Barney Curley Charity Cup: All you need to know at Bellewstown

Bellewstown stages the inaugural Barney Curley Charity Cup on Wednesday.

The Barney Curley Charity Cup sees two teams of seven jockeys – picked by top rider Frankie Dettori and leading trainer Willie Mullins – compete for points in two races, which are awarded on a sliding scale down to eighth place. The team with the most points at the end of the day will take home the cup.

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The likes of Colin Keane, Rachael Blackmore and Wayne Lordan are set to compete.

The competition is taking place at Bellewstown, the scene of the Yellow Sam betting coup in 1975 which was masterminded by Curley. The great man made the most of his horse being under-handicapped and poor communications between the track and off-course bookies to turn a tidy profit of £306,000. A lot of money back in those days!

What a line up! We're so excited about the upcoming #BarneyCurleyCharityCup at @BellewstownRace on Wednesday. Two incredible teams going head to head to raise money for DAFA's work in Zambia. Who's your favourite to win the cup? pic.twitter.com/yrdDpp9h9m

— DAFA Direct Aid for Africa (@DAFA_Curley) September 26, 2022

The afternoon is being staged in memory of the famed gambler and ex-trainer to raise money for the Zambian charity he founded, DAFA.

The first of the races at 3.10pm sees 12 runners tackling a distance of 1m. Ransom tops the weights off a mark of 78 and will bid to score after hitting the post on his last two efforts.

BELLEWSTOWN 15:10: Barney Curley Charity Cup Handicap

The second race is also the final contest on the afternoon’s card and it’s a longer affair, clocking in at 1m4f. Shane Foley’s mount Prioritise carries the top weight of 10st 2lb off a handicap mark of 70. A maximum field of 14 has been declared for the 5.25pm, with a couple of reserves waiting in the wings.