Dettori’s team win Barney Curley Cup

Frankie Dettori led his team to success in the inaugural Barney Curley Charity Cup at Bellewstown.

The event followed on from the hugely successful Barney Curley raceday at Bellewstown 12 months ago, which raised over €100,000 for the late trainer’s charity Direct Aid for Africa (DAFA).

Two teams of seven riders were assembled, with Dettori managing the away team while perennial champion jumps trainer Willie Mullins took charge of the home team.

The competition was split down into two races, with points awarded to the down to eighth and the highest scoring team declared the winner at the conclusion.

The first race, the one-mile Barney Curley Charity Cup Handicap, was won by Fastman for John McConnell and Declan McDonogh, a 3-1 chance that put points on the board for team Mullins.

The second leg of the contest was run over a mile and a half and went the way of Bring Us Paradise for Luke Comer and young rider Dylan Browne McMonagle, a 9-1 victory that saw team Mullins successful again and also gather points from the runner-up, McConnell’s Wild Shot.

However, once the total points for placed horses had been calculated, it was Dettori’s away team that lifted the trophy on the 26th anniversary of his Magnificent Seven at Ascot.