James Eclipse and Sheila Ahern© Photo Healy Racing
James Eclipse rsquo;s win in the concluding Listowel Vintners Association Bumper at Listowel today, was followed by wild celebrations by his trainer Tom Cummins who was achieving a lifelong ambition to train a Listowel festival winner and later remembered two deceased people in his post-race summation.
The winning son of Double Eclipse made all under jockey Sheila Ahern and battled well in the closing stages to hold off the challenge of runner-up Cool Robin by a length.
Afterwards Cummins stated “it’s my lifetime’s ambition to have a winner in Listowel and I first came here 35 years ago and I said if I ever have a horse, I want to have a winner in Listowel.
“I could retire now because my legs are gone!”
He added “he came to me as a full horse and we have a cracking two year old (son) by him; he’s broken and riding and he’s called McGregor - he’s called that for a reason.
“This is a super horse and he is bred by his owner James O’Gorman, who had his dam and grandam. He sent me down the horse
“A great friend of mine, a Listowel man Anthony Broderick who lived beside me, died back in July and Anthony was with me for my first winner and is with me today for my next winner. Anthony told me I’d have a Listowel winner some day.
“The horse is called after James O’Gorman’s nephew who died seven years ago in October.”
