PUNCHESTOWN
TUESDAY
The circus rolls into Punchestown for its five-day National Hunt Festival bringing us the added bonus of the title-chasing fight out between duo Mullins and Elliott throwing extra spice on to an always brilliant meeting.
I think it’s unreal what these two boys are doing. I mean, you see two boxers going toe-to-toe in the ring trading punches, you see Kerry against Dublin in Croke Park more or less trading punches, and these two fellas are trading punches with livestock!
Going into the fourth day of this Festival, Gordon has trained 209 winners to Willie’s 206 for the season. Sure John B Keane wouldn’t even attempt to write this saga.
This morning I feel for the track management, as it’s a horrible morning and that always puts customers off.
They end up 500 people down on last year with a crowd of just over 19,000 showing up though to witness a drama-packed day.
In the world we live in now, with all the social media platforms, it’s inevitable that poor Paul Townend is going to be trending this evening. The keyboard warriors are out in force and there are more conspiracy theories out there then the JFK shooting.
REPUTATION
It’s the one thing that upsets me about this game. The way people tear a person’s reputation to shreds. Paul is a gentleman, full stop. A great personality and a masterful jockey.
He made a mistake on one of the biggest stages and the abuse he has to endure must be hurtful and shameful never mind for himself but also for his family.
Like the rest of us when we mess up, I bet he wishes he could push the weeks and months forward to get over it. The world can be a nasty place at times and people tend to have short memories when it suits them.
I am lodging with my long time landlords Brendan and Annemarie Sheridan for the meeting a couple of fields away from the track and sure it’s home from home.
I love this race meeting and part of the reason is back in the day my parents Liam and Joan would let me off school for what was then a three-day Festival and I shared a room in Brendan’s parents, Joe and Mary’s house in Kill, with Brendan and his brothers Rex, Toby and Charlie.
Brendan would bring me into Ruby Walsh’s stables in the mornings and they would let me up on whatever hack that was around. Sure, it was magical just to be part of it witnessing the goings on around the yard and playing jockey on the gallop.
It was there I picked up the nickname “Cash” as Ted Walsh likened me to the great American rider Cash Asmussen who was then stable jockey to Vincent O’Brien, because I was that good!
Like all the other Festivals, it was a different meeting then with a fun fair in the middle of the track and all the local schools gave the kids the days off.
My favourite racetrack memories of back then were of Aintree legend Red Rum and Tommy Stack making an appearance and doing a canter up the course and the match race with Dawn Run and Buck House.
To this day the picture I took of both those horses looking over the first fence is one of my favorites.
A simple picture but of two horses and riders that immortalised their legacy that great day.
After racing, young Jamie Sheridan and I give Kavanagh’s and McCormack’s a run for a few pints where we meet up with BoyleSports front man Leon Blanche and Gary and Rob Monroe of Monroe’s Tavern in Galway fame.
Sure it’s gas the way it turns out as Brendan rode winners for the boy’s Dad John back in the day and they are delighted to be telling Jamie the tales.
Co Kerry is well represented this evening with Killorglin racegoers Paudie Sheehan, Jack Tyter, Ger Counihan and Mike O’Neill and our Cheltenham Preview night host in Blennerville Tommy “Skelper” Quane on tour for the week.
PUNCHESTOWN
WEDNESDAY
What a difference a day makes for Paul Townend. He bounces back with a treble on the card and I have to say it was a pleasure to witness the reception he got from the Punchestown racegoers for each win.
Respect also to his boss Willie Mullins and his team in Closutton as Willie told Paul to be in early this morning and got all the staff to tease Paul about yesterday’s incident shouting “Left Paul, Right Paul” going around the gallops!
A mighty team looking after their man. Speaking of Willie, can any more plaudits be added about the man? Six winners on the card and he frog leaps Gordon to lead the championship.
Thank God we are alive to witness these two legends mastering their craft. One of my favourite Willie stories is of the day himself and brother Tony were riding for their dad, Paddy, in Galway and both were expected to draw.
Needless to say both got beat and as you can imagine there wasn’t a word spoke in the car between the two boyos in the back and Paddy and Maureen in the front until they drove back in home to Doninga where Paddy pipes up to Maureen “after today I think your two sons are going to run me out of business”!
PUNCHESTOWN
THURSDAY
Although there is a social side to the meeting, it’s also a busy one for us and I am in the pressroom for 9am each morning.
Wrap up yesterday’s work and catch up on e-mails and requests ahead of racing before leaving at nine in the evening it makes it a 12-hour day.
Punchestown always lends itself to great images with the banks races being unique in the game and we put a decent package together.
Faugheen is the story today and he gets a fantastic reception coming back into the winner’s enclosure with owner Rich Ricci shedding tears for his superstar winning his ninth Grade 1 race.
The music played out over the public address system is Paradise by George Ezra and it really adds to the atmosphere. Again after the day’s action the statistics for the Willie Mullins juggernaut make some reading.
Of nearly €2 million in prize money, he has won 63% or €1.2 of it. Twelve winners for 12 different owners and ridden by eight different jockeys.
I am sure by the end of racing today Punchestown 2018 will live long in the memory for all its twists and turns. Probably will never be bettered in our time or will it. Sure you couldn’t bet on that with Mullins and Elliott trading blows.