AFTER 30 years of racehorse ownership Pat and Anne McSweeney have hit the big time with Bacardys.

Trained by Willie Mullins, Bacardys is a solid 5/1 chance for next Wednesday’s Neptune Investments Novices’ Hurdle. Judged on his recent Grade 1 win at Leopardstown – and his impressively consistent race record - the six-year-old looks sure to be in the shake-up.

“He must have a great chance of being placed, at least,” admits Pat. “He has had seven runs for us – won four, finish third twice and fell once. He’s come up that hill at Cheltenham before and Willie is very happy with him. They didn’t even expect him to win the last day.”

Speaking from his office in Dunmanway, Co Cork, Pat makes no attempt to conceal his excitement. He and Anne are getting a huge thrill out of the Bacardys story. Third in the Cheltenham bumper last year, the horse went on to win at Aintree a few weeks later. Now he’s a Grade 1 winner with great prospects of more success this spring.

Nobody could begrudge Pat and Anne their recent change of luck. It was a long time coming. When Pat established his tarmacadam company in 1971 there was little time or money for horseracing. Supplying road materials was their trade and they relied on Cork county council for work.

“We began doing work in Kerry but then diesel became scarce in the recession and it was too expensive to bring tarmac and asphalt every day from Cork to Kerry,” Pat recalls. A decision was taken to open a plant in Listowel “and it was the best day’s work we ever did.”

Knowing how well Kerry likes to support its own, Pat named the Listowel branch Kerry Tarmacadam Manufacturing and soon they had driven chief rivals Roadstone out of the county.

HIDDEN IDENTITY

Having initially found himself owning a show jumper by accident, Pat switched his attentions to racing in the mid 1980s and registered his colours under the name Shanakiel Racing Syndicate. Pat explains: “At that time we had 150 employees and I thought it might upset some of them to see their boss owning a racehorse, so I didn’t put it in my name.”

Chances are nobody would have found out anyway as Pat and Anne didn’t have a sniff of a winner until Dorset Square won a small flat race in 2007. Shortly afterwards Pat made an appointment to meet Willie Mullins.

Pat explains: “Willie said he didn’t normally takes horses from other stables but I pleaded with him to take Dorset Square on trial to see if he was any good. A couple of months later Willie called me to say the Ruby had sat on the horse and was close to having a run. A few weeks later we were off to Punchestown and Dorset Square finished third over two miles. Ruby said we needed to go up in distance and the horse went on to win five races for us, including one at the Cheltenham November meeting.”

FRENCH PURCHASES

When the time came to restock Pat was offered two French-bred horses by Willie. The first was Sambremont, now a Grade 2 winner over fences and entered for the Kim Muir Chase next Thursday. Bacardys came to the McSweeneys a bit fortuitously. “I think a previous deal had fallen through and the horse was in Ireland and in need of an owner,” recalls Pat. “The price was €150,000 and, to be honest, I didn’t even try to negotiate.”

Bacardys has proved to be a wise purchase. With Patrick Mullins on board the Coastal Path gelding made a winning racecourse debut at the 2015 Leopardstown Christmas meeting. Next stop Cheltenham where, with Ruby Walsh in the saddle, he finished third to Ballyandy and Battleford. “Ruby felt he should have won. He said he had underestimated the horse.”

Believing the horse was probably not going to run until Punchestown, Pat and Anne went on holiday to to Spain and were surprised to receive a phone call from the Mullins yard. “We were told the horse was running in Aintree on the Thursday, so we booked flights from Alicante to Liverpool straight away.”

Still in their summer clothes, the McSweeneys had to go shopping for some suitable attire in Liverpool on their way to the races. “I had to get the jacket and tie, everything,” laughs Pat. “It was a great day though. Patrick rode him again and he was Willie’s only winner on the day. There was very few of us there and we didn’t really celebrate as we had to fly back to Alicante, but a win’s a win!”

On to Punchestown then where the ultra-tough Bacardys was third to Blow By Blow and Moon Racer in Grade 1 company. The horse started the current season as one of the most exciting young prospects in training but his hurdling career got off to a stumbling start.

Pat explains: “We were in Cork for his first hurdles race and he was hot favourite to win. I was in the grandstand and didn’t actually see what happened at the second last hurdle but when the horse came past me there was no jockey on his back!”

Back to Leopardstown last Christmas where Ruby put the record straight in a maiden hurdle. “He nearly didn’t run at all because he pulled off a shoe on the way to the track.

“His leg was in ice before the race and Ruby said he would pull him up if he wasn’t sound. But it all went perfectly and, as Willie told the press, the horse did it on three legs.”

Even though Ruby Walsh has no equal, Pat and Anne have a soft spot for Patrick Mullins who has such a good record on Bacardys. When Willie declared six to run in the Deloitte last month the McSweeneys were delighted to have Mr P.W. Mullins on their side.

“He gave the horse a lovely, sweet ride. Just look at the video, they were way back at the second last and then they just took off. I think the horse just loves winning.”

Pat will never forget the excitement of leading in a Grade 1 winner. “We have these black and yellow scarves but we never wear them,” he says. “But I wore it at Leopardstown and I suppose a few people recognised me. There I was being asked by racegoers to pose for photographs – I was like Rich Ricci!”

On Wednesday the next chapter in the Bacardys story will be written. “There are two carloads of us heading for the ferry on Monday,” Pat reports. “We’re staying for the week and there’s more coming over by plane.”

Watch out for the scarves.