2010
WHAT a huge boost for Irish show jumping and just weeks ahead of the Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show. Hats off to Cian O’Connor, Billy Twomey, Dermott Lennon and Denis Lynch who brought such glory to Ireland on Thursday night. Such was the merit of their victory that all the sports programmes featured the news prominently.
The atmosphere in the arena at Aachen is electric, unlike that experienced in almost any other place. Ireland entered the German Nations Cup as outsiders, but rode the course, and triumphed, in impressive fashion. Only three riders produced double clears throughout the evening, and two of them were Irish – Dermott Lennon and Cian O’Connor.
Not only did Ireland win comprehensively in the end – Denis Lynch not even being required to jump a second time – but success was achieved from the notoriously difficult position of having to jump first in the opening round.
Aachen conjures up images, even for non-show jumping fans, of being forever associated with the best in sport. This success eases the pressure on the Irish team as they head into the final two rounds of the Meydan Series. With the pressure off, hopefully the team can build further on this success and show how good they truly are.
It would be especially sweet were they to enjoy success in Dublin, where the final of the Super League will be contested. Every sport needs success such as this to inspire young participants, and the value of the success on foreign soil as an advertisement for the country is incalculable.
It is little wonder that Horse Sport Ireland’s chairman Joe Walsh was beaming on Friday after the win. He was reflecting the national pride we all feel.
Pony racing stars now household names
2010
BALLYGLUNIN in Co Galway always provides some of the best and most competitive racing of the season. Ross Coakley, who took the leading rider award 12 months ago, repeated the feat this year courtesy of a double.
Ricky Doyle had earlier taken the 14.2hh race with a pillar-to-post win on Little Diamond, while Luke Dempsey, son of Kildare trainer Philip, celebrated his 14th birthday by winning the 14hh race on Fiddler’s Bride. The combination caused a shock by becoming the first to defeat Joe’s Girl since she started her winning run at the corresponding meeting last year.
The feature race of the day was the one-mile Derby, won by Marc Monaghan and Back On Top. This was Monaghan’s fifth consecutive Derby win in the midlands region, an incredible feat achieved on three different horses, over distances from a mile to two miles.
Broadford races in Co Limerick produced a number of shock results last Sunday. Buttevant, Co Cork rider Seamus Cronin had a memorable day, the 15-year-old recording his first treble. However, the rider’s quest for a four-timer was foiled when Off The Rails found Out All Night too strong in the Derby.
Ridden by B.J. (Brendan) Powell for Mallow-based Finbarr O’Shea, the winner was building on a creditable third-place finish the previous week at Ballingarry. The O’Shea family had more reasons to celebrate when He’s Big Ben took the 12-furlong race under Jack Linehan.
The biggest shock of the day came when Che Guevara, undefeated for two years, could only finish third behind Athea Flair in the 10-furlong race. The winner was given a fine ride by Conor Brassil.
Racing opened with another success for the Kennedy family when Pair Of Jack’s made it four on the bounce. Rider Jack Kennedy is thrilled at the prospect of the Dingle race committee adding a 12.2hh race to the programme this year, and he will be hoping to make it a local success.
The Pie continued her preparations for Dingle with another smooth win under Conor King in the 13.2hh race. Conor doubled up in the following 14hh race when Asian Dancer repeated her win of the previous weekend, seeing off Little Jenny to move King on to the nine-winner mark for the season.
Sunday racing starts at Leopardstown
1985
UNLESS there is a sudden turn-around at the eleventh hour by a group of dissidents, Sunday racing will get under way at Leopardstown tomorrow afternoon. Considering the curiosity content, it would be both unfair and unwise to judge the experiment on the opening performance.
Leopardstown is geared to take large crowds and is expecting 10,000-plus paying customers, not to mention the hordes of children who will be let in free if accompanied by adults.
Without wishing to be cynical, it is hard not to feel that this enterprising innovation is hardly likely to prove the Aladdin’s lamp for Irish racing. Certainly, some sectors will be getting three times more than a normal day’s pay and others probably more, while at the other end of the scale the remuneration will be little more than received any other day.
One racecourse caterer told me that if his wage bill was tripled then his operation would no longer be viable. It looks as if the racecourses will be hard pushed to make a profit after paying the inflated wages. As regards betting income, the volume of wagering will not remotely increase by the same percentage as the rise in attendances.
Mullins out of luck – and not happy
1980
AS most Irish trainers know, Alain du Breil, the president of the French jumping societe, has been making determined efforts to attract runners from Ireland to contest the valuable programme at Auteuil.
One of the first to take up the challenge has been Paddy Mullins, who was anything but happy after Pearlstone finished ninth of 17 behind Dorbec in last Sunday’s Prix de la Source. Mullins was confused by the riding tactics of Claude Dugast who, although instructed in French, did exactly the opposite of what was requested.
“I hope the public didn’t think Pearlstone wasn’t off,” the Irishman complained after the race, adding: “I have never seen someone so blatantly disobey riding instructions.”
Naturally, Mullins thought he was finished with French jumping after this experience. The only horse he sent who has been in the money was Counsel Cottage, who took third placed in the Prix des Drags.
Apart from a complete absence of luck, Mullins thought du Breil had lived up to his promise of providing virtually everything free of charge for visiting horses. The only complaints were bolshie men at the entrance to Auteuil who questioned the Irishman’s credentials, the payment of travelling expenses to owners and not to trainers, and the lack of amusement at Maisons-Laffitte for lads.
Century for Richards
1935
GORDON Richards has registered a ‘century’ of winners this season. He gained his hundredth success this year on All Ready in the Wyndclyffe Handicap at Chepstow on Saturday. He has now ridden 1,725 winners since he had his first success in 1921, and has been champion jockey for eight seasons. This year he is already nearly 50 in front of any other jockey.
Steve Donoghue, who has been riding winners since 1909, has had over 1,750 successes. He was champion jockey on 10 occasions between 1914 and 1923.