2007

MARTIN Brassil probably realised a dream when Numbersixvalverde won the Irish Grand National a couple of seasons ago, but he couldn’t have prepared himself for what happened at Aintree last year when the then 10-year-old hardly touched a twig to credit the popular Clareman with the biggest success of his career so far, and in the world’s most famous race.

Ii was a superb piece of training by Brassil who was saddling his first runner in the contest. Results like that are no guarantee of further success, but they have definitely helped raise his profile over the last 12 months, and he now has what he describes as “a nice team of horses” at his yard, just on the outskirts of the Curragh.

“Numbers-wise, we have 25 horses here at the moment. From the time ‘Numbersix’ won the Irish National we have started to get a better type of horse. We have very good owners, and we have a grand bunch of horses.

“You do need a good horse over here. If you don’t have a horse rated around 110 you will find it hard to win a maiden hurdle. The bar is being raised all the time, so everyone has to try and improve on what they have. It is very competitive over here, but thankfully we have the likes of ‘Numbersix’ and Nickname in the yard, which helps us compete in some of the better races.

“Winning the English National was an unbelievable day. Everything just worked out the way we hoped and Niall [Madden], for a man having his first ride in the race, gave the horse a super ride. We’ll never forget that day, and he has been a super horse for Bernie [Carroll], Niall and everyone connected with the yard.”

Not surprisingly, Numbersixvalverde has been a terrific money-spinner for connections. Funnily enough, the 11-year-old has only won five races, however he has netted three big prizes – a Thyestes, and Irish National and that unforgettable day at Aintree. Those successes have nudged his career earnings to almost €750,000.

Nickname won his first Grace 1 in this country a couple of weeks ago when he dotted up in the Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase. The ex-French-trained eight-year-old remains lightly-raced, and has been remarkably consistent. He has won 13 of his 24 starts, and no fewer than 10 of those victories have been in graded races.

[Nickname, later a successful stallion, went to stud as the winner of 18 of his 31 races, adding five more graded successes to his tally when trained by Martin Brassil. The trainer also enjoyed big race successes with Ambobo in the Pat Taaffe Chase at Punchestown, three blacktype wins with Double Seven, including the Munster National, while City Island gave him a Cheltenham Festival success in the Grade 1 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle.

Prior to these Brassil saddled Nordic Thorn to win a Grade 3 chase at Galway, while Eddie Ahern was in the saddle when Inchacooley won the Listed Brownstown Stud Stakes at Leopardstown for owner-breeder Paul Hyland]

Stars of the future at Baldoyle

1957

AS usual, Baldoyle had the distinction of staging the first meeting of the year, but the attendance at the Sutton venue last Tuesday did not appear to be up to average.

This was the first meeting since the new Totalisator minimum units of two shillings and sixpence were brought into operation, but the day’s aggregate of transactions through the ‘machine’ showed a decrease of £4,000 on the corresponding day last year.

Only one clear favourite obliged during the afternoon, and the layers had a real ‘skinner’ over the last event of the day, the Stayers Plate, with the rank outsider Prudent King, ridden by veteran amateur Brigadier B.J. Fowler, gaining a sparkling success. Prudent King went clear in the straight to score from Axceeno and Omnipotent.

Riding honours during the afternoon were carried off by G.W. (Willie) Robinson, who has been enjoying a successful spell since joining the ranks of the professionals. Young Robinson won the three-mile Feltrim Handicap Hurdle on Zonda, and supplemented this win by scoring on Longmead in the New Year Handicap Chase.

Halcyon Day was an odds-on chance to win the first race of the year, the Portmarnock Novices’ Chase, but the best he could do was to finish second to Royal Courier, owned by Mr P McCann, trained by Dan Moore and ridden by Christy Grassick.

[Prudent King was sold by Brigadier Fowler after this win and joined Vincent O’Brien. As a maiden hurdler he won a division of the Gloucestershire Hurdle at Cheltenham, now the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, ridden by Tommy Burns. He was also placed in the Champion Hurdle.

Zonda was another winner at the meeting to go on and become a big race winner. His total of 13 career successes included the 1959 Irish Grand National, ridden by Pat Taaffe for trainer Matt Geraghty. He also won the Leopardstown Chase and was placed in the Gold Cup at Cheltenham, the Hennessy Gold Cup, the Thyestes Chase and in the Irish Grand National]

Buckskin to stand at The Beeches Stud

1982

NATIONAL Hunt breeders will be pleased to hear that Buckskin has been bought to stand in Ireland.

The Prix du Cadran (twice) and Prix Jean Prat hero, described by his trainer Henry Cecil as “undoubtedly the greatest horse I have trained, and the bravest”, will shortly be arriving at Bobby McCarthy’s The Beeches Stud, Tallow, where he will stand alongside Laurence O and General Ironside.

By the Mossborough stallion Yelapa, a champion two-year-old of his generation in France, Buckskin is out of a winning daughter of Herbager, and it goes without saying that he is the most exciting recruit to Irish jumping sires since Deep Run, also under the Coolmore management, took up stud duties 10 years ago. The latter, incidentally, will stand the coming season at Sandville Stud, Glanworth.

[Buckskin won 10 races and his wins in Britain included a trio of Group 3 races, notably the Doncaster Cup. He was twice runner-up in the Group 1 Ascot Gold Cup, to three-time winner Sagaro in 1977 and to dual winner Le Moss two years later. He went to stud in 1980.

At stud Buckskin sired the Grade 1 winners Colonel Braxton, Micko’s Dream, Buck Rogers, Delphi Lodge and Buckboard Bounce, while his son Amberleigh House won the Grand National Aintree. His daughters produced a steady stream of graded winners over the years. Buckskin died at the age of 22 in 1995]

O’Connor and Maybin wedding

2012

CONGRATULATIONS to show jumper Cian O’Connor on his marriage to Ruth Maybin on New Year’s Eve. After the ceremony in Clongowes Wood College Church, the couple were joined by family and friends to celebrate in The K Club in Straffan, Co Kildare. The pair then flew to Florida where Cian will be competing in the Winter Equestrian Festival in Palm Beach \ Catherine O’Hara