THE front page has a large photograph of Merry Gale leading the field in the Cheltenham Gold Cup earlier this month, with the caption stating that Jim Dreaper’s gelding is now heading to the Mumm Melling Chase at Liverpool.
Fianna Fail on course: There are two news items by Valentine Lamb. First concerns Leopardstown racecourse. It has emerged that last summer, at the Galway Festival, Leopardstown entertained some guests at a table in the Fianna Fail marquee. The bill was £8,100. But that was when Fianna Fail were in power!
Since then, the Rainbow Coalition has taken over, and now the Minister for Agriculture is Ivan Yates of Fine Gael. He reveals the details on Wednesday in the Dail, saying: “A subsidiary of the Racing Board provided entertainment for its sponsors at the 1994 Galway Races.” Lamb concludes the story with the fateful words: “The scratching of each other’s political backs has now been forced to stop.”
The second story is about the stallion Catrail, who Lamb describes as “certainly going to be the breadwinner for the Irish National Stud this year.” After covering 65 mares at Tully this spring (£9,000 each!), Catrail will be flying to Australia.
Sam McAughtry: The front page also has a Bob Fannin cartoon of a horse on the top deck of a double-decker bus raising his arms in celebration. He is watched by cheering crowds, with one man on the ground saying to another: “Who’s Your Man?” The caption reads: “Puzzled? See Page 18.” This is a reference to Sam McAughtry’s column. Today he writes about the adulation given to great horses, in comparison with their (relatively) unknown jockeys. He refers to 1982 when Shergar arrived at Newbridge, and was met by a welcoming crowd and a brass band.
Death of Meg Mullion: The death has occurred last Sunday of Mrs Meg Mullion, and a tribute by Desmond Stoneham is on page two, highlighting her own kindness and generosity to him personally. “Mrs Mullion was also an extremely determined person. I always remember her jumping on a plane a few years ago for Australia where she more than sorted out a leading trainer who had not kept his side of a deal.”
On Monday, the death takes place of Mickey Browne, aged 77. The former jump jockey is described as “one of the great characters of the sales scene.”
Leopardstown flat season: The day after the end of the Cheltenham Festival is also St Patrick’s Day, so there is racing at Leopardstown. It is also very wet and windy. The going is heavy.
The card opens with the first race of the new flat season, and this is won by Christy Roche on board Rainbow Blues, trained by Aidan O’Brien. Afterwards, Roche describes the ground as: “the worst I have seen in 25 years riding here.” But the Bansha man smiles through the gloom with a treble on the day. He also rides two winners from the John Oxx yard, Radomsko and Timarida. The latter, a three-year-old filly by Kalaglow, is making her racecourse debut.
The Jim Bolger stable strikes with Nordic Oak taking the Burmah Castrol Lincolnshire Trial Handicap, ridden by Conor Everard. Over jumps, Belmont King, who is owned and trained by Simon Lambert, follows up on success here at Christmas by taking the two miles and five handicap chase on ground which he doesn’t like. Trevor Horgan rides Belmont King, but gets a three-day holiday for excessive use of the whip.
Wet and windy Down Royal: The going is also heavy on Friday at Down Royal, and both horses and humans have to face strong winds, snow showers and hail. All six races have the same prize money of £1,370.
Jim Bolger has an across-the-card double, and here it is Live Project and Seamus Heffernan who win the Calor Gas Maiden, the only flat race here today.
The hunter chase is run during the worst of the weather. Colin’s Hatch, ridden by Mr Liam Lennon, wins by five lengths from Only Four. Reporter Peter O’Hehir says that the conditions cause some structural damage on the course.
For the next race, the two and a half mile handicap chase, the Stewards delay the start, then instruct the jockeys to go down to the start as usual; but if they are not happy with conditions, then they can return to the weighing room. The race goes ahead, and is won by Neda Charmer and Harry Rogers. Afterwards, the jockeys report that the wings of two fences are blown down, and that a tree has fallen onto part of the course!
Hourigan Limerick double: Friday is St Patrick’s Day racing also takes place at Limerick, and again the going is heavy.
Michael Hourigan trains a double, with Bless Me Sister taking the opening mares novice hurdle at 2/5 on favourite; and later Shane Broderick rides Golden Opal to win the Dawn Milk Beginners Chase.
The handicap hurdle is won by Call Me Henry, trained by Andrew McNamara, and ridden by his nephew, Mr J.T. McNamara.
Hourigan headlines again: On Saturday, the only action is at Limerick. Michael Hourigan keeps on winning, and today he has a treble. First is Kings Cherry, who wins the opening novice chase under Kevin O’Brien; next, Shane Broderick rides Lisaleen River to win the maiden hurdle; and later the bumper is won by Queen Of The Lakes, in the hands of Timmy Murphy.
Brendan Sheridan has a double, started by Tullolough, the 25/1 winner of the handicap hurdle; and follows up by winning another hurdle on the Aidan O’Brien trained Native Portrait at 8/1.
Roche off with a win: Navan hosts a mixed card on Sunday.
Christy Roche continues his good start to the new season, as he rides Powder River Grey to take the opening maiden for trainer Aidan O’Brien. There’s another win for Brendan Sheridan when The Carrig Rua wins the two mile novice hurdle; and Kevin O’Brien is back in the winners’ enclosure after Fabricator wins the Proudstown Park Handicap Chase for the Jim Dreaper stable.
Boro best at Thurles: It’s Thurles on Thursday, and the going is soft. You don’t often see a nine-year-old winning a maiden on the flat, but that happens today when Boro Eight wins the Silvermines Maiden at 4/1. The gelding is ridden by Ger Moylan for the Paddy Mullins stable. He will now go to Aintree for the Martell Aintree Hurdle.
Killenaule permit holder Daniel Bourke used to ride out for the legendary trainer Willie O’Grady, and so is especially pleased to have his first training winner when Hill Of Tullow wins the W.T. O’Grady Memorial Hurdle. Willie Slattery is on board the 9/2 winner.
After success at Limerick on St Patrick’s Day, Call Me Henry runs again here and wins the Ballyduag Beginners Chase.
The opening maiden hurdle is won by Mystical City for the Willie Mullins stable, and this is a fourth career success for young rider David Casey.
Cheltenham fourth day: After the Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of last week, the next day, Friday, is St Patrick’s Day, and as a one-off experiment, a “normal” day’s racing is staged at Cheltenham that day. Claire Barry writes about it in her “Inside Track” column, and talks to commentator Peadar Flanagan, who calls two of the races on the course on Friday. “There was a crowd of between 16,000 and 17,000 people, and I thought it was a success,” says Flanagan. “Obviously you couldn’t compare it with Gold Cup day, but I would praise them for trying to give it an Irish flavour.”
Williamsons winners: Ian Carnaby’s weekly report appears on page 15, and features a large photo of the Cheltenham heroes, Master Oats and Alderbrook, with trainer Kim Bailey and jockey Norman Williamson. Carnaby writes about last Saturday’s racing at Uttoxeter.
Williamson decides not to have a rest, so he goes to Uttoxeter and wins the big race. The Midlands Grand National is won by Lucky Lane, trained by Philip Hobbs. Afterwards Williamson says: “It has been unbelievable. When I fell off in the first race I was thinking the bubble had burst. This really is the icing on the cake.”
French jockeys banned: This week, Desmond Stoneham writes about drugs. Three jockeys, Dominque Boeuf, William Mongil, and Olivier Doleuze, are convicted in court earlier this month of charges relating to possessing cocaine. The latter two received suspended sentences, but Stoneham writes that Boeuf “must do one of his three years behind bars, although he will be allowed out every day to carry on his profession.” Boeuf has lodged an appeal.
Back on the course, the first pattern race of the year, the Prix Exbury, is won by Tuesday’s Special, ridden by Thierry Jarnet and trained by André Fabre. Stoneham predicts that Fabre, now aged 48, will dominate the scene again in France this year. He also trains Pennekamp, who now heads for the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket where he will face up to Celtic Swing, a possible match described by Stoneham as a “clash of the titans”.
Bin Suroor appointment: The Maktoum family Goldolphin operation has a new trainer for their stables in Newmarket. He is a former policeman named Saeed bin Suroor. Aged 28, he will apply for a full British training licence and will initially train thirty horses at Stanley House Stables in Newmarket.
Sheikh Mohammed is quoted as saying: “I have been watching Saeed for a long time. I spotted him trying hard for himself by converting two garages into stables and selling his own car to buy feed.”