ROBBIE Cleary (38) originally from Ballydehob in West Cork, is arguably the most successful Irish harness horseman to ply his trade in America.

Cleary-trained runners have won two legs of the George Morton Levy series at Yonkers Raceway and his horses regularly compete with the cream at The Meadowlands and Pocono Downs.

The year 2019 was Robbie’s first million dollar season, he trained the winners of $1,000,050 from 200 starts. His horses won $660,000 in 2020 and $750,000 in 2021 with truncated seasons due to Covid.

Nothing is for nothing in America, and although his family back home are most supportive, Robbie had to make his own way in a tough environment.

Robbie hovered between his father’s yard, the Meadowbranch camp and Anthony Haughan’s in Canada before taking the plunge in 2011. He leaves behind his father Padjoe, a long-standing owner/trainer/driver, his mother Angela, a brother Colm and two sisters Elaine and Clodagh.

Remarkable

Padjoe, now 66, raced frequently in the 1980s campaigning Billy A Lancer. It came to light in the research that he raced the remarkable Easter Surprise (see side bar).

Robbie learnt much of his craft while working for John Richardson.

John was offered big money for Gentleman Jim in 2018 but chose to keep the horse and send him to Robbie for a career in the US. “Robbie built up his barn singlehandedly – he has done really well. He was always very kind with horses”, was John’s comment.

We caught up with the Irishman from his New Jersey base during the week.

Dan Carlin (DC) Where is home nowadays?

Robbie Cleary (RC) White Birch Farm, East Windsor, New Jersey. We are about an hour from The Meadowlands.

DC: Tell us a bit about your dad?

RC: He is a long-term horse man he rode, trained and drove for 40 years. His latest winner was in his mid-sixties with Western Dreamer the family horse. He has been a wonderful dad with 100% support at all times.

He has developed a big interest in American racing since I moved out. He watches The Meadowlands every weekend and all my starters.

DC: What were Padjoe’s early horses, and your own?

RC: Red Five was my first drive, The Galloway Boy was my first winner at Ballabuidhe in 2000. Dad’s first horses were Billy A Lancer and Easter Surprise.

My favourite Irish horse was I’m Just Like Mum, bought from John Richardson unraced and won in Appleby, Boughrood, Amman Valley and Annaghmore and some big pots down in Cork. She was close to my heart.

DC: Talk about your early days in North America, with Anthony Haughan?

RC: Working with Anthony at Mohawk (Ontario) was a great experience and wonderful time in my life.

DC: How was your time with JR (John Richardson)? What makes him such a great horseman?

RC: I worked the 2005 season with him. He is a world class horseman who could operate anywhere. John is gifted with young horses. He is always on the other end of the telephone for me when I have a difficult horse or a young one who is not getting there.

He recently visited my barn and we had two great weeks training together. He gave his own horse Gentleman Jim a great drive to be second at Freehold while he was here.

DC: You have horses for that Bill Donovan?

RC: Bill is a top man. As you said yourself, he helped greatly with racing back home. The Invest in Ourselves programme with the reduced fees for quality stallions is a major benefit to Irish horse people.

I am training two babies for him. We are hoping to do well with them this year, a Stay Hungry called Late For Dinner and a Heston Blue Chip colt called Flash Move

DC: What is your target market/are you overnights*/high-end claimers/low claimers/stakes horses?

RC: I have had most success with overnight* horses, but I aiming to get more two and three-year-old stake-type horses. It’s difficult to compete at that level against the big powerful stakes barns.

DC: Any other owners with a good story?

RC: Bill Peshina who owns Royal Wire Products. He and family have 11 horses in with me. He was my first main owner and has been very loyal. He is great to deal with and a pleasure to train for.

DC: Do you prefer trotters or pacers?

RC: Pacers, there’s less to go wrong.

DC: Give us a few wins that gave you satisfaction.

RC: Winning two divisions of the Levy series at Yonkers and finishing second in the final with Rodeo Rock, my favourite North American horse so far.

Winning the Simpson Memorial with Titos Rock in Toronto was a good buzz. I won a New Jersey Sire Stakes race with Rocking The Aces. Gentleman Jim has won in 1.50 three times for me.

DC: Which US trainers do you admire?

RC: Brett Pelling is a knowledgeable horseman and a good friend to me.

DC: What’s your big ambitions?

RC: I’d love to win a major stakes race or a Breeders’ Crown.

DC: A quick word about the situation at home with the IHRA?

RC: The facilities need improvement but at the same time the owners need to be more supportive of the IHRA management. The sport has come a long way with these people putting a lot of their own time for the cause.

Note * an overnight horse is the term given to older journeymen type horses are shipped from track to track in search of prize money.

WHEN this writer was a strip of a lad at Lambeg Stadium in the 1970s, Easter Surprise was one of the glamour horses in the top-grade pace every week against the like of Thunders Express, Hi Ho Hill and later Saunders Rhythm.

He was a beautiful jet-black gelding owned by the McCune brothers from Glengormley who always kept a decent animal.

I was intrigued to learn that the horse finished his career down in Cork with Robbie Cleary’s father Padjoe.

Padjoe recalls that he bought Easter Surprise in 1981 from the late Jim Graham snr.

“We had him as he got older,” recalls successful trainer, now retired Jim Graham, “he had done a lot of racing but he still had that bit of class.”

The horse was bred by Willie Moore in Fife, Scotland and foaled in 1969. He was by the US stallion Trainer Hanover out of an old British mare called Ta Ta.

Remarkably that would make the horse 13 years of age when he won a £200 race at Baltimore (under saddle) in 1982 with Padjoe in the plate. £200 bought a lot of corn in 1982.

“The race was over a twisty road. Finbar Quill was on the danger. We came to a tight corner and Finbar played it safe, but I cut the corner and it was the winning of the race,” said Padjoe recently. “I sometimes drive along that road and think how dangerous it was.”

Prolific

Easter Surprise won at Chasewater, Manchester and Motherwell for Willie Moore in 1973. He was one of the most prolific horses at Lambeg in its heyday. The horse made a little bit of history when he became the first Irish-trained horse to run in The Famous Musselburgh Pace in 1976, George McCune junior drove him to a second in his heat behind the useful Kevock Gem.

“Easter Surprise narrowly missed being exported to Canada,” recalls John Richardson, “he went 2.08 and a fifth and they were looking for 2.08 at that time.”

After a long and well-travelled career Easter Surprise was sold “to a riding school” as Padjoe recalls. The horse is a great example of the hardiness of the standardbred breed.