THE worlds of show jumping, racing and hunting were saddened by the loss of one of their best loved horsewomen, Phyllis McDowell, at the great age of 98 years. Always with a sense of humour, Phyllis remarked to me a couple of years ago that she now looked forward to the days and not the years. Phyllis had such a large appetite for life that it was necessary to roll back the natural span of life to fit it all in.

A very entertaining and elegant lady, she was born in Howth and did not have to travel far to meet her husband, Herbert, who was from nearby Sutton. She was a life member of the Royal Dublin Society, first attending Dublin Horse Show as a four-year-old before going on to become a top-level showjumper, race rider, a master of the Fingal Harriers Hunt, and she had a keen eye in judging horses, either in the rough or performing. Ted Wright was one of her mentors when she started riding ponies.

She had style on and off horses. I still remember the last time I met Phyllis at her home in Malahide. She appeared looking very athletic in a pair of comfortable running shoes and proceeded to take me through all the photos on the walls, which was a visual history of all the significant equestrian events in which the McDowells excelled. Then she showed me the famous Grand National Trophy and took it out on the lawn on the summer afternoon.

Racing

The McDowell family were well known in the hunting, racing and show jumping world. Herbert was a veterinary surgeon and trained Caughoo to win the 1947 Grand National at Aintree for his brother Jack. The horse was purchased by her husband for 30 guineas at Ballsbridge Sales, through bloodstock agent Jack White, and trained mainly on Portmarnock Beach in North County Dublin. Before the National, the horse had an impressive record winning two Ulster Nationals, a win in Limerick and a third in Galway. Caughoo started in the betting ring at 200/1 at Aintree, so the McDowells decided to travel over for the occasion and have a modest flutter in case he surprised them. Not giving the horse any chance, they were thrilled when he won the race at 100/1 with Eddie Dempsey on board who rode for Tom Dreaper.

Phyllis recalled being seated on top of the Grand Stand with her mother-in-law Caroline, but when the horse passed the post in the fog, she decided that she would be down in the parade ring to welcome him back. She described the untimed exit perfectly, saying that it was quickest spin her mother-in-law ever got as she was dragged down to the parade ring by Phyllis. Owner Jack McDowell put on a free bar on the boat back to Ireland. The horse was paraded in Malahide and down O’Connell Street in Dublin, past the family jewellery business, ‘McDowells Happy Ring House’ – still the oldest remaining original established business in the capital city’s main thoroughfare. Other horses that Phyllis was associated with included Our Pyjamas, No Nightie and Warren Lad, that she won on in a point-to-point in Wexford.

Hunting

Phyllis’s pastime in the winter was hunting where she was master and trustee of the Fingal Harriers, along with Robert Craigie, and was known as at her best leading the followers across some of the best ditch country in Ireland when Paddy Shanahan and Micky Grant hunted hounds. She would often hunt her showjumpers like Marcelbert, Brown Sugar and The Jeweller, to sharpen them up, taking them to the Ward Union Staghounds as well. She recalled a meet of the Wards in Ratoath when they got a fast run to the back of Swords village and she was one of just two finishers. Hunt Balls in the Gresham were much looked forward to as her husband Herbert was a fine dancer, with one of his favourite dances being The Old Time Waltz.

Phyllis McDowell (25) shared first place in a show jumping competition at Dublin Horse Show with Prince Bernhard of The Netherlands

Show jumping

Phyllis spent her summers show jumping, and she was always very modest about her achievements, travelling all over Ireland to shows with Maeve Chadwick doing the horses. She smiled as she recalled edging her husband Herbert out of first place on her sister-in-law Mary’s jumper Marcelbert, named after Mary, Cecil and Herbert in the High Wall Competition in Mountbellew. As a result, it was a quiet journey back to Dublin!

She was a friend of the great show horse producer, Nat Galway Greer, who was a great judge of a horse in the rough. He still holds the record at the Dublin Horse Show of 10 Supreme Hunter Championships. She travelled with him around the country sourcing horses on farms and at horse fairs like Ballinasloe where she recalled seeing a horse coming down the road and both Nat and herself went silent. They both knew instantly that he was a right one, and that horse went on to win at the Dublin Horse Show the following year.

Everything was aimed at the Dublin Horse Show where she had considerable success. Phyllis showed a middleweight hunter called Baldara, owned by Sonny Collen, and as she said, that although the judges did not put him in the line-up, they still wanted to buy him! The Jeweller was one of her best horses who competed in the Grand Prix, winning many competitions including the Banks Competition in Dublin. He was later hunted by Phyllis, and her niece Dr Carlos McDowell, and also pony clubbed with the Meaths at Mosney by her brother John.

Marcelbert won the High Jump over poles and Phyllis was presented with The Duggan Cup by Judge Wylie. Leonard Cave won for her on Best Man and Lt Col Jack Lewis won on Hack On and was presented with the President’s Trophy by the then President of Ireland, Eamon de Valera. However, her most memorable day was sharing first place with Prince Bernhard of The Netherlands at the RDS. The newspapers the following day had headlines like, ‘Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands ties with 25-year-old mother’, Prince Bernhard ties with a Woman’ and ‘Prince and Dublin Woman tie in Jumping Drama’.

Caughoo and Eddie Dempsey clear the last fence to win the Aintree Grand National in 1947, trained by Herbert McDowell

Awards

Phyllis received many awards during her long career, but two that she was extremely proud of were the special awards she received in the main arena during Dublin Horse Show week, and also at Downpatrick Racecourse, where she cut the tape on the new Caughoo Bar. She kept in touch with her hunting and racing friends up to recently, and attended a monthly lunch with them in the Snail Box Bar and Restaurant, a well-known hunt meet for the Fingals, the Wards and the Meaths.

She is survived by her daughters Marian and Patricia and sons David, Peter and Brian. Marian and Patricia were accomplished show jumping riders, with Marian riding Blue Heaven, Sweet Control and Knorr Swift, going on to represent Ireland from an early age. Marian married fellow international show jumper Leonard Cave who many will know as Chief Steward of the Main Arena at Dublin Horse Show. Her niece Dr Carlos McDowell is involved with Dublin Horse Show’s medical team, and her son David is a prize-winning architect. Peter and Brian’s interests are in sailing. A private family funeral service was held last week. Phyllis McDowell will be sadly missed by her family and many friends in the wider equestrian community.