New facilities at bellewstown include yellow sam bar
The new facilities at Bellewstown racecourse were officially opened today before racing and they include entrance area, improved medical and jockeys facilities and the appropriately-named Yellow Sam Bar.
And appropriately enough, the man who rode Yellow Sam to that famous victory back in August 1975 was also there as a special guest of the Bellewstown Race Committee.
Michael Furlong was the jockey on the Barney Curley-owned Yellow Sam which was available at 20/1 in the lead up to the race due to the poor form. Jockey Michael Furlong was an amateur at the time and had been booked for the ride well in advance by trainer Liam Brennan.
The betting coup returned some Ir£300,000 (at the time) for the connections.
Speaking to the Meath Chronicle today at Bellewstown, Furlong remembered the race well, but said that he had no idea about what was going on at the time, only finding out about it the next day in what was the racing paper at the time, the Sporting Life racing paper.
(See interview with Michael Furlong, who is still involved in racing, in next edition of Meath Chronicle).
The action on the track today at Bellewstown was on the flat.
Navan trainer Pat Martin won the opening race when Trim Jockey Colin Keane added to his tally for the season on Havanna Belle.
Trainer Tony Martin won the second race Shemshal.
Racing continues tomorrow - the final action of the year - with the white flag set for 4.10pm.
Next year's August meeting will have a Yellow Sam theme to mark the 40th anniversary of the betting coup. It is understood that efforts will be made to get Barney Curley there for the occasion.
See video clip of the opening of the new facilities.