Billy Lee

Most of the attention was focused on Ballydoyle's first juvenile runner Alabama (Ire) (No Nay Never) before Cork's five-furlong Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden on Saturday, but ultimately it was another newcomer in the Paddy Twomey-trained Noche Magica (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}--Pious Alexander {Ire}, by Acclamation {GB}) who stole the limelight to become the first European 2-year-old TDN Rising Star of 2023. Always travelling smoothly anchored towards the back by Billy Lee, Mohammed Ahmad Ali Al Subousi's £230,000 top-priced colt of the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale moved forward with ease...

Paddy Twomey and statistics go hand in hand. It seems as though, whenever the trainer's name is mentioned, a number or a stat of some sort will follow. And it's easy to see why: statistically, Twomey is the most upwardly-mobile handler in Ireland. This is a man who has been operating at a 23 per cent strike-rate or higher since 2018. That takes serious doing in an environment as competitive as Ireland. While the 46-year-old has been training officially since 2012, his Tipperary-based operation has been open to outside owners...

Leading owner J.P. McManus and the recently retired jockey Kevin Manning were among those honoured Monday at the annual Horse Racing Ireland Awards. McManus, who is a 19-time champion National Hunt owner in Ireland, received the Contribution to the Industry Award. He has been associated with many of the top jumps horses for over 40 years with more 4,000 winners, including Mister Donavan (Choral Society {GB}), Jack Of Trumps (Kings Theatre {Ire}) and Deep Gale (Deep Run {GB}). He is a six-time Champion Hurdle-winning owner, two-time Grand National winner with...

For the third time in the last four years and fourth time overall, Colin Keane will be named the Irish Champion Flat Jockey when the Irish Flat season ends at Naas on Sunday. Keane's title comes after battling with rival Billy Lee for the majority of the season. Keane sits on 90 winners, with Lee second, while the 2020/21 runner-up Shane Foley is third. Wayne Lordan, Ben Coen and Seamie Heffernan are next on the list heading into the weekend. Keane was aboard Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}) when he won...

Backing up a week after her impressive success in the five-furlong Listed Roses S. at York, Merry Fox Studs' homebred Treasure Trove (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) upped her game again to capture Saturday's G3 Heider Family Stables Round Tower S. at The Curragh. ] Held up towards the rear early by Billy Lee, the Paddy Twomey-trained 6-4 favourite was produced late as the 'TDN Rising Star' Apricot Twist (Ire) (Expert Eye {GB}) started to flag on the lead and her thrust proved strong enough to deny fellow closer Ocean Quest (Ire)...

The landscape of Irish racing has never been so competitive and, in an era where even the bigger handlers have admitted that trading horses has become a necessity to balance the books, Gillian Scott has bucked the trend by returning to the family yard in Limerick in a bid to get her training career off the ground.  A sister to the top-class Flat jockey Billy Lee, Scott spent seven years working in Australia where she rode trackwork for the Brisbane-based trainer Chris Munce before returning home to Ireland with her...

Highlighting a stellar training performance by Paddy Twomey, Team Valor's G2 Blandford S. winner La Petite Coco (Ire) (Ruler Of The World {Ire}--La Petite Virginia {Ger}, by Konigstiger {Ger}) led home My Astra (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) and stablemate Rosscarbery (Ger) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) on her seasonal debut in Sunday's G1 Alwasmiyah Pretty Polly S. at The Curragh. Let go at 9-1 with the punters' confidence shaky, the bay tracked the clear leading pair early with Billy Lee showing the same unerring sense of timing he had in...

Haras de Saint Pair's evergreen 5-year-old mare Pearls Galore (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}--Pearl Banks {GB}, by Pivotal {GB}), who posted runner-up finishes in last term's G1 Matron S. and G1 Prix de la Foret, went postward as the odds-on selection for Sunday's G2 Lanwades Stud S. at The Curragh, but was made to fight for a narrow success by 25-1 outsider Emphatic Answer (Ire) (No Nay Never). The homebred bay, whose 2021 campaign yielded scores in the G3 Brownstown S. and G3 Fairy Bridge S., also ran sixth in November's...

The Irish 1000 Guineas will come too soon for Limiti Di Greccio (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}), according to trainer Paddy Twomey, who is concentrating on the second half of the season with the exciting filly after she picked up "a minor training setback".  Limiti Di Greccio, winner of the Listed Staffordstown Stud S. last season, had been as short as 15-2 to provide Twomey with a breakthrough Classic success at the Curragh on Sunday. Twomey explained, "She picked up a minor training setback and is not ready to run at the...

The Curragh's Staffordstown Stud S. looked a listed race in name only on Sunday and it duly produced a winner who could be destined for the top in Martin Schwartz's Limiti Di Greccio (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}). Successful in a seven-furlong Leopardstown maiden Aug. 12 and runner-up in the Sept. 11 Listed Ingabelle S. back over that course and distance since joining Paddy Twomey from Andrew Kinsella, the bay raced towards the rear of mid-division early against the rail under Billy Lee. Running into a pocket two out and again at...

It was a case up heads up, heads down at the close of the G2 Moyglare "Jewels" Blandford S. at The Curragh on Sunday with the 3-year-old La Petite Coco (Ire) (Ruler of the World {Ire}) enjoying the rub of the green to shade it from Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). On a weekend replete with close finishes, Team Valor's 16-5 shot needed all of the 10 furlongs to reel in Ballydoyle's G1 1000 Guineas and G1 Epsom Oaks heroine but there was just enough yardage to overhaul that 6-5 favourite...

Coming into Saturday's G3 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Give Thanks S. with a growing reputation, Team Valor's La Petite Coco (Ire) (Ruler of the World {Ire}) only served to enhance it significantly as she ruled with an iron fist in the Cork feature. Runner-up to the re-opposing Willow (Ire) (American Pharoah) in the June 23 Listed Naas Oaks Trial before dominating a conditions event over 11 furlongs at Killarney July 12, the 2-1 favourite was always travelling enthusiastically behind the front pair and when given her head by Billy Lee...