THE passing of T.P. Burns on Monday, aged 94, brings closure to one of the most far-reaching and enduring associations in Irish racing history – Vincent O’Brien and Thomas Pascal Burns.

Their long-running alliance as trainer and jockey spanned those watershed years in which Vincent completed his transformation from leading National Hunt trainer to outstanding flat handler whose achievements earned him international renown.

The Burns family’s Irish roots had their origins in WWI when William Hall Walker asked Ayr trainer James Burns to move with his family to the Curragh to take charge of his extensive string.

In 1919 James Burns resumed training in Ayr, leaving behind him his talented jockey son Tommy Burns, ever afterwards known as ‘the Scotchman’.

Tommy’s marriage to Stella O’Connor from Roscommon resulted in four children; James ‘Jimmy’, Thomas Pascal ‘T.P.’, Stella and John. From their Curragh home, Lumville, ‘Scotchman’ Burns combined a successful riding career – comprising 20 Irish classic winners – with training, using a succession of ‘licence-holders’.

Educated at Newbridge College, T.P. opened his riding account at the Curragh Irish Derby meeting in 1938, winning on Prudent Rose. Jimmy made it a day to remember when winning the final event of the day on Kilglass.

Whereas Jimmy never did add to his score – he was lost in action in WWII – T.P. went on to ride 1,000-odd winners, the last of those in 1989.

Apprenticed to the Scotchman’s old friend, the legendary Steve Donoghue in Blewbury, T.P. rapidly began to make a name for himself, only for the outbreak of WWII, which saw him sent home, his indentures transferred to Col Arthur Blake on Maryborough Heath. “I’d have gone right to the top, if only for the bloody war!”

Back home, T.P. struggled to get on horses with live chances. Still a teenager, he was regarded as too inexperienced to be relied upon when the money was down. And with the pitiful levels of prizemoney on offer, the greatest crime any jockey could commit was to win on one that wasn’t ‘wanted’.

Rising weight and lack of wider opportunities saw T.P. turn his hand to jumping. The Scotchman was cautionary. “Don’t think you won’t get knocks. You will. Don’t ride bad horses and don’t try to play the hero. Nobody respects the bravest man in the cemetery!”

FLEDGLING

Dan Moore, the Old Fairyhouse trainer, gave T.P. his break over fences. Sadler’s Wells became T.P.’s first winner over fences, the partnership going on to win the 1949 Kerry National. The following year Tom Dreaper added to T.P.’s chasing tally with Bright Cherry, future dam of Arkle, also a winner in T.P.’s hands.

Back on the flat, T.P. cemented his fledgling partnership with Vincent O’Brien when landing a monster gamble on Knock Hard in the Irish Lincoln. However, it was over hurdles that Vincent and T.P. landed even greater gambles, in that annual gambling cauldron in the Cotswolds.

Between 1954 and 1959 the pair combined for nine such successes, all backed as though there were no settling day. Already Vincent was eyeing the greater lucre offered by the flat. Having ridden Ballymoss to finish second at Epsom, T.P. steered the chesnut to success in the 1957 Irish Derby on the way to gaining the first ever Irish-trained triumph in the St Leger.

That same year saw T.P. crowned overall Irish champion jockey for the third time.

In emulating his father, Irish champion in 1932, they became the first of just two father-and-son combinations to do so in the 20th century. ‘Overall’ is significant, for while T.P. rode more winners combined than his rivals, he never topped either the flat or jumping tables. Unfortunately, serious spinal injuries sustained in a fall at Clonmel meant T.P. could only look on as Ballymoss carried ‘Scobie’ Breasley to feature race triumphs culminating in the 1958 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, while Lester Piggott deputised on Ascot Gold Cup, Goodwood Cup and Ebor heroine Gladness.

Happily T.P. was back in the saddle when El Toro won for Vincent at Naas. “They went for a right touch at 6/1!” T.P. kept the mount when El Toro followed up in the Irish 2000 Guineas. Two years later T.P. made it a family affair when riding Vimadee to Irish St Leger success for his trainer father. The Scotchman had ridden six Irish St Leger winners. By then the ‘Australian invasion’ had begun to hurt, as T.P. recounted in his memoirs ‘T P BURNS – A Racing Life’ published in 2006.

“It got so that if a trainer rang an owner to say his horse was going to run on the flat, the first question would be, ‘Which Australian have you booked?’ And if no Australian could be got, they’d nearly say ‘Don’t run him so’.”

Life nevertheless went on, as a discreet notice in the Irish Times disclosed: ‘A quiet wedding will take place on 10 February 1966 between T. P. Burns and Christine, eldest daughter of Mr and Mrs T. Phelan, Kiltegan.’

Their union led to the birth of James Gerard before the year was out. When Tom followed James into this world the family was complete. Further Irish classic success on Paveh and Pidget doubtless defrayed some of the expenses. Unlike his free-spending, punting father; the non-smoking, almost teetotal T.P. minded his money.

Retiring in 1975, T.P. spent the next eight years as Vincent O’Brien’s assistant and work rider, entrusted particularly with the mercurial, highly-strung Golden Fleece, Vincent’s sixth and final Derby winner.

Responding to Chris’s demand that he spend more time with his family T.P. accepted a similar position with Dermot Weld. In that role T.P. continued to conform to his wife’s assessment: “Looking through a horse’s ears. That’s his great contribution.”

Two fleeting comebacks in veterans’ races proved successful, in 1988 and 1989, the latter on the aptly-named Old Man River. Subsequently right-hand man to his son James, T.P. – widowed in 2010 – enjoyed life to the full, ever faithful to his conservative values.

G.W.

Thomas

Pascal Burns

Born - April 14th, 1924

Classic winners - Ballymoss - 1957 Irish Derby and 1957 St Leger, El Toro - 1959 Irish 2000 Guineas, Vimadee - 1961 Irish St Leger, Shandon Belle - 1962 Irish 1000 Guineas, Paveh - 1966 Irish 2000 Guineas, Pidget - 1972 Irish St Leger

Cheltenham Festival winners - Lucky Dome - 1954 Spa Hurdle, Ahaburn - 1955 Birdlip Hurdle, 1955 Gloucestershire Hurdle (div 1), Boys Hurrah and Pelargos - 1956 Gloucestershire Hurdle (both divisions), Saffron Tartan - 1957 Gloucestershire Hurdle (div 2), Admiral Stuart and Prudent King - 1958 Gloucestershire Hurdle (both divisions), York Fair 1959 Gloucestershire Hurdle (div 1)