a week at the famous pub on Rock Street, with huge crowds, great entertainment and fantastic racing to enjoy with a local lad, Bryan Cooper, winning the Gold Cup.
One question remains; will they break the €20,000 prize money milestone for the Rollover next year? Scroll down for photos…
In front; Dave Dillane, Mark Leane, Chloe Lyons .Middle; Patricia O’Connor and Aisling Curran. Back; Cathy O’Connor, Jennifer Lyons, Darragh Moloney, Sharon Cronin, Sean Reidy and Sarah O’Connor at Gold Cup day at the Castle Bar on Friday. Photo by Dermot Crean
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Christine Leahy, Gary Sheehy, Irene Tobin and Catherine Sheehy at Gold Cup day at the Castle Bar on Friday. Photo by Dermot Crean
Martina Horgan, Joey Tobin, Jenny Tobin, Irene Doyle, Pauline O’Shea and Martin O’Shea at Gold Cup day at the Castle Bar on Friday. Photo by Dermot Crean
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David Flaherty, Mark Fitzgerald, Kieran Foley, Timmy O’Sullivan and Terry O’Sullivan at Gold Cup day at the Castle Bar on Friday. Photo by Dermot Crean
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Paul Ryan, Brian Hayles, Kieran Callinan, Karen Hayles and Lisa Ryan at Gold Cup day at the Castle Bar on Friday. Photo by Dermot Crean
Jacqui O’Brian, Michael Hickey, Geraldine O’Leary and Tommy O’Regan at Gold Cup day at the Castle Bar on Friday. Photo by Dermot Crean
Fiona Leahy and Siobhan Sentry at Gold Cup day at the Castle Bar on Friday. Photo by Dermot Crean
Trish Moran, Dinny O’Connor and Ger Moran at Gold Cup day at the Castle Bar on Friday. Photo by Dermot Crean
