Turf Club and INHSC make €10,000 donation to ICRR Air Ambulance

The Stewards of the Turf Club and the Stewards of the Irish National Hunt Steeplechase Committee (INHSC) have donated €10,000 to the Irish Community Rapid Response Air Ambulance (ICRR), who responded to David Mullins following a serious fall at Thurles last October.

Based just outside Mallow, a year ago this month the ICRR launched Ireland’s first dedicated and charity funded Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) and it has since provided a vital lifesaving service.

The helicopter allows the pre-hospital emergency care medical personnel to bring a casualty to the hospital that best suits their life saving needs with the ability to cover a 25,000km2 area within 20 minutes of emergency medical care.

Speaking on behalf of the Turf Club and Irish National Hunt Steeplechase Committee, Philip McLernon said: “Dr. Mary Flannery, who is the wife of former INHSC Senior Steward Edward, was instrumental in getting the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service up and running. The Turf Club, the INHSC and the wider racing community all acknowledge the importance of such a service, not only to our sport but to the entire country. This was very much highlighted last Autumn following the fall of David Mullins at Thurles when the helicopter was able to land on track within minutes of receiving the call. We are delighted to be able to give a donation to this invaluable service at this time.”

Husband and wife training team Claire and Daniel Kubler

Kubler can train with his wife thanks to new BHA joint-licence initiative

Claire and Daniel Kubler have become the first husband-and-wife team to hold a joint-licence since the BHA introduced training partnerships.

The couple started out with just six horses but now have around 35 at Sarsen Farm in Lambourn and their first official runner together is Saigon Suzi at Sandown on Thursday (5.25).

Sandown card and betting

"Training winners is a team effort, a joint-licence goes some way to reflecting that," said Claire Kubler, who qualified as an accountant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers and worked for several trainers and bloodstock agents before setting up Kubler Racing with her husband.

"We've got a great team of horsemen and women at Sarsen Farm and we enjoy working together with owners to give them the success and excitement they are looking for."

Earlier this year Kubler Racing won the Lycetts Team Champion Award and Daniel Kubler said: "We've been keen to operate as a training partnership since we started out. We floated the idea a while ago on social media and received a positive response that led to the BHA getting in touch.

"We worked closely with the BHA and the NTF [National Trainers Federation] to get the concept off the ground. We would particularly like to thank Henry Bradley at the BHA for going above and beyond to make this happen."

Emma Todd wins on Shimla Dawn at Musselburgh in 2019Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Todd calls it a day

Successful amateur rider Emma Todd has announced her retirement from the saddle.

She rode winners on the Flat, in point-to-points and over jumps, and was runner-up in the women's National Hunt amateur riders' championship in 2016-17.

"I just want to say a big thank you to everyone, especially owners and trainers for all the rides over the years both pointing and on the track," she wrote on her Facebook page.

"I had a lot of fun riding as an amateur [apart from the broken bones and limbs]. I made a lot of friends on the way, been so lucky.

"Massive thanks to Mark Walford Racing who played a huge part. Had good agents too, Bruce Jeffrey and Niall Hannity."

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