Fairyhouse Festival: Today’s front page has a photo of Luska beating Royal Bond at Punchestown last year. The pair meet again in the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse on Monday. This year’s festival starts today, Saturday, with racing also on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next.
Managing Editor of The Irish Field, Valentine Lamb, writes his usual front page leader article, and today it is about the touchy subject of ballotting. Not in Ireland, but in England!
Before last weekend’s Monksfield Novices Hurdle at Aintree, six runners have to be ballotted out, and four of these are trained in Ireland. Connections of each horse will be out of pocket by approximately £1,000, according to Lamb’s calculations. And that’s just the expenses for the horse – not including the humans!
Another event at Aintree is the official launch of a campaign by the Jockey Club to purchase the racecourse. But Lamb describes the start as “pathetic” as there is virtually no publicity. “Surely a banker’s slip in each racecard looking for funds would have been an obvious start,” says Lamb, but there is virtually no effort made among racegoers on the track.
Grittar wins National: Last Saturday’s Grand National. The winner is Grittar, 7/1 favourite, ridden by 48-year-old amateur rider, Mr Dick Saunders. He was elected a member of the Jockey Club just a few months earlier, and becomes the oldest jockey to win the big race. Saunders immediately announces his retirement from race riding!
There are 39 starters. But they go too fast, and 10 exit the race at the first fence, either falling or being brought down. The 10 include last year’s winner, Aldaniti. Owned and trained by Frank Gilman, Grittar, a hunter chaser, jumps well, takes the lead before four out, and wins by fifteen lengths from Hard Outlook, with Loving Words (falls at the fourth last and is remounted) in third.
Eighth and last to finish is Cheers, ridden by 26-year-old amateur rider, Mrs Geraldine Rees, who thus becomes the first female rider to complete the Grand National, although a long way behind. But Powell admits that he does join in the applause, describing Cheers as “exhausted” over the last half mile, and fearing that the horse would collapse on the run-in. “Seldom have I seen a horse more distressed,” writes Jonathan Powell.
Rogers photos: Page 27 is a montage of Aintree photographs by Ruth Rogers. Included are photos of Dick Saunders on Grittar; one of Geraldine Rees; a photo of Brendan Sheridan exiting out of the saddle during the Topham Trophy; and one of Ted Walsh and Daring Run jumping the last on the way to victory in the Sun Templegate Hurdle.
Curragh mishaps: The Curragh hosts racing last Saturday and the going is yielding to soft. The meeting, to put it mildly, is not a success. Going against the competition of the Grand National does not help, but reporter Dave Baker writes that: “the track inflicted on its patrons a mixture of official bungling and trade union histrionics.”
Baker writes about a growing trend he has noticed in Irish racing generally; delays in announcing information such as non-runners, rider changes, overweight notices, and details of riders’ allowance claims. Or sometimes, claim details are not announced at all. Baker feels that such information should be announced to racegoers at least 15 minutes before the off of each race.
Today, Baker describes a series of mishaps in chronological order. The first race, the five furlong juvenile maiden, is timed for 1.45 and goes off four minutes late. The winner is Sweet Emma, ridden by Christy Roche. Race two is the 2.15, the mile maiden for three-year-olds, and this starts five minutes behind time. Pat Eddery wins this on Senior Citizen.
Race three is the feature race of the day, the Gladness Stakes, a Listed race, worth £4,479. Timed for 2.45, it starts ten minutes behind. Last year’s leading juvenile, Achieved, makes his comeback and is the 1/2 favourite with Pat Eddery on board. But he is beaten a head by the four-year-old Kilian. Baker writes: “While the going was probably softer than Achieved would have liked, he should have won in this sort of company if he has Classic pretensions.”
Kilian, a son of Thatch, is owned by Turf Club Senior Steward Denis McCarthy, and trained by David O’Brien. Due to illness, Christy Roche gives up the ride, and Raymond Carroll takes over.
Race four is the Listed April Fillies Stakes, worth £4,859. This is timed for 3.15, but is delayed to allow everyone to watch the Grand National. Pat Eddery completes a double on Miss Lilian.
But Baker notices that, under the agreement with the racing unions, racing has to conclude by 5pm, and the seventh race is scheduled for 4.45. The sixth race results in a long stewards’ inquiry, but Andy Nolan and Catch Up keep the race.
The seventh race does not start until 5.25. Baker writes that discussions take place between union representatives and the result is that the bookmakers’ clerks work, but there is no Tote on the last race.
Then while runners are being loaded for the concluding race, the Straw Hall Maiden, the starting stalls malfunction. Some stall gates open prematurely, and two runners, Bells Are Ringing and Hunters Delight, take off down the track. Both are withdrawn. Eventually, the winner is Barbender, completing a double for Raymond Carroll.
The Tote aggregate (on six races in practice!) is £44,122, compared with £70,903 for a seven-race card last year.
Baker’s report is accompanied by a Bob Fannin cartoon. It shows two sheep standing on the Curragh with decrepit, falling-down grandstands in the background. The caption: “I remember the good old days when there used to be racing on the Curragh.”
Elsewhere in the paper, Neville Ring looks at recent Tote aggregate figures and wonders about the leadership being given to the industry. He looks at last Saturday’s Curragh meeting. Ring describes Saturday’s Tote aggregate figure as “disastrous”.
He writes: “There’s talk of high powered marketing techniques being applied shortly in an effort to get the punters back on the tracks. But a small amount of money spent on a bit of serious market research in an effort to find out what the punters feel is going wrong with Irish racing and what their idea of the remedy would be, could turn out to represent a more worthwhile investment at the moment.”
Day of doubles: A mixed card is held at Leopardstown on Wednesday afternoon, and the going is yielding to soft. But for reporter Dave Baker, the main story is the drop in Tote turnover. Last year: £81,210. Today, also a seven-race card, just £35,861.
Pat Eddery repeats his Saturday performance with another double, on Chelsea Charmer and Boreen Deas. Another jockey with a double is Declan Gillespie, who wins on Mothers Word and the day’s feature on Santa Roseanna.
The Minstrel Stakes is worth £4,297 to the winner, and is sponsored with £4,00 from Robert Sangster. He attempts to make a £297 profit with Pilgrim, a full- brother to The Minstrel. Having won his only start at two, Pilgrim is 1/2 favourite. But Santa Roseanna, trained by Jim Bolger beats Pilgrim by a length.
The day concludes with a bumper, and a win for trainer Guy St John Williams. Grand Harmony, ridden by Brian Rothwell, wins from Bastrop and Forgive’N Forget.
Girl power: Racing also takes place on Wednesday afternoon at Downpatrick and the going is soft. It’s a bad day for punters as all six favourites are beaten!
Punters make Mister Smiddy 4/5 on favourite for the Dunleath Hunters Chase but he is beaten 10 lengths by Bahia De Palma.
Tom Dorrian sponsors a race, the Zalonas Boy Hunters Chase, with £345 to the winner. He owns a runner, Glengiven. And Glengiven wins by a neck from odds-on favourite Churchfield Boy. Mrs Rosemary Stewart is winning rider.
Another succesful lady is Miss Suzanne Finn. She has her second racecourse win when Straight Air takes the bumper at 14/1.
Reporter Cliff Noone is praiseworthy of Sean Treacy’s performance in riding Proud Souroma to victory in the opening mares’ maiden hurdle.
It’s a good day for the McGivern clan. Tommy rides Sicilian Answer, who survives a stewards’ inquiry to win the novice chase, and his cousin Gerry rides Glancer to win the handicap hurdle.
Bolger winner: Limerick Junction is the venue for action on Thursday afternoon and the going is soft.
Reporter Tony O’Hehir is impressed with the winning performace of Erins Hope, a son of Manado, who wins the Tipperary 3-Y-O Race by eight lengths at even money. Declan Gillespie rides the colt, who is owned by Hugh McCaffrey and trained by Jim Bolger.
The other flat race is also won by a short-price favourite. Michael Kinane wins the April Handicap on 4/7 favourite South Wales, trained by Michael Kauntze.
The biggest prize today is the £1,311 for the three mile and one furlong handicap chase, which goes to Dream Toi and Niall Madden.
The opening handicap hurdle is won by Arramear, and it is a first winner for amateur rider Mr Aidan Ryan. At the end, the bumper is won by Papas Buskins and John Kiely.
The Tote aggregate is £21,691, but there was no corresponding meeting last year.
Crowd disappointed: Desmond Stoneham’s weekly report has good news for Irish-breds. Last Sunday at Longchamp, four of the seven races are won by Irish-bred horses. Feature of the day is the Prix d’Harcourt, and this is won by Lancastrian. A son of Reform, Lancastrian is trained by David Smaga, and owned by Lord Weinstock and Sir Michael Sobell. Among the losers is 5/4 favourite The Wonder, who runs no race at all, and is booed by sections of the paddock on return.
Stoneham writes that he has heard rumours that Stavros Niarchos will soon have a new jockey. It looks like it will be 20-year-old American, Cash Asmussen, who will go to France after the Kentucky Derby.
INS job: The Irish National Stud Company Ltd places a box advertisement for “Manager” in the Classifieds section. The job will involve the running of the stud, including the eleven stallions and accommodation for more than 200 visiting mares; farming of 1,350 acres; running residential training courses; and the management of the Japanese Gardens.
The successful person will require “a high level of technical competence” and “modern scientific stud management”. Salary will be “determined by the Minister for Agriculture in consulation with the Minister for Finance.”