Hewick heads weights for €200,000 Kerry National at Listowel

Hewick is set to carry top weight in this year’s €200,000 Guinness Kerry National at Listowel on Wednesday, September 21, with Shark Hanlon’s star chaser seeking his third big-race victory of the year.

The seven-year-old has been a fairytale success for his connections having been purchased for €850 in October 2017. He’s since won over £280,000 in prize money and recorded a famous win in the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown in April plus produced another career best when landing the Tote Galway Plate in July.

Hewick now finds himself on a rating of 163 and will have to concede plenty of weight to his rivals in the Listowel showpiece, which Hanlon won in 2011 with Alfa Beat.

Joseph O’Brien, who won the 2021 renewal with Assemble, looks set to hold a strong hand this year, with the leading dual-purpose trainer responsible for seven of the other 35 entries. 2020 Galway Plate winner Early Doors, as well as Darasso, Fire Attack and Busselton are among his potential runners.

Dermot McLoughlin’s stable stars Lord Lariat and Freewheelin Dylan, the past two winners of the Irish Grand National, are also entered, while three-time Kerry National winning-trainer Willie Mullins has entered four – Bacardys, Recite A Prayer, Rock Road, and El Barra – as has Gordon Elliott, with impressive Midlands National winner Hurricane Georgie, Tullybeg, Hermann Clermont and Glenloe making up his squad.

Eric McNamara is another trainer to have won three Kerry Nationals, and the Irish handler has a trio of entries, headed by Donkey Years.

Gabbys Cross and Gin On Lime could represent Henry de Bromhead, and other names to note include Neil Mulholland’s Exelerator Express, the Matthew Smith-trained Ronald Pump, Ronan McNally’s The Jam Man, and Cape Gentleman, trained by Emmet Mullins.

Pat Healy, Chairperson of Listowel Races, told Horse Racing Ireland: “I am delighted to see such strength in depth for this year’s renewal of the Guinness Kerry National. It’s a race that has produced so many memorable winners and is without doubt, the showpiece of our seven-day festival. I’d like to thank all the trainers and owners for supporting the Guinness Kerry National and indeed the entire Listowel Harvest Festival race programme and we look forward to welcoming racegoers to Listowel from this Sunday onwards.”

The seven-day Listowel Harvest Festival gets underway on Sunday, September 18, and every race will be shown live on Racing TV.

For more information and to buy tickets, click here.