Flan Costello enjoyed the perfect half-time match treat today as his Hard Times (33/1) ended a barren spell for the trainer/publican when landing the St. John's Literary Centre Handicap (Div 1) at Listowel today, thus getting jockey Karen Kenny back to the winners’ enclosure for the first time since suffering serious injury.

Hard Times finished strongly to edge past Initially close home for a head win and provide Kenny with a seventh career winner and a first since July 2010 and also since sustaining serious head injuries in a Tramore fall in August 2014.

A delighted Kenny, having her first ride this year, later reported “looking back it’s crazy but I’m so thankful to Flan Costello who has really supported me since I’ve gone down to him a year ago.

“Flan’s yard was getting quiet for the winter, so he sent me to Dubai with a friend where I went with Tom Hogan’s Gordon Lord Byron. I was there for three months and it helped me getting fit coming back and this is great. We weren’t expecting it but the horses have turned a corner recently.”

Popular Limerick city publican Costello runs Costello’s Tavern as his main business but today chose to watch his native Clare play Limerick from the comforts of his home and his son and namesake Flan Costello later quipped “Dad’s watching the Clare match so I hope they win for his sake!”

The race was run at half-time in that Clare-Limerick hurling match as Costello’s Clare (in whose blue and yellow colours his horses run) led by 2-10 to 1-09 and Costello junior, who runs his father’s yard, added “that was fantastic and absolutely amazing and Karen did such a good job.

“She knows the horses inside out and is in with me the whole time and is so professional in everything she does.

“It’s fantastic and it’s three years since we had a winner (Diamondgeezer Luke in August 2014). We’re trying our heart out and it’s a family run team and he (Hard Time) was bought for small money after he won a race sponsored by my father at Tipperary in 2015.”

By Tom Weekes