Mick Kearney reports: After the excitement of the Cathal Doyle homecoming the previous evening it was down to business on Thursday 29 August 2024 for the Santry Mile, the tenth event in the current Grand Prix Series. To accommodate the large entry four mile races took place. With optimal weather conditions a great nights racing was in prospect.
Race 1: In the first race 12 runners took to the starting line. Three runners were to the fore in this race, Eamonn Dunne, Niall Sherlock and Lee Duddy. Eamon took the lead in the early stages. Going into the third lap Niall Sherlock was leading closely following by Lee Duddy. This was the position at the bell. Rounding the last bend Lee was poised to take the lead which he duly did on the home straight to win in a time of 00:04:51. Niall was in second in 00:04:59 with Eamonn Dunne third in 00:05:02.
Race 2: In the second mile race 10 runners competed. There were three main contenders in this race Tim Laurent, Fergal O’Shea and Shane Rooney. All three give a good account of themselves. It was Tim who triumphed on the night winning convincingly in a time of 00:05:37. Fergal O’Shea was second in 00:05:42 with Shane Rooney third in 00:05:45.Siobhan Devaney in sixth place had the fastest ladies time of the night, 00:05:59.
Race 3: In the penultimate mile race of the night 13 runners were on the start line. The early pace was taken up by Andrew Darcy. Sarah Sharkey and Philip Richards were in hot pursuit. In the end it was Sarah’s night as she stormed home in first place in a time of that proved tops in a time of 00:06:09. Sarah was closely followed by Philip Richards who put in a strong good performance coming second place in 00:06:12. In third place in 00:06:18 was Kevin Sheehy fresh from his Fit4Life performance earlier in the evening.
Race 4: In the final race of the night 14 runners went to the start line. In this race the lead was shared by three runners namely, Tom Cassidy, Frank McLoughlin and Declan Murray. Tom showed some early promise only to be over taken by Frank. A battle royal ensured between Frank McLoughlin and Declan Murray. It was Declan who dug deep to take the lead and come home first in 00:06:41 with . Frank McLoughlin in second in 00:06:45. Home on holiday from Los Angeles and making a welcome return to Morton Stadium was Gerry Deegan. Gerry was in third place in a time of 00:06:52.
Grand Prix (GP) Event: This year’s GP Santry Mile was a very competitive competition with 49 competitors battling it our over four separate mile races. When the points were finally tallied the night’s winner was the ever popular Dave Reilly in a time of 00:06:20. In second place was Tom Cassidy in 00:05:42. In third place was Fergal O’Shea with a time of 00:05:42. In the post-race reception a delighted Dave Reilly was presented with the Santry Mile Trophy by race sponsor Noel Guiden. Together with second and third place in the Grand Prix Noel presented prizes for the fastest times of the night to Lee Duddy and Siobhan Devaney. Congratulations to all who took part. Many thanks to colleagues who officiated and provided the refreshments. A special thank you to our race sponsor Clonliffe Club Captain, Noel Guiden.
Full results:
Upcoming races
| Sept 5th | Thursday | Middlesex Cup | 5000m | 7.45 p.m. | Morton Stadium |
| Sept 19th | Thursday | Bonass Trophy | 10000m | 7.45 p.m. | Morton Stadium |