At The Enable Ireland Cheltenham Preview night in association with Paddy Power at the Fels Point Hotel, were, from left: Damian Mullan, Conagh Forbes, Phelim Forbes and Donnie Ryle. Photo by Gavin O’Connor.
A CHELTENHAM preview night in aid of Enable Ireland, sponsored by Paddy Power took place in the Fels Point Hotel on Monday night.
This is the second time Enable Ireland have put on the racing event where the public get to quiz a panel of well known faces in the racing world, who have given their time free of charge.
One of the main attractions on the night was Killarney native, Jim Culloty, who is one of only four men to ride and train a Cheltenham Gold Cup winner.
A little closer to home, Tralee trainer, Tom Cooper, also imparted words of wisdom to punters at the Fels Point Hotel who braved the elements and made it there on the night.
In fact, it was unfortunate for last night’s event that it coincided with treacherous weather and bad road conditions which caused numbers to be significantly down on the previous year.
The price of admission was €10, but with that came a free bet of €5 from Paddy Power.
“Anything raised local, stays local,” said Sean Scally of Enable Ireland.
“We do get funding from the state, but we do need money to maintain our services, so this is one of the many fundraising events we do,” said Sean.
Each of the panellists at the end of the evening gets a €100 charity bet. Last year the €100 charity bet, reaped €4,250 on a 66/1 each way tip for Jim Culloty’s Lord Windermere, who won the Gold Cup.
Enable Ireland provides a range support and services to children and adults with disabilities. There are two centres based in Tralee, adult services are based in Edward Street and children’s services are in Oakview village.
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At The Enable Ireland Cheltenham Preview night in association with Paddy Power at the Fels Point Hotel, were, from left: Jerry Mangan, Con Bailey, Brian O’Connell, Jim Culloty and Phillip Enright. Photo by Gavin O’Connor.
At The Enable Ireland Cheltenham Preview night in association with Paddy Power at the Fels Point Hotel, were, from left: Tom Cooper, Margie Dineen, Lucy Stokes, Pat Griffin and Marian Enright. Photo by Gavin O’Connor.
At The Enable Ireland Cheltenham Preview night in association with Paddy Power at the Fels Point Hotel, were, from left: Cora Walsh, Rose Jameson and Lorna Curtin. Photo by Gavin O’Connor.
At The Enable Ireland Cheltenham Preview night in association with Paddy Power at the Fels Point Hotel, were, from left: Patricia Burke, Eanna McElligott and Gerard McElligott. Photo by Gavin O’Connor.
At The Enable Ireland Cheltenham Preview night in association with Paddy Power at the Fels Point Hotel, were, from left: Joe Madden and John Hurley. Photo by Gavin O’Connor.
At The Enable Ireland Cheltenham Preview night in association with Paddy Power at the Fels Point Hotel, were, from left: Dan O’Connor and Diarmuid Herlihy. Photo by Oscar Brophy.
At The Enable Ireland Cheltenham Preview night in association with Paddy Power at the Fels Point Hotel, were, from left: Dermot Lynch, David Lynch and John Lyons. Photo by Oscar Brophy.
At The Enable Ireland Cheltenham Preview night in association with Paddy Power at the Fels Point Hotel, were, from left: Jimmy Falvey and Martin O’Regan. Photo by Oscar Brophy.
At The Enable Ireland Cheltenham Preview night in association with Paddy Power at the Fels Point Hotel, were, from left: Anne Marie and Donal Lucey. Photo by Oscar Brophy.
