Delvin gelding bound for USA

A five-year-old gelding bred by Paul Kelly of Printinstown, Delvin, and trained and driven by his son Lee is bound for the US this month to race there.

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, Paul said the gelding, Check Out Lou, is out of Sweet Lou, one of the leading harness racing stallions in the world. “Him going to the US means a lot to us as not many go there, unless the really good ones,” Paul said.

It also is significant for the Kellys as they have the dam and Check Out Lou’s full brother and sister, which increase in value as a consequence.

The stallion stands in Kentucky, at Diamond Creek Farms. The AI covering fee is €14,500 plus vat, which is a discount rate for Irish breeders.

Check Out Lou has been making his mark on the Irish harness racing circuit of late. “He performed well in his last three outings, coming first in West Cork, second in Northern Ireland, where he was overtaken on the finish line, and then winning by seven lengths in his next race in West Cork, his best performance ever,” Paul said.

The Kellys have 12 horses at the moment, a couple in training and brood mares. They have been leading figures in Irish harness racing for many years.

Paul’s wife Bernie, who was heavily involved with Irish Harness Racing Committee, sadly passed away in December 2019 after a touch battle with cancer. Many tributes were paid to her by those who knew the contribution she had made to the sport over the years.

In her honour, the Bernie Kelly International Ladies Charity race to raise money for cancer research was introduced at the Vincent Delaney Memorial festival weekend. The inaugural race had a fairytale ending when Bernie and Paul’s daughter Grace took first place against participants from Britain, New Zealand, America and Malta.