Former jockey Nina Carberry is in a tight race of a different sort this week with odds of 5/6 being offered by BoyleSports putting her well in he runnning for a seat at the European Parliament.  

The seven-time Cheltenham Festival winner will be hoping to see the winning post again amid hot competition for the five seats up for grabs in the Midlands-North-West constituency when voters go to the polls on Friday. 

If the betting is anything to go by, Carberry currently has a nose in front in what could be a photo finish for the final seat with Fianna Fáil’s Barry Cowen her closest rival at 8/13.  

Chris McManus (Sinn Féin), Peadar Tóibín (Aontu), and Michelle Gildernew (Sinn Féin) are also considered marginal contenders according to the odds, but, alongside Cowen, three candidates are rated at much shorter odds to succeed.  

They include Independent candidate Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan who looks certain to retain his seat at odds of 1/16, while former RTÉ reporter Ciaran Mullooly is a well backed 4/11 shot to claim a seat. Meanwhile, a move over the weekend has seen Carberry’s Fine Gael running mate, Maria Walsh, pull away from the field, with her odds now cut to 1/5. 

Lawrence Lyons, Spokesperson for BoyleSports commented: “Ming Flanagan looks over the line already according to the odds, but Nina Carberry is one of several candidates jockeying for position in a race which looks too close to call.”  

Midlands-North-West – To win a seat

• 1/16 Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan (Independent)
• 1/5 Maria Walsh (Fine Gael)
• 4/11 Ciaran Mullooly (Independent)
• 8/13 Barry Cowen (Fianna Fáil) 
• 5/6 Nina Carberry (Fine Gael)
• Evens Chris McManus (Sinn Féin)
• 11/10 Peadar Tóibín (Aontu)
• 6/4 Michelle Gildernew (Sinn Féin)
• 3/1 Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fáil)
• 7/1 Herman Kelly (Irish Freedom Party)
• 8/1 Michelle Smith (Independent)
• 12/1 Niall Blaney (Sinn Féin)
• 12/1 Peter Casey (Independent)
• 14/1 John Waters (Independent)
• 20/1 Rory Hearne (Social Democrats)
• 25/1 James Reynolds (National Party)
• 50/1 Margaret Maguire (Ireland First)
• 80/1 Saoirse McHugh (Independent)
• 100/1 bar

*Odds correct at time of going to press and subject to change