Something is rotten in the big two and a half mile oval they call the Brickyard

Something is rotten in the big two and a half mile oval they call the Brickyard.Indianapolis is enshrined in tradition. Its roots go back to 1909, when its surface was made of bricks and it epitomised everything Uncle Sam held dear It was the epitome of American wholesomeness. This was no tortoise and hare story but the tale of an underdog who rose to the big occasion and drove his heart out. If he and his wife, Anne, looked somewhat underwhelmed afterwards it was perhaps understandable. Such momentous achievements can take time to sink in.The French will be out in force again next month for Le Mans, where sportscar racing is going through a great renaissance, but in Indiana businessmen would kill for the kind of crowds that the first two events attract.

His storming performance in moving from 14th on the grid to benefit from the error of Michael Schumacher, and the misfortune of Damon Hill and Jean Alesi, will go down in the annals of this unique race, and justly so. But as one still basks in last weekend’s electrifying result and another enjoys a surge in health after suffering what many believed to be terminal illness, the third is on the brink of disaster.
Last week in Monaco, Olivier Panis drove the race of his life for Ligier to take unexpected but deserved glory for France. A fellow Irishman, the experienced ex-steeplechase jockey George Mernagh, also went fast on The Black Touch and stands sixth close behind Jeanette Brakewell on Rain Dancer, fourth, and Daisy Dick with For The Crack in fifth. The Olympic champion Matt Ryan, on Kibah Sandstone, lies just ahead of Gifford’s other ride, O’Leary.. They are unofficially known as the Triple Crown, the three oldest-established and most famous races of them all. The Indianapolis 500, birth date 1911; the Le Mans 24 Hours, 1923; the Monaco Grand Prix, started in 1929.

Only one man, Graham Hill, has worn the crown, winning Indy in 1966, Le Mans in 1972, and Monaco five times between 1963 and 1969. Moore is a full-time horseman in Coleraine and with Culnagrew won at Rademon last year, after a fifth at Blarney Castle in 1994. Moore’s best horse, Solomon’s Seal, died of a heart attack at Necarne in April.Culnagrew was equal fastest on the cross-country while Kristina Gifford on Mr Macauley incurred just two penalties for time. “The going here has never been better,” Funnell said, “and I had two really good rides.”Both horses normally showjump well, although Funnell, wife of the Olympic showjumping contender William would prefer bigger obstacles than those expected today.Sam Moore is unknown in England and at the age of 34 is competing here for the first time. “He is not a thoroughbred,” she said, “and is still learning to gallop fast.”Rainbow Magic was only marginally quicker with eight penalties.