AIRO Racing Certainty 2020

RACINGCERTAINTY 2020

2020

2019 MEMBERS’ DAY IN PICTURES

All the colour from Galway

MAGAZINE OF THE ASSOCIATION OF IRISH RACEHORSE OWNERS

ONE COOL TEAM

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SMALL OWNERS, BIG HORSES

Vincent Byrne and Caroline Roper share with us their passion for racing

FAMILY TIES

It’s all in the blood for the Slattery dynasty

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Relax / Dine / Savour

R

Consider joining the RDS Benefits for Ireland, Benefits for You.

In addition to supporting the philanthropic work programme of the RDS Access to our elegant Members’ Club Use of 70 reciprocal clubs worldwide Access to meeting rooms & parking Use of RDS Library with hot desks Access to Members’ cultural and social events 5-day complimentary entry to the Dublin Horse Show (15 to 19 July 2020) Access to pre-match rugby hospitality

Contact the Membership Team on join@rds.ie or 01 240 7296 www.rds.ie/membership

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| WELCOME |

Brian Polly Chairman

The Association of Irish Racehorse Owners (AIRO)

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

I

am delighted to welcome you all to the 2020 AIRO annual publication of Racing Certainty. Looking back over 2019, the year has seen both challenges and change to the Association, with the appointment of Caren Walsh to represent AIRO on the Board of HRI. I would like to personally congratulate Caren on this achievement. Also, more recently, the rebirth of AIRO as a limited company, incorporating changes to the Constitution of the Association. Our Irish owners continue to dominate racing both in Ireland and abroad with the many successes at all levels of both National Hunt and Flat racing, with Grade 1 winners at Cheltenham and Aintree and Group 1 winners at Epsom, Ascot, Newmarket and Longchamp. With Great Britain now having exited the European Union and an Irish border down the Irish Sea in place of an internal land border, it remains to be seen what impact this will have on horses travelling outside of the island of Ireland. I welcome the news that there has been an increase in the number of new owners coming into our sport in 2019/2020.The Association of Irish Racehorse Owners has a membership of almost 2,300 members. As the representative body for all racehorse owners in Ireland we will continue to strive to improve the raceday experience for all of our members. Our continued lobbying of Irish Racecourses has resulted in further improvements for owners with a runner on the day. A significant number of racecourses offer owners, with a runner on the day, a sit-down lunch and we are still lobbying the remaining racecourses who have yet to follow suit. We have secured an agreement with the Association of Irish Racecourses to provide in excess of 100 free entry days for owners who have a racehorse returned in training. Details are available on page 6 & 7 of this publication. In addition, sole owners and partnerships with a runner on the day will get an extra four tickets allocated to them, while syndicates may obtain up to 20 free tickets if they make their requests to the racecourses in advance of the meeting. Your AIRO membership continues to include Public Liability Insurance protecting you in the unfortunate event of any third party claims.

Our representative will continue to lobby HRI for a reduction in costs of entering a horse for a race and the deductions from prize money when your horse wins or is placed. The current deduction stands at 27% which is an unacceptably high percentage cost to owners. This year we will continue to provide our very popular marquees at the Punchestown Festival from 28 April 2020 until 2 May 2020 and the Galway Festival from Monday 27 July 2020 to Wednesday 29 July 2020. We are also hoping to host a hospitality day for members at Naas Racecourse, AIRO Racecourse of the Year for 2019, over the summer, the exact date of which is yet to be confirmed. Unfortunately, the Association was unable to host the annual awards dinner in 2019 but we plan to be back on track at the Killashee House Hotel for the 2020 Awards night on the 31 October 2020. We are also delighted to have our media partners The Irish Field on board again for this event. Both myself and the AIRO Council members look forward to welcoming you all to the various events throughout the year. Racing is an extremely competitive sport and there is nothing more fulfilling than having a winner, so for those of you who are lucky enough to own a winning horse enjoy the moment and I wish you all the very best of luck for the upcoming season.

I hope you enjoy your magazine and I thank you most sincerely for your continued support.

Chairman

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| CONTENTS |

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Jane Matthews EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS: Lissa Oliver Donn McClean Breandán Ó Huallacháin Ian Carnaby Samantha Oliver Daragh Ó Conchúir David Mongey John Osborne Eoghain Ward James Gibbons Rachel McMahon Denis Coakley FRONT COVER PHOTOGRAPHY: Pat Healy PHOTOGRAPHY: Pat Healy James Moore Racing Post David Betts iStock PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE: Nicole Ennis SALES DIRECTOR: Diarmaid Lennon MANAGING DIRECTOR: Gerry Tynan

Published by: Ashville Media Group, 55 Park West Road, Park West, D12 Tel: +353 1 432 2200 Email: info@ashville.com Web: www.ashville.com On behalf of: Association of Irish Racehorse Owners, Greenhills, Kill, Co Kildare Tel: +353 (0)45 878 173 Fax: +353 (0)45 878 174 Email: info@irishracehorseowners.com Web: www.irishracehorseowners.com All articles © Ashville Media Group 2020. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher.

Opinion and comments expressed herein are not necessarily those of Ashville Media or the Association of Irish Racehorse Owners.

NEWS BITES 04 AIRO updates and industry news AIRO MEMBERS’ 06 FREE FIXTURES A guide to free racing

fixtures in 2020 and benefits for AIRO members

53 FUTURE STARS OF TRACK

A HISTORY OF 08 BELLEWSTOWN RACES by John Kirwan BEACH LIFE 10 Lissa Oliver on over 150 years of the Laytown Races ONE COOL TEAM 12 Donn McClean sits down with the four partners behind One Cool Poet

WHEN THE DREAM 16 COMES TRUE Lissa Oliver meets Carol Roper

20

THE COLOUR CODE Samantha Oliver looks back on the origins of racing silks

HOPES & DREAMS: 22 BEYOND NAAS ROAD by Ian Carnaby A GREAT RUN 24 Breandán Ó Huallacháin catches up with Vincent byrne

26

ALL IN A DAYS WORK Breandán Ó Huallacháin on the history of stall handling

29 FAMILY MATTERS 30 Daragh Ó Conchúir spends time with the

HRI OWNERSHIP: THE YEAR AHEAD

Slattery Family

35

ROYAL LINE Samantha Oliver on Sheikh Hamdan the man behind Shadwell

37

GOOD GOING Breandán Ó Huallacháin talks to Tracey O’Meara

ON THE UP & UP Eoghain Ward reports 39 reports on the future of point-to-pointing

RESPONSIBLE 40 OWNERSHIP John Osborne delivers

STAY WARM AND 58 DRY for ringside and racedays

42

THE LOOK OF THE IRISH We 59 feature 5 contempory

a strong message

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Lissa Oliver reminds us those who retired this year aren’t so far away

BELLS, BOWLS AND 44 CUPS Samantha Oliver discovers why a

trophy can be worth more than the prize money

PUNCHESTOWN 45 & THE KILDARE HUNT CLUB David

Mongey takes us on a trip down memory lane

BACK TO BASICS 46 Breandán Ó Huallacháin on how quality feed impacts perfomance

HOME FOR THE 48 HOLIDAYS James Gibbons talks us through

the management of the racehorse during turnout

FUTURE STARS 50 OF TRACK Rachel McMahon introduces us to the stars of the future

FROM PONIES 53 TO HORSES Denis Coakley tells us why pony racing is the nursery of future champions

PACKING FOR THE 55 RACES Home or away we have you kitted out

Irish craftspeople

MEMBER BENEFITS 63 Meet the AIRO team and get an overview of member benefits

70 AT GALWAY A social gallery of AIRO

AIRO MEMBERS

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

EDITOR: Lissa Oliver

hospitality on a glorious day at the Galway race

FAMILIAR FACES 73 Meet the unsung heroes who work behind

the scenes to make your raceday experience special

RACECOURSE 75 AWARD 2019 Naas Racecourse tops members poll

ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE 76 AND HANDICAPPING Lissa Oliver advocates for equality and explains how to achieve it

HELMET 78 TECHNOLOGY Lissa Oliver on keeping our riders safe

OUT OF THE 80 STALLS Lissa Oliver talks to Sport Horse

Ireland’s Young Breeder of the Year 2017 award winner, David Browne

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| NEWS |

RACEDAYS

Congratulations to Gigginstown House Stud, Leading NH Owner, and Mrs John Magnier, Leading Flat Owner.

Frankie Dettori and Pat Smullen pictured at the The Cartier/Daily Telegraph Awards 2019

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

PAT SMULLEN RACEDAY

Pat Smullen’s raceday during Longines Irish Champions Weekend raised over €2.5m for pancreatic cancer trials and pancreatic cancer research. The weekend of charity events included a charity dinner, an on-line auction and souvenir cups on sale at Leopardstown and the Curragh. Highlight was the Champions Race, won by 20-time British jumps champion Tony McCoy, riding Quizical for Pat’s good friends Sheila and John Lavery.

TRIPARTITE AGREEMENT REMAINS IN PLACE FOR 2020 It has been confirmed by the Irish, French and British Ministries of Agriculture that movement of equines between the three countries will continue in accordance of the Tripartite Agreement, at least during the transition period that ends 31 December 2020.

Bites Healy Racing

The Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award Of time Irish Champion Jockey. Pat was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2018 and has since helped others with the same condition.

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NEWS

Merit for 2019 went to Pat Smullen, nine-

N

LEADING OWNERS 2019

The partnership between AIRO and Dundalk sees the culmination of the Dundalk Winter Series on Saturday 4 April, where a seven-race card will include the Winter Series Awards. Two Awards will be presented by AIRO, to the winning-most horse at Dundalk between November and March and to the horse who accumulates the greatest number of points during the same period. The races on the day will carry twice the normal prize money for their grade.

ds

page 6

Despite no increase in public funding, HRI announced an increase of €1.7m in prize money to bring the 2020 total to €68m. There are also seven extra race meetings for 2020. n Owners total up by 6.4% to 4061 n New owners up by 6.8% to 851 n Owner retention up by 2.9% to 74.7% n Syndicates up by 10.5% to 664 n Racing clubs up by 8.7% to 50 n Horses in training up by 3% to 8,949 n Prize money up by 4% to €66.06m n Prize money won in UK by Irishtrained horses £15.3m n Prize money won in rest of world by Irish-trained horses €9.27m n Total attendance up by 3.2% to 1.315m n Average attendance 3,621

The

who have a horse registered in training. Details of the dates are on

DUNDALK WINTER AWARDS

2019 FIGURES

a as

107 free admission days in 2020 for all owners

nN

AIRO has secured agreement with the Racecourses for

Iri

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| NEWS |

150 YEARS TO CELEBRATE! It was 150 years of racing at Galway in 2019 and this year sees the Irish National celebrate 150 years at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday 13 April, the culmination of the three-day Festival.

CAREN WALSH, AIRO REPRESENTATIVE ON HRI BOARD AIRO Council member, Caren Walsh, has been appointed to the Board of HRI as Owners' Representative and is looking forward to working with all bodies of HRI to promote and improve racehorse ownership, racecourse facilities, race planning, costs and welfare. Caren has horses in training with Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott and Philip Hobbs. She grew up on a farm in Dorset and was involved with The Pony Club, Young Farmers and point-to-pointing. Before coming to Ireland in 2003, Caren was the Catering & Hospitality Manager at Salisbury Racecourse. Caren joined the AIRO Council in 2003. Along with Aiden Burns, she revived The Awards Night, and started the ‘Racing Certainty’ magazine and the newsletter. “Above all, I want to be accessible and approachable to owners. I am often at the races and happy to stop and chat re any concerns or ideas owners may have.” Tel: 086 1708053. Email:carenjwalsh@gmail.com

RATHER RUMMY?

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 HOURS? It didn’t even take Joseph O’Brien that long to complete a magnificent global treble across three continents in just one day. A Wave Of The Sea won at Down Royal in the colours of JP McManus on 2 November, Iridessa won the Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Fillies & Mares Turf at Santa Anita on the same day for Mrs C.C. RegaladoGonzalez, and over in Australia, still on 2 November down under, Downdraft won the Gr3 Lexus Hotham Stakes for the J. Boyd and OTI Racing partnership.

EGM REPORT An Extraordinary General Meeting of AIRO was held 20 January 2020 in order to approve the change to a Company Limited by Guarantee (GLC), which was passed unanimously. AIRO’s Constitution Committee, together with a legal advisor, is now finalising the GLC’s constitution and it is hoped it will be adopted at an EGM to be held in the last quarter of 2020.

HISTORIC TRIFECTA A case of deja vu at Laytown Races when the first three home in the 2019 Melbourne 10 Handicap were the same horses, in the same order, as the 2018 renewal. Hats off to consistency for winner Tyrconnell, runner-up My Good Brother and third-placed Pillar.

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

Will Tiger Roll add a third Grand National to his CV? He will be going for the attempt at Aintree 43 years after Red Rum’s record treble. Red Rum won in 1973, 1974 and 1977, finishing second in 1975 and 1976. Can Tiger Roll become the first to win three in succession?

WHAT’S NEW? Prize money will now go to the sixth horse home in all races. | The first claiming race over hurdles was run at Galway in September 2019 and as a result of its success, two more have been included in the spring NH programme, with the likelihood of more being added to the summer NH programme. Claiming races on the Flat increased to 41 and a further increase is expected in 2020. | The first auction bumper races were run in the autumn and spring of the 2019/2020 NH season. | Completing the rebuilding of the Curragh, the new grandstand was opened during the Guineas Festival by HH Aga Khan and the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar. | A new Weigh Room was completed for the start of the season at Roscommon, to compliment the new wheelchair accessible private area for owners and trainers overlooking the parade ring. | Dundalk opened its new Owners & Trainers Lounge. | The Irish EBF has increased its contribution to prize money for 2020, with a minimum of €25,000 in 24 median auction races and a new median auction race to be run at Naas in August worth a minimum of €200,000.

NEW APPOINTMENTS Pat Keogh, CEO the Curragh | Tim Husbands, CEO Leopardstown | Caren Walsh, Owners’ Representative HRI | John Osborne, HRI Director of Equine Welfare & Bloodstock | Paul Dermody, CEO HRI Racecourses | Harry McCalmont, Chairman IHRB | Martin O’Donnell, Vice-Chairman IHRB | Paul Murtagh, Registrar of Irish NH Steeplechase Committee | Eamonn McEvoy, General Manager of Naas Racecourse

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| FIXTURES |

RACEDAY BENEFITS FOR AIRO MEMBERS One of the great benefits of being a member of AIRO is the access to our exclusive racecourse hospitality marquees at designated meetings. There is also a growing number of free race days, highlighted below, at courses around Ireland for owners with horses in training.

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

AIRO has secured agreement with the Association of Irish Racecourses to have free entry to race meetings on selected dates for racehorse owners who currently have a horse in training but do not have a runner on the day. Free admission applies to a total of 107 meetings in 2020 and AIRO expresses its appreciation to the racecourses throughout the country for this gesture. Details of the meetings are highlighted on this calendar.

RACECOURSE HOSPITALITY FOR MEMBERS The Association’s hospitality arrangements will be in place again in 2020 at Punchestown and Galway. Having these hospitality facilities was made possible with the support of Horse Racing Ireland, Punchestown and Galway Racecourses. The Association also entered into a hospitality exchange arrangement with the UK and French Owners Associations and details of this can be found on page 66 of this magazine. The Association will provide hospitality for its members at the following race meetings in 2020:  PUNCHESTOWN RACING FESTIVAL APRIL 28TH

TO MAY 1ST Marquee, where complimentary refreshments will be available. Marquee located in Reserved Enclosure.

MARCH 05.03.20 07.03.20 17.03.20 24.03.20 28.03.20

Thurles Gowran Park Down Royal Clonmel Navan

APRIL 03.04.20 17.04.20 23.04.20 24.04.20 27.04.20

Wexford Ballinrobe Tipperary Kilbeggan Naas

MAY 03.05.20 04.05.20 05.05.20 05.05.20 07.05.20 08.05.20 11.05.20 11.05.20 16.05.20 19.05.20 25.05.20 26.05.20 29.05.20 31.05.20

Sligo Down Royal Ballinrobe Gowran Park Tipperary Downpatrick Killarney Roscommon Wexford Sligo Ballinrobe Ballinrobe Down Royal Listowel

 GALWAY RACING FESTIVAL JULY 27TH TO JULY 29TH Marquee, where complimentary refreshments will be available. Marquee located close to Parade Ring.

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| FIXTURES |

01.06.20 Gowran Park 03.06.20 Curragh 03.06.20 Wexford 04.06.20 Leopardstown 06.06.20 Navan 06.06.20 Punchestown 08.06.20 Roscommon 09.06.20 Roscommon 16.06.20 Sligo 17.06.20 Wexford 22.06.20 Ballinrobe

JULY 01.07.20 Bellewstown 02.07.20 Bellewstown 03.07.20 Bellewstown 04.07.20 Bellewstown 04.07.20 Naas 05.07.20 Fairyhouse 06.07.20 Roscommon 08.07.20 Tramore 12.07.20 Sligo 13.07.20 Killarney 13.07.20 Roscommon 14.07.20 Downpatrick 17.07.20 Killarney 20.07.20 Ballinrobe 21.07.20 Ballinrobe 24.07.20 Down Royal

AUGUST 03.08.20 Cork 04.08.20 Roscommon 05.08.20 Sligo 06.08.20 Sligo 07.08.20 Wexford 08.08.20 Cork 10.08.20 Ballinrobe 13.08.20 Tramore 17.08.20 Roscommon 18.08.20 Sligo 19.08.20 Killarney 23.08.20 Naas 24.08.20 Ballinrobe 26.08.20 Bellewstown 27.08.20 Bellewstown 28.08.20 Down Royal 31.08.20 Roscommon

OCTOBER 06.10.20 Galway 09.10.20 Downpatrick 12.10.20 Limerick 14.10.20 Punchestown 23.10.20 Sligo 29.10.20 Clonmel

NOVEMBER 05.11.20 Thurles 15.11.20 Cork 21.11.20 Gowran Park

DECEMBER

12.12.20 Fairyhouse 14.12.20 Naas 29.12.20 Limerick

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

JUNE

SEPTEMBER

01.09.20 Laytown 03.09.20 Clonmel 04.09.20 Down Royal 04.09.20 Kilbeggan 07.09.20 Galway 08.09.20 Galway 09.09.20 Cork 11.09.20 Ballinrobe 16.09.20 Sligo 17.09.20 Naas 18.09.20 Downpatrick 19.09.20 Gowran Park 19.09.20 Navan 21.09.20 Listowel 28.09.20 Roscommon

Rosealeen Finnerty and Judy Owens pictured at the AIRO tent on Day 3 of The Galway Festival

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| BELLEWSTOWN |

A section of the crowd at Bellewstown Races in 1928.

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

A HISTORY OF BELLEWSTOWN RACES RENOWNED HISTORIAN AND AUTHOR, JOHN KIRWAN, TAKES US ON A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE Situated in the tiny village of Bellewstown, Co. Meath, Bellewstown Racecourse stands on the Hill of Crockafotha, with wonderful views sweeping north over Drogheda and the river Boyne. Racing is known to have taken place here since the early part of the 18th century. The first written record of a meeting in Bellewstown seems to have been in 1726 when a three-day event was arranged and publicised in the Dublin Gazette and Weekly Courant of 31 August 1726.

The first person named in connection with the races at Bellewstown was Mr Pat Smith, the local innkeeper, who acted as Clerk of the Course and Receiver of Entries.

Racing continued for the rest of the century, gradually becoming more organised with some of the local big landlords getting involved.

In March 1800 George Tandy, a former Lord Mayor of Drogheda, headed a successful delegation to petition the Duke of Richmond for an annual grant of £100 towards the races and this led on to the foundation of the annual King’s/Queen’s Plate.

At this time the races lasted an entire week but gradually reduced to a two-day affair. In the 1830s young Joseph Osborne, from nearby Dardistown Castle, was the main driving force behind the races. He succeeded in persuading the Lord Lieutenant, the Earl of Musgrave

Constantine Phipps, to attend the meeting amidst great pomp and ceremony.

The completion of the railway line from Dublin to Drogheda in 1844 transformed the meeting, bringing droves of people from Dublin to enjoy a day out in the countryside at the races in Bellewstown. Indeed, the new railway company, the Dublin and Drogheda Railway Company, made history by becoming the first sponsors of racing in Ireland, giving their name to the Railway Handicap Stakes, raced for in Bellewstown on 26 June 1844.

Attendances fell during the 1860s and 1870s; however, due to the exertions of Lord Gormanstown, a new concrete stand was constructed for the meeting of 1868 and was named the Gormanstown Stand. Thanks to the determination of organisers T.H. Simcocks, Henry St George Osborne of Dardistown Castle and Captain Edward Preston of Silverstream, Gormanstown, a new steeplechase course was laid out and was ready for the 1873 meeting.

Despite the boost provided by steeplechase racing, the meeting struggled in the last two decades of the century with very small fields of runners and several years of very poor weather.

Things improved from 1899 onwards with the coming of Mr George Gradwell as Secretary and Clerk of the Course. He arranged for special trains to ferry horses free of charge from the Curragh. A feature of the racecourse in the early years of the 20th century was the hospitality.

Mr and Mrs R.D. Jameson of Delvin and Mr H. Tunstall Moore of Stadalt House were noted for entertaining their many friends in their

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All photos courtesy Bellewstown Heritage Group

| BELLEWSTOWN |

BELOW: Tymoole, owned by Robbie Gogan and trained by Noel Meade, with jockey Harry Rogers jumping the last hurdle at Bellewstown in the Michael Moore Car Sales Hurdle, before going on to win in 1992

Author John Kirwan at work.

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

marquees in the carriage enclosure, while Mr Thomas Boylan of Hilltown House, Bellewstown always had large house parties during race week.

In 1901 the stand was covered with an iron roof and the weighroom and offices were remodelled.

Mr Gradwell died in 1932 and his role was taken over by Mr T.J. Kelly from Drogheda.

In the first half of the 20th century Harry Ussher and Max Arnott were the leading trainers here, while jockeys John Thompson on the Flat and Paddy Cowley over the jumps dominated the winners in the first decade of the century.

During the period 1900-1941 most of the races were under the National Hunt banner.

There was no racing during the war years 1942-1945. When racing resumed in 1946, probably the best horse ever to win at Bellewstown, Hatton’s Grace, won the bumper on the first day with his owner Commdt. Dan Corry (of show-jumping fame) in the saddle.

Hatton’s Grace went on to win three Champion Hurdles at the Cheltenham Festival in 1949, 1950 and 1951.

The Drogheda Tradesmen’s Chase was for long the feature race of the opening day and in 1950 it was won by Bright Cherry for the Baker family from nearby Naul, Co. Dublin, trained

by Tom Dreaper. While Bright Cherry was a prolific winning mare, she attained greater fame in racing history as the dam of the great Arkle.

It is interesting to note that Nas Na Riogh, dam of Arkle’s great rival Mill House, also won the Drogheda Tradesmen’s Chase in 1953 for the Lawlor family from Naas and Rathcoole trainer Tom Taaffe. Tom’s son, Pat Taaffe, was on board both Bright Cherry and Nas Na Riogh when they won at Bellewstown.

A new five-furlong track was inaugurated for the 1965 meeting. The initial winner on this sharp undulating sprint track was Abbey Liffey trained by Kevin Prendergast and ridden by Nicky Brennan. Probably the most significant improvement at the venue was the work done on the two bends in the early 1970s. The west bend was re-sited, between the Flat and steeplechase courses and cambered properly. Similarly, the stand side bend was reconstructed in 1972 which left the course a lot safer to negotiate.

The last steeplechase was run in 1977, won by Millgrange, for permit-holder Philip Smyth, ridden by Joe Byrne. An extra day’s racing was installed in August 1974 and continued for four years and in 1978 an extra day was added to the traditional two-day July meeting.

From 1950 onwards, Tom Dreaper, usually with Pat Taaffe riding for him, was the leading

Jockeys who took part in the Arkle’s Legends race at Bellewstown 18 August 2011. From left: Conor O’Dwyer, Ger Dowd, Charlie Swan, Jason Titley, Norman Williamson, Dermot McLaughlin, Joe Byrne, Robbie Hennessy, Arthur Moore and Adrian Maguire. Lester Pigott is in the centre.

trainer at the course, until he retired in the early 1970s. Dan Moore was also a steady source of winners in that era. When Kevin Prendergast started training in 1964, he established a fine strike rate here, particularly when teaming up with Gabriel (Squibs) Curran. Other trainers to have regular winners on the Flat here were Seamus McGrath, Sir Hugh Nugent, Michael Kauntze and Clem Magnier. Some favourite horses to make regular appearances at Bellewstown in the 60s were Little Champ, Hall Star, Killykeen Star, Tax Law, Duffcarrig, Yonder He Goes with local stalwarts Erindale Boy, Oou De Bee and Narcotic Nora.

One of the most notorious events to take place at Bellewstown Races was the infamous Yellow Sam coup in 1975. The legendary gambler Barney Curley needed to recoup some losses and decided that Yellow Sam was the horse that might do it for him and the tiny village of Bellewstown the best venue. Yellow Sam was entered for the Mount Hanover Amateur Handicap Hurdle on the first day of the meeting, 25 June 1975 and Barney set out

to maximise his winnings if the horse should win. With all communication back to the course blocked, Yellow Sam was allowed to start at 20/1. Promising amateur rider Michael Furlong was entrusted with the mount and Yellow Sam made no mistakes, winning easily enough. It has been estimated that the bookies paid out £300,000, a small fortune at that time.

The three-day meeting continued from 1978 and a new two-day meeting was initiated in the last week of August. This continued until an extra day was added to the July fixture in 2018, making a total of six racing days for the year.

Some good horses have run at Bellewstown over the years and probably the best Flat horse to have appeared here turned up in 2019. Mill Isle owned by Stonethorn Stud Farm, trained by Jessica Harrington and ridden by Tom Madden, made her debut in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden and spread-eagled her field to win easily. She ended up her season winning the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket. So the racing at Bellewstown is always interesting and long may it continue.

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| LAYTOWN RACES |

Tyrconnell winning the second race of the Laytown Races 2019, jockey Shane Crosse

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

BEACH LIFE STEWARDED BY CHARLES STUART PARNELL AND ATTENDED BY HH AGA KHAN, FOR MORE THAN 150 YEARS LAYTOWN HAS BEEN OUR RACIEST RESORT, AS LISSA OLIVER FINDS OUT!

L

aytown Races, which celebrated 150 years of racing in 2018, stands unique as Ireland’s only race meeting run on a beach under the Rules of Racing. There only six other beaches in Europe hosting racing, namely Plestin-les-Greves and Plouescat in Brittany, France; Cuxhaven in Lower Saxony, Germany; and Sanlucar de Barrameda in Andalucia and both Loredo and Laredo in Cantabria, Spain, but the Laytown tradition is one of the oldest.

Once a year, in September, the big muscular athletic types turn up to kick sand in faces and no one minds, over 5,000 arriving on the County Meath strand to enjoy the spectacle. The races, on the Flat, are limited to six and seven furlongs and run on a straight and virtually level course.

First held in 1868, the races were originally run in conjunction with the Boyne Regatta. The rowing competitions took place during high tide and the horseracing began at low tide, making perfect use of the strand’s resources. The Regatta was the biggest draw then, however, and the races merely a sideshow, held only when the combination of high and low tides

allowed. In 1875, horses and boats were joined by a bicycle race, in which gentlemen rode Penny Farthings along the strand.

There were war-time breaks in 1917 and 1918, but due to racing being practically suspended in England in 1915 and 1916, a surge of English runners saw a record entry of 73 for its five races. Laytown was again interrupted during the Second World War between 1942 and 1945, but during the 1950s and 1960s the meeting grew in prestige and was considered an important stepping stone for horses preparing for the Galway Festival.

Until 1995, racing was run at distances from five furlongs up to two miles, with a U-shaped turn at Bettystown, where the horses made a sweeping turn before heading back to the Laytown finish.

Spectators stood just feet away from them to watch the racing, with no barriers in between. In 1994 one of the horses spooked and bolted into the crowd, causing panic and injuries. Thereafter, safety measures were put in place. Barriers were constructed, the crowd

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| LAYTOWN RACES |

L-R; Jamie Osborne, Ian Barratt, Chris Powell, of the Melbourne 10 syndicate

Jockey Tony Hamilton & trainer Adrian McGuiness with the Confident Kid Syndicate and winning horse Confident Kid

Brendan Sheridan, Clerk of the course

Jockey Gabriele Malune, celebrates his second win of the day riding Sir Ottoman

James Moore

Ladies Day Finalists L-R; Sharon Whearty; Shileen McConville (winner), Sinead McKenna; Veronica Walsh, Collett McDonagh

was separated from the runners and now spectators view the racing from a field alongside the beach.

The 1994 Donacarney Handicap proved one such case in point, the Dermot Weld-trained Persian Tactics, owned by Michael Smurfit, instead of turning for home, unseated his rider and headed off down the beach. Reaching Mornington, he was undeterred by the River Boyne and swam across, ending up on the front lawn of ‘The 19th’ public house! Still with blinkers, saddle and number cloth, Persian Tactics did what many a one has done before and awaited the horsebox to bring him back home to Kildare.

Unsurprisingly, Laytown Races are world famous and attract international visitors. The BBC made a documentary about them, Racing The Tide, and has also included the races in the Coast and Countryfile programmes. A host of champion jockeys have ridden winners at Laytown Races, including Ruby Walsh, Colin Keane, Pat Smullen, Joseph O’Brien and Declan McDonogh. A number of

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Jockey Shane Crosse with Tyrconnell owner Sarah Lynam

L-R; David Madigan, Charlie Kelly, Michael Costello

top amateur riders, including Nina Carberry, Patrick Mullins, Jamie Codd, Katie Walsh and Derek O’Connor, are among the winners on the beach, too.

The connection with the rich and famous goes back much further, of course, and many might be surprised to learn that Charles Stuart Parnell, leader of the Home Rule Movement, was one of the first stewards of Laytown Races. Perhaps more surprisingly, HH Aga Khan and his wife, the Begum, attended the 1949 Laytown Races, a claim to fame no other beach meeting can put forward!

A detailed history of the Laytown Races is contained in the book ‘Laytown Strand Races – Celebrating 150 Years’ which is available to purchase from laytownstrandraces.ie

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| MAGAZINE 2020 |

ONE COOL TEAM DONN McCLEAN SITS DOWN WITH THE FOUR PARTNERS BEHIND ONE COOL POET

O

n the third Sunday in July last year, they were watching the golf on the television in Baggots pub in Clara in County Offaly. It was looking good in The Open. Shane Lowry, Clara’s most famous son, was clear and looking around for dangers.

Nobody complained, though, when they switched the television to Racing TV for a few minutes to watch the 5.05 from Tipperary.

One Cool Poet was running in the final race

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David Betts

at Tipperary, the beginners’ chase, and the Offaly connection is strong. Four men make up the DRFG Partnership that owns the Urban Poet gelding: Paul Devery, Ollie Ryan, John Flanagan, Shay Gillen, each man represented by the first letter of his surname, all four inveterate Offaly men.

They had done the Offaly double. Shane Lowry to win The Open and One Cool Poet to win the BBQ Night at Tipperary August 29th

Beginners Chase. It looked promising for a long while. One Cool Poet travelled well for Adam Short, and his jumping was good for a horse who was racing for just the second time in his life over fences. He eased into second place behind the leader Carrigready as they left the back straight, he travelled well into the home straight, and he moved comfortably into the lead after they jumped the second last fence. It looked good.

One Cool Poet pricked his ears on the run to the final fence, and he jumped it well enough, but Touch Base was staying on strongly towards the near side under Davy Russell. The JP McManus horse joined One Cool Poet half-way up the run-in, and he forged ahead to win by a half a length.

Heartbreak.

“We were gutted,” recalls Ollie Ryan. Still reeling. “We fancied him really strongly. We really thought that that was One Cool Poet’s day.”

his race. Matthew Smith legged Billy Lee up.

“He doesn’t want to be in front too early,” says Ryan, “and we thought that Billy Lee would suit him. That was all that was said to Billy going out. There was no pressure on him. Just don’t hit the front too early.”

He didn’t. Lee held the horse up, well back in the field early on. He was still only 12th or 13th as they started to run down the hill to the home turn, but the rider didn’t panic. He sat still, held his position along the inside, waited for the gaps to develop. He didn’t move off the rail until they started around the home turn and, when he did, One Cool Poet picked up, moved into the gap.

Ross Coakley on Emphatic kicked for home as they straightened up, but Lee sat still on One Cool Poet. He didn’t go for his horse until they were deep inside the final furlong and, when he did, One Cool Poet stretched out his head and got home by a neck.

Pandemonium.

That was One Cool Poet’s 29th race. In that time, he had won just once, a three-year-olds’ handicap at Limerick in April 2015. He had had his issues, but it was still frustrating. They knew that he had ability, his talent deserved a greater reward.

“We didn’t have great expectations going to Galway,” says Ryan. “He had run well in each of his three races before Galway, but he hadn’t won.

Beaten a length at Leopardstown, beaten a head at Limerick, beaten a half a length at Tipperary.

We retained a lot of faith in the horse but, in truth, we travelled to Galway more in hope than in expectation.”

One Cool Poet went to Galway with a bucketful of entries. A handicap hurdle on Monday, a beginners’ chase on Tuesday, a flat handicap on Tuesday, a flat handicap on Thursday. Therein lies a reflection of his versatility.

The handicap hurdle on Monday, the first evening of the festival, was to be the opening gambit, but he didn’t get into the race. He was ballotted out. Just shows you, if he had run on the Monday, he wouldn’t have run on the Tuesday, and he may not have run on the Thursday or the Saturday. The One Cool Poet story of Galway 2019 could have been significantly shorter than it ultimately turned out to be.

He got into the one-mile handicap on Tuesday evening all right, and his owners hoped.

But trainer Matthew Smith was happy with the horse. He was happy that he was ready to run

“It was unbelievable,” says Ryan. “Absolutely incredible. Galway has always been special for us. We grew up watching Galway on the television. It was the only meeting you’d be able to watch on the telly in the evening, during the summer. Super Furrow was a local horse here and I remember when he finished second in the Galway Plate in the 1980s.”

The whole racecourse seemed to celebrate with the DRFG Partnership in the winner’s enclosure.

“To own a winner at Galway. And to win like that. With this horse. For him to justify the faith we had in him. It was fantastic. It was brilliant for us, the owners, but it was a great training performance by Matthew, to have him in that form. And it was fantastic for the breeders.”

The breeders are the Brazils of Gurteen Stud in Tullamore. The Offaly connection continues.

They stand One Cool Poet’s sire, Urban Poet, and Golden Tornado. It was to the Brazils that One Cool Poet returned when he suffered the tendon injury that kept him off the track for the best part of a year.

“People were telling us that we were mad, that we were wasting our money, persevering with him. That they never come back. But we could see the potential in him, and Donal Brazil was fantastic. He could see that this fellow could be the horse that would put his stallion Urban Poet on the map.”

The party started on Tuesday afternoon in the winner’s enclosure and ran into the night in Galway. Matthew Smith left early though with

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Racing Post

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One Cool Poet, The Curragh, Champions Weekend

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One Cool Poet, took him back to Kilmessan in County Meath. It was job done, race won, but the horse was well, and he still held an entry in Thursday’s race.

“Matthew rang me on Wednesday and told me that the horse was in great form, and that we should leave him in Thursday’s race,” recalls Ryan. “We had an eye on Saturday’s race maybe, but we didn’t think that he would get into it, he needed something like 17 horses to come out, so we thought, why not go on Thursday then. It was a gutsy call by Matthew.”

It was depleted ranks among the owners on Thursday. Shay Gillen had missed his flight from Spain and hadn’t made it to Galway at all. John Flanagan was there on Tuesday all right, but he didn’t make it back on Thursday. Ollie Ryan and Paul Devery were there on Thursday, but they were both a little more circumspect than they had been on Tuesday.

“Matthew said that he thought that the horse was after improving from Tuesday.”

One Cool Poet carried a 6lb penalty for Tuesday’s win, but he made light of it. Stepped up to a mile and a half, there was none of this thinking he had done enough once he got to the front. Again, he was delivered by Billy Lee to hit the front deep inside the final furlong, but he powered on and won by a length and a half.

“He is effective over any distance from a mile to a mile and a half, as long as they go fast.

Once he can settle off a fast pace and quicken, it doesn’t really matter what distance it is. Ten furlongs is probably his best, but he’s fine as long as he has a fast pace to run at.”

They thought that that was it, that their fantastic Galway journey had come to an end

on Thursday, on a high. Two runs at Galway, two wins.

Phenomenal.

Celebrations were a little subdued on Thursday evening, and they talked about Saturday. It was probably hypothetical, he probably wouldn’t get into Saturday’s race but, if he did happen to get in, and if the horse was well, they figured, why not.

He snuck in, number 17 on the ballot and he got in. They doubled his penalty, two wins, two penalties, fair is fair, but a 12lb impost still wasn’t enough. The horse had hit a rich vein of form, and he followed the same script. Back at Galway, held up by Billy Lee, delivered late.

Clockwork.

And it was the best of the lot. One Cool Poet hit the front just inside the furlong marker, and he powered clear to win by five lengths.

To win once at Galway is fantastic. To win twice in the same week is unbelievable, but it has been done. To win three times though. That was special. Only one horse in the 150-year history of the Galway races that had gone before had won three times at the same meeting.

Busted Tycoon, who was trained by Tony Martin to win twice over hurdles and once on the Flat at the 2013 festival.

Happenstance being what it is and all, Ollie Ryan ended up watching One Cool Poet’s race on Saturday with Busted Tycoon’s owner John Breslin.

“It was incredible,” recalls Ryan. “Nothing will ever cap that Saturday at Galway. A third win. It was all a bit surreal though. We went for dinner on the Saturday evening and tried to take it all in. It was like a dream. And we were drained.

Then we had a big gig in Galway on Sunday evening and we gave it a bit of a lash!”

Matthew Smith said that it was a pity there wasn’t a race for One Cool Poet on Sunday.

It was through a mutual friend, Andy Brazil, that Ollie Ryan first met Matthew Smith.

“Matthew had worked for Robbie Hennessy, but he had been out on his own for a little while. Andy said that he was a really good trainer. Arthur Moore had done a great job with One Cool Poet, he had won his handicap with him at Limerick, but we said that we would give Matthew a go, and he has been brilliant.”

And One Cool Poet wasn’t finished for 2019 at Galway. He went to Leopardstown on the first day of Irish Champions Weekend in September for a premier handicap and, on ground that was faster than ideal for him, finished only 10th, but he was only six lengths behind the winner Kastasa.

Then he went to The Curragh the following day, on the second day of Irish Champions Weekend, for another premier handicap and, on the rain-softened ground, he won again.

“That was a special day too,” says Ollie Ryan.

“It was unbelievable to win at The Curragh, the home of Irish Flat racing, all the big names that win there. But the day that was in it too, it was the day of the Pat Smullen Champions’ Race, and Pat is from Rhode, he’s another great Offaly man. So for our horse to win on that day was unreal.”

One Cool Poet is just recently back with Matthew Smith. A well-earned winter break under his belt, looked after by Martin Kilduff, readied to go back into training with Matthew Smith in late January.

He will run on the Flat all right this year all being well, but his ultimate goal, somewhat unsurprisingly, is the Galway Hurdle. He is going to have to improve a fair bit on his hurdles mark of 102 if he is going to get into the Galway Hurdle, but he is rated 100 on the Flat, so he is probably capable of finding a pound or two over hurdles. He has improved by 38lb in official terms on the Flat since he last ran over hurdles.

“It has taken us a while to get to the bottom of him. He had ulcers, which are sorted now, and that was probably holding him back. And he probably gained in confidence for winning.

You could see it in him. He has taken us on some journey.”

Fantastic.

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| OWNER PROFILE |

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

Jockey Conor McGovern (centre) after he rode his 1st winner aboard Slipper Orchid for owner Carol Roper (left) and trainer Mick Halford (right).

WHEN THE DREAM COMES TRUE LISSA OLIVER MEETS CAROL ROPER, A LADY WITH A PASSION FOR RACEHORSES

I

“

used to ride racehorses when I was a kid, growing up in Devon, and one lived with me at home, I adored him.”

Carol Roper was just 13 when Irish racehorse Delman, for whom ill-treatment had led to a fear of men, met his soulmate and, in so doing, set Carol on a path of dreams.

“I had started riding at the age of four and always had horses. I had a pony who I showed and we won a lot, and I ended up working for Billy Oliver, who had showjumpers,” continues Carol, but thanks to Delman her dream was always to own a racehorse.

“I moved to Ireland on the night they blew up Nelson’s Pillar, in March 1966,” Carol recalls. “My elder brother, who was still single at the time, wanted a housekeeper and so I came over. It was supposed to be temporary, but sometimes you take to a place and I stayed. I really wanted to live in the country, so later on I found my current home, just outside Summerhill in Co. Meath. I fell for the lovely old trees, they were so like the ones we had at home in Devon, and it has a few acres, so I can have the horses at home with me when they retire.”

Carol’s dream of ownership finally arrived with the unraced mare Eves Temptation. “She had been rather difficult to train, but I loved her and bought her for her looks.” She was well bred, too, by Glenstal out of Time For Pleasure, who was out of a half-sister to Blushing Groom.

A colt by Elbio arrived and Budelli became Carol’s first horse in

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Healy Racing

Slipper Orchid and Conor McGovern win from Sea Coast and Maobtri for trainer Mick Halford.

training, sent to Mick Channon. “That was how I came to meet Michael Halford,” she reveals.

“He was at Ascot and he came to watch Budelli and straight away he said, ‘Carol, I want that horse!’ So I sent him Budelli and he came straight out and won for Michael.”

That was Budelli’s last race, but for Carol the pleasure isn’t only to be found at the races. “He came back home to live with me here, until his death at the age of 20. His death was very sudden.

We were moving them into the next field and he trotted right in and when he got to the centre he just went down. That’s the worst thing about having horses, they bring such joy, but such sorrow too. But Budelli was happy to the last.”

The Roper horses are family. “All of my horses come back home to live out their retirement. In The Dark was a very good horse, but she injured herself during a race.

She still finished second, but was brought back in the ambulance. She can never be ridden, but she’s walking about happily out there. Her companion was Trotting Weasel,

Budelli’s half-brother who won twice, but we lost him recently. He got ill at Christmas and I had to have the vet out to him twice on Christmas Day. Luckily my vet is very good, but there was nothing that could be done for him in the end. Darkie now has a pony from a charity keeping her company.”

Entrusting such well-loved family members to a trainer isn’t difficult, thanks to that chance meeting at Ascot. “Michael Halford is such an easy man to get on with and I have even stayed with him and his family,” says Carol. “All my horses are trained by him now, and my mares are kept with William Flood. Having horses in Britain involved too much travelling. You

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

| OWNER PROFILE |

have to get the earliest flight there and last flight back and you end up walking around for hours looking at a town you don’t know.

“All my mares are with William; Georgie Wells found him for me and told me to go to him. Georgie was a real character, you never knew what he was going to say next, or what he would do next. He had been a good jockey before taking up training and I rode out for him. When my French horse broke his neck while out in his paddock, I was devastated.

Georgie rang me and insisted I came in to work the next day, which of course I didn’t want to do. In I went the next morning and when I walked into the tack room I found my

Having horses in Britain involved too much travelling. You have to get the earliest flight there and last flight back and you end up walking around for hours looking at a town you don’t know.”

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saddle had gone. Georgie took me round to Terosian’s box and told me to go inside and there was my saddle, on Terosian. Georgie was the only person who rode him, but he let me go up the gallops and even jump him. To ride Terosian was the greatest honour in my life. It was Georgie’s way of saying he was sorry for my loss.”

Carol admits she has been incredibly lucky and Eves Temptation played a big part in that good fortune. Following Budelli, the mare produced Irma La Douces, Sister Sox, Lahiba, Baby Bud, Trotting Weasel and Edens Apple. Irma La Douces has produced Nestor Protector, Ondeafears and Lady X. Lahiba produced Slipper Orchid, and Sister Sox is the dam of Cherry Lips, Denim and Macha.

“Slipper Orchid is probably my best horse, she won seven times and was placed ten times, in Group 3 and Listed company, earning €130,000. It was such an incredible honour for me when Slipper Orchid was invited to Dubai,

I was absolutely thrilled. It was a trip to die for, the way they looked after us was unbelievable.

I never forget Michael ringing to say ‘would you like to go to Dubai?’ Would I what? I was so excited, I was phoning everybody, it was something I’d always dreamed of.”

Slipper Orchid’s daughter Satin Slipper is currently in training with Michael, together with a son of Ondeafears, Arcanears. “He has done very well and is on holiday at the moment, he needed the rest. He has grown into a fine big horse; all the horses I’ve bred are late developers. Michael is very patient with them. Satin Slipper hasn’t raced yet and Michael is keeping her for the turf. He took her up to Dundalk for a trial to educate her and she kept looking round at the lights, so he wants to go there again for another trial, she needs the experience.

“I’m lucky they’ve all gone into training; you just hope. I choose a stallion with William Flood and talk about it with him. I like to go

to look at them. I’ve leased Slipper Orchid to William for a couple of years as she’s got Black Type, and she’ll come back to me next year. It can get so expensive to keep them.”

Finance is a downside of racing, but you can’t put a price on the upside. “I love racing, it’s so exciting,” Carol enthuses.

“It has changed over the years, it’s all big owners now but I can stay below that level and there are lots of nice people. I love going to the yard, Michael and the team are so welcoming and Anne, in the office, is lovely, as is Michael’s wife, Louise. The children are so polite and well spoken, in fact everyone in the yard is polite and nicely spoken, Michael is very strict about that. He has such attention to detail, a real eye for every minor detail, even to raking the gravel to have it always looking neat.”

The devil may well be in the detail, but when you let your heart rule, Carol Roper is testament to where that can lead you.

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Owners access to world class facilities 20 fixtures in 2020 from 29 March - 15 October Access to the Tattersall’s owners lounge Winners celebratory drinks in the Queen’s room €12 million prize money

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| COLOURS |

Owner: JP McManus Team: South Liberties GAA, Limerick

THE COLOUR CODE Owner: Gigginstown Team: Westmeath GAA County Colours

SAMANTHA OLIVER LOOKS BACK ON THE ORIGINS OF RACING SILKS AND WHY SOME HOLD PARTICULAR PLACES IN THE HEART OF OWNERS AND ARE AS IMPORTANT AS COUNTY COLOURS!

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Owner: Paraic Ruth Team: Monaghan GAA County Colours

Owner: Jim Mernagh Team: Wexford GAA County Colours

he history of racing colours dates back to ancient Rome, where racehorses, some ridden but the majority driven by charioteers, were State-owned and raced in four team colours – blue, green, red and white. The riders and charioteers wore coloured jackets, and the horses wore coloured ribbons. The first recorded appearance of owner’s colours was in the Middle Ages, when jousting knights would dress in distinctive colours, incorporating their patron’s crest, to distinguish themselves from their competitors. Their horses would be clad in matching caparisons, a protective and decorative cloth, also adorned with their owner’s heraldry.

However, the first list of registered racing colours was not established until the 1700s. Before then, jockeys would often wear similar colours, or change their liveries, which caused confusion for the betting spectators trying to follow the progress of their wagers! In 1762, the first list of colours was registered, and since then, racehorse owners are required to register their unique colours when obtaining their licence. Among the oldest colours still in use are those of the Delany family, thought to have first been registered in the 19th Century, with three sets of the black and gold theme shared by brothers and sons.

Owners can choose for how long their colours will be registered; when a colour’s registration expires, it becomes available for purchase again. Originally, there were 18 solid colours to choose from, but as the industry grew and the number of owners increased,

Owner: Brian Gleeson Team: Waterford GAA County colours

The Delany family colours rank among the oldest, stillactive, colours in Ireland

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| COLOURS |

Owner: Tony Hanahoe Team: Dublin GAA County Colours

SOLID RACING COLOURS MAY BE KNOWN AS A SYMBOL OF STATUS AND WEALTH, BUT MODERN, PATTERNED SILKS ARE JUST AS DISTINCTIVE AND HIGHLY REGARDED.”

AN EYE FOR COLOURS

AN OWNER’S PERSPECTIVE SUE FROST EXPLAINS WHY PERSONAL COLOURS ARE SO SIGNIFICANT acing is in my blood and my father, Edward Swaffield, trained on our family farm. My uncle, Bert Swaffield, started training in the early 1960s and also enjoyed success as a jockey, and my father followed suit with the training. Uncle Bert’s colours were red cap, blue sleeves, blue and white quartered body.

One day at a point-to-point my uncle and father both had runners, so to differentiate the colours, my mum sewed a red sash onto the body of my father’s set. I was very young at the time, but I do remember watching as my mum sewed the red silk onto a woolly jumper! To have three colours on the body is unique, as usually you can only register two.

The colours were registered in Britain and my brother, sister and I have registered them every year since my dad passed away. When my brother passed away, I continued to register the colours, but never dreamed I would see them on a racecourse again in my lifetime. I just kept the silks at home, hanging on the wall, dreaming. I holiday in the coastguard cottages at Beaulieu and the residents have a tradition of flying flags for visitors, so I made a flag of the colours and it’s flown whenever I stay. I have a brooch my father gave me of a horse in our colours, which I wear every time we have a runner, and my son has a tie-pin in the colours which he always wears. Caren Walsh and I have been family friends since our Pony Club days and she and her husband Aidan invited me to join them in the ownership of Kuraka, trained by Gordon Elliott. They knew how important those colours are to me, so they said they would love him to run in my colours, which was a dream come true! There just wouldn’t be the same passion without that connection to those family colours, they have a huge fan club in their own right and all the family, extended family and friends get so excited about them. There is absolute pride in them. My son and his seven cousins are so enthusiastic and will carry on with them into the next generation. What’s also lovely is that my Uncle Bert had the original colours, without the red sash, and my cousins continue to race with those colours.

Kuraka is the first winner on the Flat in our colours and the first to carry them on the Flat in Ireland. My father would have been so proud and so delighted.

Winning at Leopardstown was the biggest fairytale, as Kuraka was ridden by Caren’s godson Jack Wildman, a 16-year-old who was having his first win from just three rides. Jack was the same age as my brother was when first donning those silks for my father. A genuine fairytale. When Kuraka won, I found a South African sauvignon blanc of the same name, so I sent a case of it to Gordon Elliott’s yard. The wine company liked the background story and included in the case a personalised card featuring the colours!

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

additional designs such as stars, diamonds and dots were incorporated, to increase the number of unique designs available.

Nowadays, a solid-coloured silk is a much sought after rarity, and can become quite iconic, such as the solid Royal Blue of Godolphin. Solid, or ‘plain’, coloured silks are often auctioned off, with the proceeds going to charity, and can be sold for huge sums of money. In 2000, John and Sue Magnier purchased a set of solid pink colours for €69,000, and that same year, Abdullah Ali paid €52,000 for a set of solid orange. In 2005, the very last sets of solid racing colours available in Ireland were sold, one yellow and one emerald green, with the proceeds of €35,000 going to the Irish Horse Welfare Trust.

Solid racing colours may be known as a symbol of status and wealth, but modern, patterned silks are just as distinctive and highly regarded. Perhaps the most famous set of racing colours in Ireland is the green and gold of JP McManus. The emerald green with gold hoops represents his other sporting passion, the South Liberties GAA club from his home county of Limerick. Many other sets of colours draw inspiration from unusual places; in 2016, the British Horseracing Authority put six unusual new colours up for auction, with one set featuring a red and yellow flame design, another boasting a nautical-themed anchor and waves design, and one proudly sporting a rainbow-patterned design. Although such designs may seem a little outlandish, owners have good reason for choosing such colours and casual race-goers will often choose to bet on the horse with the most eye-catching jockey!

Racing colours have become a an important part of the overall spectacle that is a day at the races; from the sets of famous silks on display as you enter the racecourse, to the thrill of picking out your favourite jockey or owner’s colours in the parade ring, and excitement of watching for the distinct jacket and cap as the horses thunder to the finish line. With many combinations of colours and patterns to choose from, the possibilities for designing a new set of racing colours are endless, and perhaps one of the most rewarding moments for any owner is seeing their horse cross the finish line carrying their own, personally chosen colours – preferably in first place!

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| PEOPLE |

Hopes & Dreams Beyond Naas Road IAN CARNABY REFLECTS UPON PUNTING AND WHAT LENEHAN SAID AGAIN AS HE TREADS HIS OWN LITERARY PATH…

T

ruth to tell, I struggle to keep up with modern expressions although I can see the attractions of a ‘bucket list’.

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

I read Ulysses and Proust’s In Search Of Lost Time a few years ago but Don Quixote in its entirety remains a challenge. I have yet to visit Venice off-season and follow Donald Sutherland’s footsteps in Nic Roeg’s wonderful film Don’t Look Now and, at 71, I have still to enjoy Listowel or Sligo and take part in any all-night poker games.

As for writing the history of Baileys Irish Cream and/or listing the times racing turns up in Irish novels or short stories, I need to press on. It is a little-known fact that, before people started letting me report on racing and football matches, I travelled the length and breadth of Britain, sounding out opinions in pubs and clubs when ‘Mac’ McPherson in Gilbeys’ R and D department in Harlow New Town finally achieved the perfect harmony of cream and spirit in bottle. Baileys, which was always destined to become a Gilbeys of Ireland product, was miles ahead of the opposition. A couple of years later, in the late 70s, there were 142 brands worldwide but they were pale imitations.

When Mister Baileys won the 1992 Two Thousand Guineas at Newmarket I cheated a bit and wrote about the product in the old Sporting Life, though I knew the equine

“

Lenehan gets some good ones. He’s giving Sceptre today.’

Mr Baileys was named after horsefeed.

The late David Dand, Gilbeys of Ireland supremo in Naas Road, not only backed the horse at 16/1 but was thrilled with the piece and invited me to lunch. Happy, happy days.

The Baileys book is taking shape but the ‘literary racing’ one merely floats around in my troubled 3am brain. J P Donleavy and William Trevor are certain starters but I can also see James Joyce looming large. In Ulysses there are two or three references to Sceptre, who was still contesting top races in the year, 1904, that Joyce chose to set his masterpiece.

‘Lenehan gets some good ones.

He’s giving Sceptre today’.

‘Who’s riding her?’

‘O Madden, and a game filly she is. Even money. I knocked against Bantam Lyons in there going to back a bloody horse someone gave him that hasn’t an earthly’.

Clearly it was easy enough to get the money on and the conversation is remarkably similar to those we hear, and engage in, every day. ‘O Madden’ was Otto, born in Hungary to English parents (his father regularly rode the great, unbeaten Hungarian mare Kincsem). Otto was champion jockey twice but was warned off ‘for associating with persons of bad character’ and missed all of 1902, when Sceptre won four of the five Classics, though not the Derby.

The William Trevor piece, from Mrs Eckdorf in O’Neill’s Hotel, is beautifully realised and guaranteed to strike a chord with all everyday punters ‘d’un certain age’.

‘Malacca was tipped to win at Harold’s Cross. Rumours about Yellow Printer’s limitations were denied. At Brighton the £35 filly Qalibashi had won at twenty to one. Eugene sat considering a few of the facts he had absorbed.

Within a couple of minutes he returned to sleep. He dreamed he was standing in O’Riordan’s public house.’

That’s the trouble with people like Eugene and me. Dreaming, always dreaming. And in similar surroundings, too....

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| OWNER PROFILE |

Great RUN A

FOR VINCENT BYRNE AND FAMILY

I

“

| MAGAZINE 2019 |

think we have another year or two out of Peregrine Run,” says owner Vincent Byrne. “He’s a household name now,” he says of his star Peregrine Run, winner of an impressive five races on the trot in the past season. “Everyone in Laois and Offaly would know him,” proudly admits the businessman.

Vincent Byrne enjoyed his “absolutely cracking horse” notch up consecutive wins in Kilbeggan, Ballinrobe, Punchestown, Wexford and Cork during the months of May, June and July 2019.

Though his ancestors had working horses, Vincent was not bred into the racing game, but he freely admits that he had a number of horses with Jessica Harrington over the years, but “they didn’t work out too well.”

Even though Peregrine Run began his career on the point-to-point scene, Vincent isn’t necessarily a huge fan of that discipline, admitting, “We’d rather go to the races as it’s more enjoyable for the day out. We love it, absolutely love it.” A day at the races seems to be a family affair for the Byrnes with Vincent’s father, brother and brother-in-law Ollie Dunne, along with other members of the clan, attending. Often, however, it is the four male members who can be found on the racetrack, “Having a good day out. We enjoy it. Whatever happens, happens – we go to the races to enjoy seeing them run.”

Despite a hectic business life, Vincent ensures he is always present when his jointly-owned star, a foal of Masriyna’s Article and which Peter Fahey broke, runs. “Every time he runs we would go and watch him. The enjoyment we’ve had through him is unreal. To know every time he’s going out, he’ll try and he’ll be there or thereabouts. Earlier on the temptation was always there to sell, but now no, because he’s done a great job for us. He’s won a good few pots for us and now we wouldn’t sell him.”

BREANDÁN Ó HUALLACHÁIN CATCHES UP WITH A NATIONAL HUNT OWNER, VINCENT BYRNE, WHO IS LIVING THE DREAM THANKS TO THE HORSE OF A LIFETIME

A great sense of pride for the Co. Offaly man, who claims there is “no stress whatsoever” in being a part-owner, is the fact that his family also bred Peregrine Run. “We breed all our own, so we don’t buy anything in, everything we have is our own.”

Vincent is full of praise for the key player, as he sees it, in Peregrine Run’s incredible success this season, his trainer Peter Fahey. “I have to say Peter and Ber Fahey and all the yard staff have done an absolutely cracking job with him.

Peter is very good for picking out good races where we can pick up money, particularly this year, we’ve picked up a lot of money this year.

You look up the other trainers; they probably have 20 Peregrine Runs. Peter has one and really looks after him, he really appreciates him.”

The faithful County man also credits both Kevin Sexton and Roger Loughran with the horse’s victories, admitting, “To do what they’ve done this year, to get five-in-a-row is absolutely brilliant.”

Sadly, despite the victories of the nine-yearold son of the 1994 European Champion threeyear-old, King’s Theatre, the horse hasn’t had the luck of having his favoured ‘good’ ground,

something which hankers somewhat with the part-owner and breeder. “We still haven’t yet got good ground in one of those Grade races. It’s a pity. If we got good ground...”

Lilly’s Express, a full-sister to Peregrine Run and also in the joint-ownership of the Byrnes, has three good geldings on the ground at present, and Vincent is looking forward to seeing them compete. Lilly’s Express, third behind Swamp Fox and Princely Conn in The Tote Best Value For Galway Maiden at Ballinrobe in July 2016, saw the runner-up that day, Princely Conn, subsequently finish a close third to Clondaw Warrior in the Guinness Galway Hurdle (Grade A) a few weeks later.

“Lilly’s Express; she was a cracking filly, but we really tried to get her to the track,” he confesses. “I think she was four years in training. She went from four to eight and we kept her in training she was that good, we just couldn’t get her to the track, she kept breaking down on us,” he frustratingly acknowledges.

The Byrne-Dunne partnership has nine horses at present, including a number of wellbred foals: a Yeats five-year-old, a Westerner filly, a Soldier Of Fortune two-year-old, a Champs Elysses yearling and a Milan foal out of Lilly’s Express. “The Milan foal at the moment looks very strong and so does the Soldier Of Fortune foal out of Lilly’s Express,” offers Byrne.

“They’re the ones especially I really look forward to, though we need to move some of them on, so some of them will be sold.”

Turning to the topic of challenging the main owners in Irish racing, namely J.P. McManus, Rich Richie and Gigginstown, our interviewee

“TO DO WHAT THEY’VE DONE THIS YEAR, TO GET FIVE-IN-A-ROW IS ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT.”

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| OWNER PROFILE |

Healy Racing

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

Peregrine Run and Kevin Sexton in winning form

states that challenging them for the big prizemoney is difficult. “When you come to the biggest races, it’s always harder. They’ll always take out two or three good ones. It’s easier for us to win the 10s and 15s (thousand euro races), but once you see anything around the 50 (thousand euro) mark, they’re going to be firing out all their big guns. It’s great to have a horse to compete against them.”

Vincent is immensely proud of breeding his own horses in contrast to other owners who buy in. “These other lads (big owners) are picking up the best horses in France and Ireland, so it is hard to compete, but the only thing is when you have something good it’s great to be able to go to the track and compete with them, it’s fabulous.”

He is among the many critics of Racing TV’s coverage of Irish racing since its switch from At The Races at the beginning of 2019. “Racing TV’s coverage of Irish racing is very poor. At The Races was doing a great job, I don’t think this one is doing as good a job at all. They’re just not covering it the way it was being covered.”

As for the future of Irish racing, the

entrepreneur has a very positive outlook but admits that keeping people in the industry may be the sport’s biggest challenge. It concerns him that “if the top owners and trainers get too big, it will keep others away.” Promotion is the key to future success, he believes, as well as maintaining taxpayers’ investment in the game.

He feels some of the other tracks could learn from the Grade 1 racecourses when it comes to attracting patrons, stating that venues such as Galway and Punchestown are “absolutely heaving with young people. Everything seems to be buzzing around them. The small tracks probably need to advertise a bit more, and I think Irish people like a bit more comfort. I think if they upgraded some of the tracks and the facilities a bit more, they might get more people in.”

Looking ahead to the New Year, Vincent hopes Peregrine Run stays fresh and runs well in 2020. The horse returned to Peter Fahey’s yard in January with the intention of having him ready for April with festivals such as Aintree and Punchestown in mind. “We need good ground.

Everywhere we go we need good ground,” he reiterates, “so we’ll be looking towards Aintree and Punchestown, that time of the year, and try to get him ready for then. He’s had some fierce bad luck as well (with ground); not having that really good ground (is the problem).”

Peregrine Run ran in the Aintree Festival last April where he unfortunately fell in the Grade 3 Randox Health Topham Handicap Chase, with Vincent left wondering as to what might have happened. “I think Barry Geraghty was very unfortunate, I’d love to have seen him stay up and seen what he would have done. I know he was back off, but that was the plan, to stay back off and come very late, so it would have been interesting to see what would have happened there.”

Looking to Peregrine Run’s future, his appreciative part-owner is hopeful his gelding’s success isn’t all behind him. “I think we have another year or two out of Peregrine Run. We hope to have another good year this year and we’ll see how he is the following year. We’ve come across a horse we think we’ll never have again. It is without a doubt living the dream.”

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| PEOPLE |

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

All Days in a

WORK 2019 IS THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF USING STARTING STALLS AT IRISH RACECOURSES, SO WE ASK BREANDÁN Ó HUALLACHÁIN TO DELVE INTO THE HISTORY OF STARTING STALLS IN IRELAND AND LEARN ABOUT THE ROLE OF STALL HANDLERS.

T

he Curragh, the home of Irish Flat racing, was the first racecourse in the country to use starting stalls in 1966, with the Dr. M.V. O’Brientrained Theo victorious in the five furlong Kilbride Stakes, the first race to use stalls.

Initially, however, starting stalls were only used for five and six

furlong races, before being used for seven furlong and one mile contests in 1967, with all races at the Curragh, including the Classics, starting from stalls in 1968.

By 1969, starting stalls were used at Leopardstown, Phoenix Park, Naas and Navan, with the Peter Curranmanufactured ‘Metropolitan Stalls’ being used at the racetracks in the metropolitan area.

The use of the so-called ‘Italian’ open-topped stalls soon began, with Irish racing today using three different types of starting stalls, as Pat Brennan, Racing Services Manager with Horse Racing Ireland, explains.

“We have Racetech, which are UK stalls; Steriline, which were brought in from Australia, and most recently when we went out to tender, it was a French company Fornells that won the tender – they are probably in most of the racecourses.”

The Fornells stalls have been well received by trainers and jockeys alike

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due to their quiet mechanical system featuring a single button to open all gates simultaneously, while there is also sufficient space within each bay to prevent horses getting too close to the partition panels.

In total, there are 42 sets of starting stalls in Ireland with most of them kept on the racecourses, with a storage facility in Naas catering for tracks that don’t use starting stalls very often. Interestingly, Tramore is the only racecourse not using starting stalls, due to the tightness of the track and the undulating nature of the surface.

Though most racetracks have one or two sets of starting stalls, Galway has four and the Curragh five sets.

Due to having so many different starting points at racing HQ, there are time limitations for moving stalls around the Curragh when a race meeting might have four or five different starting points.

The role of a stalls handler, who is

“

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

David Betts

| PEOPLE |

You need a bit of horsey knowledge.

You need to be on the ball.” paid a daily rate as well as travel and subsistence, is crucial on racedays with a team of 12 minimum rostered at a meeting. As the work is casual, many of the workers also have jobs at local racing yards or stud farms, particularly in the Kildare area, but there are also some handlers from the West and South of the country.

New stalls handlers, like the three new people recruited this year, are ideally in their mid-20s and preferably have experience in dealing with horses. “When we’re recruiting we try and ensure that everybody we’re recruiting has a background with horses because of the proximity they’re going have to the horses, with the loading it’s hugely important,” says Pat Brennan.

Two current handlers, Manny Behan and Derek Kelly, agree with

their boss about the need for a good understanding of horses. “You’d have to have some sort of background with them. Someone out of an office or out of school wouldn’t be able to deal with them,” says Manny, with Derek concurring, “You need a bit of horsey knowledge. You need to be on the ball.”

Derek, who is in racing since his mid-teens, is one of the country’s newest stalls handlers. In his seven months in the job he has travelled to many of the top tracks, including the Curragh, Leopardstown, Naas, Dundalk and Listowel.

Manny, a team leader with 20odd years stalls experience, had the opportunity to work as a stalls handler in Dubai for two seasons, while many Irish handlers, who worked in this area in the USA or Australia, describe

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| PEOPLE |

the loading process as essentially the same in each jurisdiction.

Proper training of new stalls handlers is critical, according to the Racing Services Manager, the man who rosters the country’s 26 handlers.

“Generally, we give a new stalls handler three to five racedays where they ‘buddy-up’ with somebody on the team. Then we’ll introduce them softly into a raceday and they’ll be rostered in once I get a report back from the team leader on how they’re performing certain tasks, such as leading the horse, pushing the horse, if they’re listening to all instructions, if they’re showing the correct awareness.”

On racedays, the Irish Horse Racing Board (IHRB) starter is the person in charge at the start, and is tasked with commencing races on time while ensuring a safe working

environment for stalls handlers.

While all horses are supposed to be schooled properly in the process of entering the gates, unfortunately, these highly-strung thoroughbreds don’t always walk in quietly. The stalls handlers, wearing their protective gear of uniform, boots and helmet, will load into the odd-number stalls first, before doing the even-number gates. They use their collective muscle to push the animal in, if necessary, before placing a hood, if required, over the horse’s head, turning it and pushing again, with the experienced Manny Behan admitting that “nine times out of 10 they’d walk in like that.” A trainer might request a blanket be placed on the horse’s back during the loading process, with it attached to the back of the stall, and being removed the minute the gates open.

Each horse, according to Pat Brennan, is given every opportunity possible to load. “The starter will give the stall handlers as much leeway as he feels is sufficient. If the handler thinks that the horse has been given more than ample opportunity but it’s just too dangerous to continue, he’ll signal to the starter who will then ask for the horse to be withdrawn.”

Brennan feels this is a regrettable outcome but accepts they have to be fair to each one of the race’s stakeholders. “We’re conscious that an owner and a trainer put a lot of work into this; the owner’s put a lot of expense in; we want to see everyone have a good day out, but then again we cannot have a large number of horses sitting in a stall for an unanswerable amount of time either, so we have to be fair to everybody.”

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

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| HRI |

HRI Ownership THE YEAR AHEAD

T

he 2019 Ownership results made for positive reading.

New and active owner figures are on the rise and the retention is at 75% the highest it has been since 2007. The HRI Ownership team would like to welcome all new owners and thank those who continue to support our wonderful sport.

2019 saw us launch the inaugural National Racehorse Trainers Open Morning. 28 trainers across the country opened their doors to over 2,500 people. Dates for the 2020 Open Morning will be announced shortly.

Looking to 2020 our focus is very much on the Owner Experience.

We want to make sure you, the Owner, are enjoying your ownership experience and encourage new owners into the sport.

We recently engaged with AIRO and AIR with respect to ticketing and hospitality for owners. Racecourses have made great strides in recent

years and we look forward to continuing this trend.

The continued growth of syndicates and clubs in recent years is hugely welcomed. In order to sustain this growth while at the same time providing guidance to members and agents alike, Horse Racing Ireland introduced Directive 15 and a Syndicate/Club Code of Conduct. This document is aimed at ensuring the agent is aware of their responsibilities while all joining members will be informed on all aspects from prizemoney to admission tickets etc. Further details are available on racehorseownership.ie We will continue to market and promote ownership to the domestic and international market in 2020 with a focus on social media and events.

You can play a part in ownership promotion by tagging @hriowners when you are at the races or your trainer’s yard.

2020 will see us launch the HRI

Owners Club. The objective is to offer owners added benefit and will build a racing community we are all proud to be part of. We encourage you all to support the initiative. We will also host a series of Road Shows around specific Festivals and business to business events introducing ownership to the corporate sector.

HRI Ownership will continue to host the popular Owner Race Days at racecourses throughout the country.

Collaboration is key in improving the ownership experience and encouraging new owners into the sport. We can’t guarantee you a winner, but we are here to help ensure you have a good experience en route to the winner’s enclosure.

Please share your feedback through the AIRO or directly to the team.

Our contact details can be found on racehorseownership.ie

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

Racing Post

Clockwise from top left: Minella Indo wins for the Maloney Family at Punchestown Festival; Michael Halford at the HRI Owners Event in Hong Kong; Lucky Road wins the Syndicate Race at Bellewstown, August 2019; Chris Jones, Matt Tindall and Stephen McCarthy, Ownership Rugby and Racing Dinner.

Amber Byrne, Owner Development Manager, Horse Racing Ireland

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| OWNER PROFILE |

FAMILY MATTERS

Andrew Slattery, “pure graft and unity”

DARAGH Ó CONCHÚIR SPENDS TIME WITH THE SLATTERY FAMILY TO LEARN THE TRUE VALUE OF PEDIGREES AND BLOODLINES

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

F

amilies and communities are enmeshed in racing and the Slatterys of Cooldine, just outside Killenaule, are mixing it with the very best.

Former jockey and eldest of 10, Andy focuses on training and has exciting Classic prospects in Group 2 runner-up Rebel Tale and easy winner Sunchart, as well as stakes-placed Silver Spear.

The trio are his first Classic entries, and he has a strong crop of juveniles as well.

Brothers Willie – another ex-pilot – and Brian oversee the breeze-up operation, and they have a handful for the point-to-point circuit as well. Faugheen is the best known of their products, while Cooldine, Monksland, Quel Esprit, Invictus and Chablis are just some other talented protégés. Among those sold through the breeze-ups or from the track include Group 1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes winner My Dream Boat.

It is hard work but enjoyable, and that enjoyment has been accentuated by talented apprentice riders, Andy’s son Andrew and nephew Ben Coen. Ben was the trailblazer for his four months older cousin, with Andrew not even sitting on a racehorse until he was 14.

Andrew has made quick progress though and is coming off an unforgettable year, finishing joint Champion Apprentice with Oisín Orr and a first Group triumph on Kastasa.

Meadowview Stables is within sight of the former home of George Spencer, father of jockey Jamie and owner-trainer of another one-time Champion Hurdler, Winning Fair.

Willie Slattery Snr used to work for Spencer and won numerous races on Winning Fair. After a spell with Adrian Maxwell, he kept a few horses himself and remains an active member of the team, where all play a role in the expansion of the business. Ben’s younger brother Jake is a regular work rider, while Adam Ryan, a nephew of Andy’s wife Mary, has taken out an amateur licence. Such growth is testament to the pool of knowledge, pure graft and unity.

“I remember when the first set of stables were built. I might have been three or four,” recalls Brian. The seven units produced four bumper winners alone. Brian has a more vivid memory of Andy’s last winner as a jockey in June 1996.

Sligo bumper victor, Supreme Charm, was also his first as a trainer, although unofficially, as he waited for the paperwork to go through and the gelding ran in Michael O’Meara’s name. “I remember having to go to the payphone to ring me mother at home, to tell her the horse had won,” Brian details.

Willie: “We wanted to be trainers – well, Andy wanted to be a trainer and I wanted to be riding them. It started great but then we got a few bad bunches…

Andy: “… of owners!”

Willie: “When they weren’t good horses straight away, lads moved on. So then we had to think again and start buying and selling a few.”

Andy: “The first two horses we bought for breeze-ups, we gave €1,200 for the two of them.

They made €22,000. We bought five or six of them the next year.”

Willie: “As you can guess, it’s been colourful at

Ben Coen, “they let you learn”

times! We were trying to find the nicest horses we could for the money we had.”

Andy: “I remember I went to the Land Rover Sale when William was in Portugal. I gave €25,000 for two horses and I’m wondering how I’m gonna pay for them. I rang him and told him I’m after buying a lad with a parrot mouth.

‘What the fuck did you buy a lad with a parrot mouth for?’ came the roar down the line. That was Cooldine. The other lad, The Grey Friend, was beaten by Tranquil Sea in his first point-topoint and won by 10 lengths the next time and I think we got €250,000 for him. Cooldine sold well as well.”

They backed their judgement and it paid off.

You need a bit of luck too though. John Hayes, who owns Silver Spear, was a small-time breeder with a filly he was unable to sell. He noticed Slattery had a double at Tipperary and rang him to ask if he would train her. So well did Creggs Pipes do, a Group 2 winner and multiple group-placed earner of €267,000, that she is now in foal to Sea The Stars, while her dam, Indian Germain, is due to Frankel.

They have always seen themselves as National Hunt folk and yet Flat racing dominates their

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Andrew Slattery in the famous colours of HH Aga Khan on Kastasa

activities now. The training element grew on the back of the failure to sell the likes of An Saighdiur, Ucanchoose and Sharjah. They went on to win 35 times between them, accumulating €450,000 in prize money.

Their emphasis on producing racehorses means they don’t train their breezers specifically to produce fast times. Kurpany, debut winner of a maiden at Tipperary under Ben last year, was not even accepted at Arqana. Andy trained him and sold him to Hong Kong handler John Moore, who has Group targets for him now.

Willie: “We used to hack, hack, sprint. We blew the heads off them and blew the shins off them.

Now it’s conditioning and they’re sound and they’re easy to ride. The two-furlong thing is grand but the ones of ours that breeze fast now, it’s because they’re fast. They’re not revved up.

We’re looking to produce racehorses.”

Brian: “Drasario did a good, straight breeze

but just wasn’t bullet fast in Doncaster last year.

We couldn’t have given him away if we tried.

We brought him home, gave him a quiet run in a barrier trial where he finished third. Then he was third in his maiden when Ben rode him, and we sold him for nice money to America. It goes to show.”

But it’s Faugheen the Slatterys are best known for. Andy recalls, “He was a gorgeous horse.

We had a plan to let him off and race him in the autumn. We brought him in one day to a schooling bumper in Thurles. There was 20 in it and you never saw anything like the way he picked up from the back across the top of Thurles. He just went through them and ran away. Roger Quinlan came in and said, ‘This lad should be going to Punchestown for the bumper.’

He wasn’t fit enough. He’d only a month’s work

WE USED TO HACK, HACK, SPRINT. WE BLEW THE HEADS OFF THEM AND BLEW THE SHINS OFF THEM. NOW IT’S CONDITIONING AND THEY’RE SOUND AND THEY’RE EASY TO RIDE.”

done. We only brought him in for education. So I said I’d better get a Hunter Cert for him (to pointto-point) and the rest is history.”

Ask Andrew his first memories and his father is quick to get in first, “He’s no memories anyway because he’s not at it that long!” Andrew says, “My first memory of horses is going pony racing with Brian and Ben.” Soccer was his game, while Ben was flourishing under Brian’s guidance.

Ben rode at the Ascot Breeze-Ups as a 12-year-old. “I was roaring at it the whole way up the straight!” he reveals. “I used to ride ponies and then I got a fall and stopped it for a year or two. Then I came back and started pony racing down south. Billy Lee’s mother gave me my first rides.”

Andrew eventually followed suit, riding out Ucanchoose and later Sors.

Willie: “We owe Ucanchoose a lot. He got Andy going as a trainer and Andrew going as a rider.”

Andrew: “You could walk under his belly or anything. Then Darragh O’Keeffe’s father was selling a pony, who was 16. Billy Lee, Oisín Murphy and Killian Leonard had him before.

He’s still going now. The father said, ‘If you can

| MAGAZINE 2019 |

| OWNER PROFILE |

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| OWNER PROFILE |

“THE ENTHUSIASM THE YOUNG FELLAS HAVE IS INFECTIOUS. YOU JUST LOVE TO SEE THEM COMING INTO THE YARD.” hold Ucanchoose in the morning we’ll go down and buy the pony.’ He used to run away with me.

The lads would be on the gallop, waving their arms trying to stop me.”

Andy: “I didn’t put any pressure on him. Let him do what he wants to. But what I did say to him when he got me to buy that pony was you’d better look after him. He’s yours.”

Ben: “It was good to have the lads there but they let you learn yourself.”

Andrew: “They let you learn yourself but when you fuck up they’d let you know! I used to ride Sors out every morning and he used to run clean away from me. Brian gave out to me one day and said, ‘How’s he going to win a race tomorrow?’ I said, ‘He’ll win tomorrow.’ Sure I hadn’t a clue what I was talking about. Pat Smullen won on him. I led Sors up that day. It was actually one of my first days going racing.”

Willie: “Sors was completely finished as a

three-year-old, after losing it altogether. Your man (Andrew) started riding him and he started running away with him. He loved the light weight. He went on and won the Rockingham.

For Andrew’s first 12 months riding, he might have had 80 rides and I’d say 40 of them were on Sharjah.”

Brian: “Sharjah gave Donnacha O’Brien a good start too, he gave him three winners. So if Aidan wants to return the favour!”

Andy: “At the start we were putting our neck on the line to get them up. Now of course the owners want to put them up.”

Willie: “The first day I rode, I nearly fell off. The difference between when we started and the lads now… they’re jockeys. They’re riding them not because of who they are. They’re riding them because we think they’re the best for the job.”

Andy: “We were hoping Ben would win Champion Apprentice the year before, but Joseph O’Brien just had too much ammunition to get Shane Crosse over the line. So it was a great thrill for Andrew to win it.”

Willie: “The enthusiasm the young fellas have is infectious. You just love to see them coming into the yard. I can take or leave Flat racing really but now I watch every one of their races. Wherever I’ll be I’ll watch them.”

Andy: “Ben and Andrew have ridden winners in the Magnier colours, Aga Khan’s, the Maktoum colours. Young lads before wouldn’t get a chance to ride in those colours.”

Willie: “The long and the short of it is this. We gave them the start but the reason they’re getting these rides is because they’re good enough.

There’s nobody giving them these rides because they’re nice fellas. We don’t put them up because they’re family. If they couldn’t win on them, they wouldn’t be long being taken off them. We want to win. And when it doesn’t work out, there are a lot of long faces! But when it does, it’s a good day for us all.”

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

my gift to the world Together, we can continue to create a future that is fair for everyone. And make a world without poverty our legacy.

For more information contact OXFAM Ireland Tel: (01) 672 7662 Email: friends@oxfamireland.org Oxfam Ireland is a member of Oxfam International, a world-wide development organisation that mobilises the power of people against poverty. Charitable co. limited by guarantee. Reg. No. 284292, CHY5988

www.oxfamireland.org/legacy

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DAY THREE C HE LTE N HA M

12 MARCH 2020

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| COMMERCIAL FEATURE |

Consistent Quality Naas Racecourse

F | MAGAZINE 2020 |

or generations Naas Racecourse has quietly and consistently been a nursery for the very best race horses and have enjoyed the support of Ireland’s leading and loyal owners. The significant infrastructural investment in recent years has been the fundamental factor that has strengthened and raised the Naas Racecourse profile. 2019 was another successful year for Naas Racecourse, the team at Naas would like to take this opportunity to thank owners for voting them as the AIRO & Irish Field Racecourse of the Year. Eamonn

Mc Evoy, General Manager of Naas Racecourse said “Naas Racecourse was delighted to receive the AIRO & Irish Field Racecourse of the year award. Without owners we simply could not operate, Irish owners are the backbone of our great game and we want to work closely with AIRO and develop the relationship further and help in any way we can.” 2020 will bring further facility improvements, an additional raceday and races including the richest race to be run at Naas Racecourse, the Irish EBF Ballyhane Stud Stakes of €200,000 on August 3rd and a very exciting 2 year old fillies listed race, the Marwell Stakes on July 22nd.

Thank you for voting us the AIRO & The Irish Field

Racecourse Of The Year 2019

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| OWNER PROFILE |

Royal Line SAMANTHA OLIVER LOOKS INTO THE IRISH INTERESTS, INFLUENCE AND IMPACT OF THE DEPUTY RULER OF DUBAI, SHEIKH HAMDAN – THE MAN BEHIND SHADWELL

operation and has housed some of the world’s most influential stallions, including Green Desert. Before Nunnery, Shadwell’s public stud was Melton Paddocks, which is now home to Sheikh Hamdan’s Arabian stallions. Beech House Stud also houses both thoroughbred and Arabian horses, with the young Arabian stock being brought to the Beech House paddocks to winter, before they move on to Snarehill Stud in the Shadwell Estate in Suffolk, known as one of Europe’s leading rehabilitation centres.

Beyond the racing industry, Sheikh Hamdan has received numerous honours and awards, and is a patron of many humanitarian causes.

He has provided great support in promoting and honouring those who work in the medical sciences, giving his name to a distinguished award in the field. He has also worked with UNESCO, and is the benefactor of a prize awarded to those who aim to improve the

Stud and Elzaam standing at Ballyhane.

For the past 30 years Sheikh Hamdan has sent his horses to be trained by Kevin Prendergast and, due in no small part to the care and hardwork of the veteran trainer, celebrated great success this year with Madhmoon coming second in the Epsom Derby. His Highness has also enjoyed great success with Dermot Weld with the likes of Bethrah and Shadwell Racing is a four-time winner of the Irish 1000 Guineas.

Thanks to his involvement in the Irish racing industry, Sheikh Hamdan has had a very positive impact on the economy in Ireland.

Together with his brother Sheikh Mohammed, owner of Godolphin, their stud farms jointly employ more than 700 people across the country, helping rural Ireland to thrive. Every year, new young people discover, and fall in love with, the equine world, and with so many positions on the grounds, from grooms, vets and jockeys to gardeners and cleaners, there are plenty of ways for them to become a part of the racing community.

Sheikh Hamdan’s accomplishments are not limited to Ireland. Shadwell’s Nunnery Stud in Suffolk is the base of the entire British breeding

Lissa Oliver

T

he name Shadwell Racing is no doubt familiar to all. Over the past 30 years, the thoroughbred racing operation has produced some of the racing world’s best and most influential horses. But who is the man behind Shadwell?

Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Deputy Ruler of Dubai, was born in Dubai in 1945. At 22, he moved to Britain to study languages at Cambridge and there developed a passion for Flat racing. Since then, Sheikh Hamdan has enjoyed huge success, with over 90 top level winning horses sporting the blue and white Shadwell colours since his first runner in 1980.

Sheikh Hamdan’s enterprise continued to flourish, and Shadwell Racing now owns internationally-renowned stud farms in the UK, US and of course our own Derrinstown Stud in Co. Kildare. Originally purchased as a 375-acre farm in 1982, Derrinstown Stud now spans 2,000 acres, boasts state of the art breeding facilities, and is home to four top stallions. Two more of Shadwell’s stallions currently reside in Irish studs, Mustameet standing at Clongriffen

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

performance of teachers, not to mention €500,000 donated in 2019 to cancer research in support of Pat Smullen.

The Sheikh’s stalion Markaz posing at Derrinstown Stud

The Sheikh’s 2016 Irish 2000 Guineas winner Awtaad and Chris Hayes in the famous blue & white

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07/02/2020 12:47

GOOD GOING

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

| GROUND CONDITIONS |

FOR TRACEY O’MEARA BREANDÁN Ó HUALLACHÁIN TALKS TO TRACEY O’MEARA, IRELAND’S FIRST FEMALE CLERK OF THE COURSE, ABOUT HER TRAINING AND HER NEW ROLE IN IRISH RACING ramore-native Tracey O’Meara became Clerk of the Course at Down Royal, Downpatrick, Sligo and Kilbeggan on 1st December 2018. For anyone who knew of her racing pedigree – her father Séamus was groundsman at their local track – her appointment would not have come as a major surprise, but at the same time it was ground-breaking for Irish racing, as Tracey became the first ever female Clerk of the Course in Ireland.

The Clerk of the Course is one of 10 racing officials appointed to act at each race meeting, each of whom is licensed annually by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board. The role of the Clerk of the Course is to ensure that all courses are correctly measured and marked, and

that there are proper medical and veterinary personnel and procedures in place in case of accident.

O’Meara trained as a Clerk of the Course in England, shadowing 14 different clerks, and gained valuable experience during her three years there. “I worked in the UK for a year-and-a-half as Racing Executive at Lingfield Park, did training over there which took six months, and took up the position of Clerk at Fontwell and Brighton in November 2017 for 12 months. You hope going away to England, and the experience gained there, would always stand to you, but I always wanted to come home,” she admits.

The Co. Waterford native, who rode ponies and did

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| GROUND CONDITIONS |

Tracey O’Meara

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

showjumping when young, received “a great grounding” for more than a decade at Tramore under Paddy Graffin prior to her expedition across the water, where her training was “quite structured.”

“I was under the guidance of Ed Arkell, who is currently the Clerk of the Course for Goodwood Racecourse. I made a conscious decision to visit different tracks. I felt it would be more beneficial to me, as every track has a different watering system, different soil types and different layouts,” she explains.

Along with this hands-on experience, any prospective Clerk of the Course also has to review and evaluate their learning experience, undertake a written examination on BHA General Instructions and complete the IOG Levels 2 and 3 courses.

While British racing is more accustomed to female Clerks of the Course, with a total of 12 operating in the UK (at the country’s 59 tracks), Tracey says she was made to feel very welcome when she began her new role in Ireland. “I have to say everybody was very accepting of me and very welcoming when I started my position. I haven’t had any bad experiences to date.”

Turning to her official duties as Clerk of the Course, the former equine student informs us that she completes critical work prior to each race meeting. In the lead up to a race meeting, the layout of the track, hurdles and fences will be discussed, with safety being the primary concern.

“The day before our race day, we go to the track and we look at the track rails and the going – health and safety is the biggest aspect of it – to make sure it is safe for both horse and jockey, while on a race day, we walk the track to make sure everything is ok. I think probably the biggest element on a race day is obviously the health and safety, but also getting the races off on time.”

On race days, Tracey is the person with ultimate responsibility for deciding to bypass a hurdle or a fence, she is authorised to invoke bypassing procedures of same for whatever reason, and ultimately has to take steps required to deal with an emergency during a race, including stopping it, if necessary.

She walks the course hours prior to races commencing and comes up with a ground description, something Tracey describes as subjective. “Everybody has an opinion, so you have to take everybody’s opinion on board – it could be a positive, it could be a negative. I suppose the going description is an opinion, a subjective opinion as well.”

When asked the most challenging aspect of her job, Tracey confides that providing an accurate ground description can be difficult, but feedback from jockeys can be helpful. “I think the most challenging aspect of my job is that everybody has an opinion and you have to take those people’s opinions on board. The jockeys will always give you feedback as well – it’s like everything, you’re not going to have the ground to suit everyone. Some people say it’s easier than others but I don’t think there’s anything that quite unifies in regard to the going.”

To illustrate how challenging, or maybe impossible, it is to agree on a ground description, she cites a Racecourse Association (RCA) experiment carried out in England a few years back. “The RCA in England had 10 trainers in Newmarket and they gave them all a stick to go out and give a going description – they came back with 10 different going descriptions!”

The 35-year-old takes what she calls a

“THE DAY BEFORE OUR RACE DAY, WE GO TO THE TRACK AND WE LOOK AT THE TRACK RAILS AND THE GOING – HEALTH AND SAFETY IS THE BIGGEST ASPECT OF IT – TO MAKE SURE IT IS SAFE FOR BOTH HORSE AND JOCKEY.”

“slow and steady” approach to watering the ground. For a race meeting at the weekend, she prefers not to water too heavily early in the week. “If you put a couple of mills on it every day, and then if the weather was to change, you can either hold back if it was due to be wet, or go heavier if it was due to be dry.”

The major difference Tracey sees between summer and winter racing from her job viewpoint is that “during the summer you might have to change it (the going) if you get a downpour.” She says, however, that having to artificially water the ground doesn’t necessarily make her job easier during those months.

Now, a year into her role, Tracey’s tip for any budding Clerk of the Course is that they need to be willing to listen and take feedback.

“Listen and learn from the feedback of the jockeys, as at the end of the day, they are the ones out there riding and they have the experience.”

What is it?

The GoingStick, a digital version of the traditional penetrometer, is far from objective and is user-specific, dependent on the pressure used by an individual and the ground type of the track, such as chalk-based, sand-based, etc. Many Clerks of the Course, particularly in Ireland, prefer to use the traditional penetrometer, measuring at a minimum of 30 points across the track and always at the same points for consistency. The ultimate goal is to produce “safe ground” for horse and rider, watering if necessary.

The grass must also be nourished and nurtured to ensure adequate depth and root system, to provide a safe racing surface.

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| POINT-TO-POINT |

ON THE UP & UP NEW CHAMPIONS, NEW RECORDS AND NEW PARTICIPANTS, THE FUTURE IS LOOKING GOOD FOR POINT-TO-POINTING, AS EOGHAIN WARD REPORTS

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

My Whirlwind

T

he past year in the pointto-point fields could well be considered as something of a changing of the guard.

Derek O’Connor and Jamie Codd, the two undisputed most successful riders in the sport’s history, have dominated for well over a decade with either one of the pair featuring in the top two positions of the riders leader boards for 16 years consecutively. That was until 2019.

A dominant season for Barry O’Neill saw him seal his third consecutive title, with close friend Rob James joining him at the top of the sport.

In a real sign of the powerhouse that Wexford yards have become in the sport, the county was responsible for four of the top five riders, with rising star Luke Murphy joining O’Neill, James and Codd in the top five for the first time, whilst Colin Bowe collected his

seventh leading handler prize.

Elsewhere, the O’Sullivan clan, who have a life-long connection with point-to-point racing, secured two titles, with Maxine O’Sullivan winning her fourth ladies title with a last gasp victory in the final race of the season, whilst her cousin Michael claimed a first Under-21 title in only his third season.

One of the most remarkable stories came in the open division where Kruzhlinin and Longhouse Music carefully weaved their way into the history books when the pair shared the champion point-to-point horse crown, having won no fewer than 26 races between them in the one season.

Both horses were aided by the notably dry winter which ensured that Good ground was the order of the day and resulted in the almost unheard of situation of a hunt committee having to water their course in advance of a fixture in the month of January.

The spring-like ground conditions did

not put the brakes on the conveyer belt of equine talent that is four-year-old maidens, with the number of runners continue to grow notably in the age group. Those who have mastered the art of turning around these unraced young horses, into winning point-to-pointers, were once again well rewarded, with an all-time record for a point-to-point mare, when Paddy Turley’s Ballycahane winner My Whirlwind was sold for £400,000 at the Cheltenham Festival.

Those sums being fueled by the continued success that the sport’s graduates once again enjoyed, winning 1,488 races under Rules, including 100 black type races in Britain, Ireland and America, with jet-setters Jury Duty and Scopiancer achieving Grade 1 success across the Altantic. Point-to-Pointers once again proving to be the number one breeding ground of future stars.

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| WELFARE |

RESPONSIBLE OWNERSHIP

JOHN OSBORNE DELIVERS A STRONG MESSAGE FROM THE INDUSTRY AND REMINDS US OF OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO THE HORSE

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

Equine Welfare has been a hot topic globally in 2019, but animal welfare debate is not a new phenomenon. Animals in transport were protected in Westminster legislation around 1870 and the debate about the relationship between man and animals has never been far away. There is a wide spectrum of opinions on the subject, but for most people, it is about getting the balance right. Nature is cruel, and animals in the wild can suffer greatly. Advances in animal care, nutrition and veterinary mean that ironically things have never been better for our animal friends.

In recent years we have seen how public opinion can be affected by waves of anger flowing through social media channels and we have also witnessed the demotion of expert opinion and the demise of truth as a foundation stone for public debate. With that has come a rise in the number of people claiming to know what is best for the animals and campaigning against the situations in which animals have been centrepiece for centuries. This includes farming, as seen in the shock tactics of the vegan movement. We have seen a major repositioning of the zoos and safari parks to reframe their activities as conservation-centred. We have seen how SeaWorld has struggled to move in response to the changed zeitgeist.

Horseracing has always enjoyed the privilege of patronage from friends in high places. With this tacit approval we have seen horseracing flourish in certain countries. Other equestrian sports probably enjoy a higher profile in another range of countries. All of these sports have been based on certain assumptions with regard to

John Osborne MVB MRCVS, HRI Director of Equine Welfare and Bloodstock

how the man-horse relationship is conducted.

We have made a deal with the horse to deliver to us an unparalleled thrilling experience in return for a lifetime of care. In the vast majority of cases this deal is honoured and it is easy to say that the horse is the winner in the exchange.

As participants we must also take care to address situations where this deal is broken.

This includes care in selecting those in whom we trust to care for large numbers of horses. So licensing plays a part. We also have robust rules which are enforced if people are in breach of their obligation to care for the horse. We also ensure there are safety nets for the thankfully rare situations where there is gross neglect and an urgent need for radical intervention on behalf of the horses.

For some people, these words are empty and there will never be a solution until the animals are set free. I cannot convince somebody with that world view, but I can defend what we do and feel proud of the thousands of people who have devoted their lives to caring for the noble horse. We do it for many reasons and putting groceries on the table is obviously one. However, it is not the highest paying occupation and is inherently risky, can be anti-social and puts dirt in your fingernails. So money is not the primary motivator. There is camaraderie combined with edgy rivalry which is intoxicating. There is a global connectedness which has afforded many of us the chance to experience the world through the shared horse experiences. Inescapably, there is the bond between human and equine which holds us in the game even when times are tough.

What can we do about the current conundrum? Firstly, we can shift our stance slightly to acknowledge that not everyone “gets it”. We can respect that some people have a different view. We can assess what we do and apply the Sunday Indo test to it – how would my behaviour or action look if it was portrayed on the front page of the Sunday Indo. We can adopt a response which addresses criticism of what we do, not by dismissing the contrarian view but by highlighting how our horses get the best of care and deservedly so. We can use a language which crosses over to the mainstream, which has the double advantage of communicating clearly and also of taking down a barrier to understanding. We can take every opportunity to accentuate the positive

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| MAGAZINE 2020 |

| WELFARE |

(nb Twitter accounts @ThoroughbredTales @IAmHorseracing) and perhaps more importantly, avoid comments which ignore the existence of those with an anti-racing agenda.

All this calls for a concerted response, for collective responsibility, because this is a challenge requiring all hands on deck. But specifically, what is HRI doing about it? We have embedded Equine Welfare into our strategic plan. We have restructured the leadership team to dedicate a resource to this heading. We will use 2020 to establish baselines, particularly through the ongoing study we are conducting as the first part of a participatory policy-making

co-design project, in conjunction with UCD. We are forming stronger relationships with IHRB, IRTA, ITBA and others to ensure that all the representative bodies are aligned on the subject and this will mean the creation of a Racehorse Welfare Council. We have pencilled in a day in May 2020 for a forum to allow for broader industry participation in the discussion. We are preparing for the unexpected challenge with scenario response training. We are working with IHRB on protocols for racehorse care and re-examining the standards expected of all participants.

Traceability is a cornerstone of a strong and

“THE DAY BEFORE OUR RACE DAY, WE GO TO THE TRACK AND WE LOOK AT THE TRACK RAILS AND THE GOING – HEALTH AND SAFETY IS THE BIGGEST ASPECT OF IT – TO MAKE SURE IT IS SAFE FOR BOTH HORSE AND JOCKEY.”

defensible equine welfare profile. To know that everything is of an acceptable standard, we must know that the animals exist, we must know their whereabouts and we must know the responsible person, otherwise we are powerless to intervene.

All aspects of agriculture are conducted under such rigours, allowing for strong messaging and the defence of a premium product. Our Thoroughbreds generate nearly €400million in exports per year, making them the fifth largest agricultural export generator. That is based on the premium image due to repeated high level success and can be lost with one failure such as happened with pig meat not too long ago.

The new metric for quality referenced by the Minister for Agriculture in the context of funding for the greyhound industry – “How well have you cared for the animals? My voters demand a satisfactory answer” or words to that effect. We need the correct answer to be on everyone’s lips.

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| RETIRED FACES |

Where Are They Now? LISSA OLIVER REMINDS US THOSE WHO RETIRED THIS YEAR AREN’T SO FAR AWAY

Pat Smullen

| MAGAZINE 2019 |

Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March 2018, the risk of compromising ongoing treatment forced nine-time Irish Champion Jockey Pat’s retirement from the saddle in May 2019, having won 12 Classics, including the Epsom Derby and Irish Derby on Harzand for long-time governor Dermot Weld. “I’ve been very fortunate through my career to meet some great people and to ride some very good horses,” he reflected. “I have a lot of cherished memories of a great career, and I’m very thankful for that. Now it’s the second chapter of my life. I’m determined that I’ll still work within the industry and, hopefully, I can be of some benefit.” His new path is already proving of great benefit to many, as ambassador for Longines Irish Champions Weekend he helped raise over €2.5m for Cancer Trials Ireland and, in recognition, he received the 2019 Cartier Award of Merit. Pat writes a weekly column for Thoroughbred Daily News.

Fran Berry Following spinal injuries sustained in a fall at Wolverhampton in January, Fran was forced to retire in April 2019. “While this news is heart-breaking, I am fully aware how lucky I am,” he said. “Riding has been a fantastic adventure for me, and I am very grateful for the way it allowed my family and me to experience the world and gain many friends over that time.”

His career in the saddle spanned 23 years, during which time he won the Coral Cup at the Cheltenham Festival on Khayrawani and, switching to the Flat, the Gr1 National Stakes on Pathfork, as well as enjoying great success riding in Japan. He has now joined the Racing TV team and continues to write for Sportinglife.com.

Brendan Powell, who rode Rhyme ‘N’ Reason to win the 1988 Grand National and trained more than 600 winners as a dual-purpose trainer, including Dark Emerald, announced his retirement from training, but will be returning home to Ireland to join the team at Joseph O’Brien. “I’ve got to an age where I need to do something where the pressure is off,” Brendan said. “Joseph has a big yard and he’s going places. I’ve had a few mornings there, and it’s fantastically run with great staff. Joseph wants to spend more time in the yard so I’m going to go racing and look after owners and syndicates.

I’ll also be at the yard in the mornings to watch horses schooling. There will be a lot of racing, which I enjoy. It looks a fantastic opportunity, I’m really looking forward to it.”

Pat Healy

Brendan Powell

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| RETIRED FACES |

Ruby Walsh

Magical A high temperature prevented Magical’s swansong in the Breeder’s Cup, following an illustrious career. Winner of the Debutante Stakes at two, she won the British Champions Fillies & Mares at three before a superb season as a four-yearold, winning the Champion Stakes and Irish Champion Stakes. She also finished a gallant second to Enable in the Breeders Cup, Eclipse and Yorkshire Oaks. “She has been an unbelievable filly. She was so game, so consistent and so classy. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to have anything to do with her,” said Aidan O’Brien. The daughter of Galileo will now join the broodmare band at Coolmore and will be covered by leading sire No Nay Never.

| MAGAZINE 2019 |

Ruby Walsh won the Coral Punchestown Gold Cup on Kemboy and immediately announced his retirement, two weeks short of his 40th birthday. “Racing has been great to me, but it doesn’t last forever,” he announced, bringing the curtain down on a 24-year riding career that included nearly 2,800 winners and a record 59 Cheltenham Festival victories. “If there’s been a good horse there’s a good chance I rode them,” said Walsh.

“I worked with the two best trainers, Willie Mullins and Paul Nicholls.” He has no plans to start training and will instead concentrate on media work for Racing TV. President Michael D Higgins revealed, “I have written to Ruby, to congratulate him on a remarkable and brilliant career, and to thank him for his outstanding contributions, not only to racing but also to Ireland’s reputation abroad.”

Capri Five-year-old dual-Classic hero Capri has been retired and will join Coolmore’s National Hunt roster at Grange Stud for the 2020 season.

The popular grey won the Beresford Stakes at two and defeated Cracksman, Wings Of Eagles and Waldgeist in the Irish Derby, before going on to beat Crystal Ocean and Stradivarius in the St Leger. He suffered a setback at four and couldn’t regain his form this year. Grange Stud’s Albert Sherwood reflected, “He was a very high-class two-year-old and defeated all the best middle-distance colts of his generation as a three-year-old before again showing high-class form at four. We couldn’t be more delighted that he’s coming to Grange.”

Raz De Maree The much-loved seven-time winner Raz De Maree, owned by James Swan, brought the house down when landing the Welsh National soon after his 13th birthday in 2018. A poor run at Fairyhouse on his final start last year saw him retire after 51 runs and trainer Gavin Cromwell recalled, “He’s been brilliant for everyone and has given us plenty of great days. The Welsh National was obviously a fantastic day to remember. To win that race, regardless of any age, was a great achievement.” The gelding also won two Cork Grand Nationals and was second twice, as well as runner-up in the Midlands Grand National. The Swan family are farmers and Raz De Maree will have a good retirement at home with them.

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| TROPHIES |

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: The Monaghan Cup; The Kildare Hunt Cup; The Irish Cup.

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

BELLS, BOWLS & CUPS SAMANTHA OLIVER DISCOVERS WHY A TROPHY CAN BE WORTH MORE THAN THE PRIZE MONEY It’s every owner’s dream to see their horse win, but for the truly lucky there is the thrill of standing on the podium to accept their prize.

Whether a silver frame or an antique cup, there is a special sense of pride that comes from taking home these testaments to a well-earned victory.

The tradition of handing out trophies for sporting events dates back to Ancient Greece, and the earliest known prizes for horseracing were gold and silver bells. The most famous of these are the Carlisle Bells, given to the winner of the Carlisle Bell race in England.

Dating back to 1559, these bells are believed to be the oldest sporting trophy in the world.

Based in the Heritage Centre in Newmarket, every year these ancient trophies make the 267-mile journey to Cumbria to be presented to one lucky owner, before their safe return to Newmarket.

Here at home, one of the oldest trophies is the Kildare Cup. This silver cup was first awarded at the Curragh in 1757, to Sir Ralph

Gore of Donegal. Its design is known as a ‘posset cup’, usually used to serve hot liquors.

An earlier trophy commemorating a racing victory for Sir Ralph Gore can be found in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, USA. The silver bowl commemorates the win of Othello on the Curragh in 1751. Given the Irish climate it’s no surprise posset cups were popular trophies, another example being the intricate Monaghan Cup. Its handles were human hands grasping a racing whip and a detailed statuette of horse and groom topped the cover.

According to the inscription, the cup was to be awarded to the winner of a Monaghan meeting in 1813, but no record exists of this race ever having been run.

Little is known either of the uninscribed Irish Cup, other than it was presented by King George III in the late 18th century, but other historic trophies have returned to use in the present day, such as the Farmer’s Royal Cup at Leopardstown. King George V and Queen Mary arrived at the racecourse in July 1911 in

grand style, complete with a parade of Royal carriages down the course, to personally award this trophy to winner Daniel Maloney from County Limerick, and his horse Kirk Bloom.

After falling out of use, in 2013 the race known as the Nijinsky Stakes was renamed the King George V Cup, and the regal cup was resurrected. Another physical slice of history to be found at Leopardstown is the Foxrock Cup, which was presented for a race won in 1965

by Foinavon, the last race he ran before the infamous 1967 Grand National!

Bellewstown racecourse is one of the most historic in Ireland, with racing having been recorded there as long ago as 1726, so it’s fitting that the highlight of every August is the Mullacurry Cup Hurdle, run for an antique trophy. The Mullacurry Cup was a former point-to-point trophy presented to Bellewstown in 2005 to be used once more.

Perhaps not as old, but equally iconic is the Joe Cooney Memorial Cup. Named for the former chairman of Kilbeggan races, the Cup was first run for in 1958 and is presented every year by a member of the Cooney family, to the winner of the Joe Cooney Memorial Hurdle.

When it comes to sponsorship, however, the Moyglare Stud Stakes holds a rare distinction, as Moyglare Stud is the longest running racing sponsor, not only in Ireland, but the world.

With so much distinguished history behind them, it is no wonder that racing trophies are treasured by all.

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| HISTORY |

Punchestown & the Kildare Hunt Club The Connection DAVID MONGEY TAKES US ON A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE AS HE REVEALS 200 YEARS OF HISTORY

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

T

he long association between Punchestown and the Kildare Hunt Club goes back to the early 1800s. The Hunt Club itself was founded in 1751. Before that time, there was a record of three private hunt packs, Mr. Thomas Connolly’s (The Squire) of Castletown, the Rt Hon WB Ponsonby’s of Bishopscourt, whose name “The Farmers Race” is named after, and Mr. John Kennedy of Johnstown-Kennedy, who Lord Mayo called “the Father of the Kildare Hunt”.

The aristocratic complexion of County Kildare underwent another significant evolution during the 1790’s when five of its wealthiest families were advanced in the Ascendancy, as the hierarchy of Irish gentry and nobility became known. Amongst these were the forebears of three men who would play a key role in the history of the Kildare Hunt Club – the Marquis of Drogheda, the Earl of Clonmel and the Earl of Mayo. For the next Century, virtually every aspect of life in the country was determined by these families along with the Dukes of Leinster, the Barons de Robeck and dynasties such as Aylines, Connolly, Eustace, Wolf, Pensonby, Henry, De Burg and La Touche.

The early historical background of the Kildare Hunt was moulded by their dominance. Many of the landlords wielded considerable political, sporting and social power not only in Ireland but in England as well. It was a period of elegance and extravagance for the ruling classes, which would be extinguished by the horrors of the First World War. The Hunt’s first recorded racemeeting was held on 22 October 1824 over two days. These meetings were for the benefit of gentlemen

and farmers who could indulge their taste for riding over typical Kildare hunt country. These early meetings were not held in Punchestown but in suitable tracks of land around the county.

Racemeetings were held in Rathgorraghy, Kilcock, Corbally Harbour, Furness Wood, Back Lane Naas and Punchestown itself. It was a moveable feast around the county, bringing with it social and economic benefits. In 1827 the meeting was extended to four days during the month of May with as many as five races per day.

It was not until just after the Great Famine (1845-1849) that the Kildare Hunt members adopted the lands of Punchestown for racemeetings instead of the varied venues. It is generally agreed that the Punchestown meeting owed much of its success in the early years to the Corinthian Cup. The personalities who rode the race were sportsmen to the core and courageous to a fault. They gloried in the challenge of the chase to prove their horse could bring home the prize, no different to the hunting field, and these races formally proved the point.

It was not until the 1860s that permanent stands were erected and enclosures laid out and the beginning of Punchestown as a National Hunt arena. Despite the everchanging world, Punchestown and the Kildare Hunt Club would never break entirely with tradition. It would retain races indicative of its glorious past, such as the La Touche Cup, Bishopecourt Cup (Farmers Race) and Conyhgham Cup, and even to this day festival tickets are given to the local farmers whose land the hunt passes through.

Down the years there have been many achievements and milestones and it is a credit to those guardians and members who have served Punchestown with great passion and acumen. We are lucky to have such a racing treasure. The responsibility of Punchestown remains in the hands of the Kildare Hunt Club, along with its management team who have managed to retain the traditions of the past and understand its responsibility in passing on these traditions to the future.

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| FEED |

BACK TO BASICS TRADITION AND RESEARCH ARE THE KEY INGREDIENTS IN GOOD FEED. BREANDÁN Ó HUALLACHÁIN TALKS TO KENNETH IRWIN OF BLUEGRASS HORSE FEED ABOUT HOW QUALITY FEED IMPACTS PERFORMANCE

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

GOOD GOING

FOR TRACEY O’MEARA

reeding is an essential part of the racing industry with prospective buyers always seeking information on the breeding of a horse. Kenneth Irwin is testament to the fact that feeding in the horse breeding industry is vital. Kenneth, Managing Director of Irwin’s Feed, producers of Bluegrass Horse Feed, is proud to continue the family business. The Irwins have milled food since 1847

when “my great-grandfather started processing oats in a small way.”

The Irwin’s family evolved from milling oats for human consumption to animal feed products after World War II in their Co. Tyrone mill, a move which transformed local subsistence farmers into producers of food for an emerging European market.

In 1998, Irwin’s Feed began manufacturing horse

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feed, realising there was a market demand for scientifically formulated and manufactured feed to enable horses achieve their maximum potential.

Beginning from a small product range, the company soon looked at distinct feeds for different disciplines. An important link in the company’s advancement came in 2002 when accepted by Kentucky Equine Research in the U.S. as “team member for Ireland.” Bluegrass Horse Feed developed a scientifically formulated product range with the expert advice from Kentucky Equine Research and is now a leading player in the Irish equine feed industry.

From the perspective of the thoroughbred racehorse, Kentucky Equine Research looks at horses in different regions of the world, with equine nutritional expert Dr Joe D. Pagan heading up the research institute.

The American link, along with participation at a biannual research conference of other horsebreeding countries, is paramount to Bluegrass Horse Feed’s prosperity, with Kenneth offering, “We’re just an email away from Kentucky Equine Research’s experts so if there is something we can’t answer we can get on to them and talk to the relevant people.”

So, how important is proper nutrition for a horse? Kenneth explains, “It’s vital for any athlete including horses and without the best energy and key nutrients they can’t perform to their best. It’s important to get the most digestible energy source along with high quality proteins, vitamins and minerals for muscle development and optimum performance.”

With 25 listed feeds among the Bluegrass Horse Feed products, the company has something to suit every horse, from leisure to performance; and if there are particular requirements, e.g. colic or laminitis, mares or foals, the Eglish-based outfit caters for them also.

To suggest good nutritional food for horses and the correct energy source for rapid recovery and muscle development, it’s important to look at the whole picture and have knowledge of the horse’s background, according to Kenneth.

“We like to know as much about the

From Harvest to Stable: n Feed manufacturers’ agronomists source the highest quality local and global producers of grains, beans, seeds and fibres required for high performance; n Laboratories analyse ingredients and finished product to ensure a consistent nutrient specification; n Tests are conducted to prevent Naturally Occurring Prohibited Substances (NOPS); n Natural preservatives such as antioxidants and low oxygen barrier packaging ensure a fresh product with a good shelf-life; n Technical teams of nutritionists offer analytical services and expert advice before and after delivery; n Feedback from clients is used to develop new products, services and technologies.

background (of the animal) as possible. The forage is very very important and whether the horse is an easy keeper or a hard doer, the more information we get, the better we can advise.”

If a National Hunt horse returns home for the summer, the first thing Kenneth says is to access its weight and body condition score. Horses require a balanced diet; this can be achieved by a fortified feed or a balancer along with high quality forage.

With a newly-retired Flat horse being used at home hacking, maintaining the animal’s weight and providing the correct energy source is important, with fat sources and oils playing a

IT’S VITAL FOR ANY ATHLETE INCLUDING HORSES AND WITHOUT THE BEST ENERGY AND KEY NUTRIENTS THEY CAN’T PERFORM TO THEIR BEST. IT’S IMPORTANT TO GET THE MOST DIGESTIBLE ENERGY SOURCE.”

key role as relatively slow energy is preferred to ensure the animal doesn’t get too excited.

For the potential classic contender, the food requirements are much different. They need good quality proteins for their muscle development as well as highly digestible energy sources and bioavailable nutrients, for example, the source of calcium is decisive with bioavailability of calcium significant for horses’ bone development. Kenneth emphasises that fresh water every day and forage are key needs for the potential Flat star.

He attributes the success of his family’s business to “our successful customers and word of mouth. Everybody says that the proof has been in the customers coming back to us.” The eminent international profile of some of Ireland’s showjumpers has assisted Bluegrass Horse Feed, as it became the first official feed consultant for Horse Sport Ireland.

High achieving brand ambassadors such as National Hunt trainers Gordon Elliott and Gavin Cromwell in Ireland and Ollie Murphy and Rebecca Menzies in England have kept the brand in the public domain.

With Ireland and the UK the dominant market for Bluegrass Horse Feed, Kenneth hopes to increase the business’s customer base in Continental Europe in the coming years, but freely admits “the Island of Ireland is our core market and we need to look after it; it is very important to us. We want to make sure we’re doing the home countries very well before we go too far away.”

With Brexit on the horizon, Kenneth conveys they have taken precautions due to the uncertainty, without actually clarifying what those provisions are. “We think common sense will prevail. The Island of Ireland needs to have seamless trade and it’s not just for horse feeds, it’s also for food and agri-business – it’s vital to the whole Island,” he states quite categorically.

With research and learning from customer feedback helping maintain Bluegrass Horse Feed’s prominent position in the market, the company continually developed to provide the best quality feeds, while also giving back to the industry, including supporting a St Stephen’s Day race at Down Royal over the Christmas period.

The best advice Kenneth Irwin can give to horse owners and trainers is “don’t forget about the basics: forage is always step one before building any sort of diet. Horses are individual – listen to your horse and cater for its needs,” while adding with tongue-in-cheek, “ask for Bluegrass Horse Feed would be good advice!”

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| FEED |

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| VET |

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS JAMES GIBBONS AT THE IRISH EQUINE CENTRE TALKS US THROUGH THE MANAGEMENT OF THE RACEHORSE DURING TURNOUT

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

M

ost racehorses will be let off from training at some stage and it often makes sense to send the horse home.

While you will often hear that the horse was ‘thrown out in a field for a break’, this suggests a far more relaxed approach than is true!

Whatever happens during this break may have consequences for the horse’s return to training and future performance.

The first point is where the horse will be turned out. This will usually be a field, but all-weather sand paddocks can also be used if managed properly (fresh forage supplied daily and regular collection of droppings). The size of the paddock required will depend on the number of horses turned out, the age of the paddock, the level of grass growth and time of year, but generally at least one acre per horse is required.

All paddocks should have a supply of fresh, clean water. Drinking troughs should be checked to ensure they are working properly and cleaned before use. A lack of water, or contaminated water, can have serious consequences. Rivers and streams can be used as sources of water but there is a risk of contamination with bacteria or parasites.

Paddocks should be fenced securely but avoid the use of barbed wire, which can

damage the skin, and even plain wire if the horse is not trained to it. Electric fence tape is commonly used but the horse should be familiar with it. Gates should be designed or adapted to minimise the risk of injury. If using livestock gates add wooden planks to the lower gaps to prevent legs getting stuck.

Gates with diagonal cross-bracing should be avoided as necks and legs can become stuck in the tight angles. Vets will tell you horror stories about the injuries they have seen in horses from gates, fences and wire. If the horse is a known crib-biter then treat all posts and gates with an anti-cribbing paint.

With unpredictable weather, it is advisable to have some form of open shelter available. It may be necessary to stable the horse at night. Moving overnight from a warm stable with a light rug to an open field with no shelter is a definite stress for any horse. Shelters should be constructed soundly to survive a kicking, with no sharp edges or electrical fittings within reach.

Horses are sociable animals and generally enjoy the company of others, but it’s best not to mix unfamiliar animals straight away as a stray kick may have life-changing consequences. If possible, the horses should be put in adjacent paddocks at first, to allow

them to become acquainted. Obviously, entire colts should not be mixed with fillies or mares unless this is part of the plan for your future breeding empire!

The risk of infectious disease must also be considered, especially where the vaccination status of the horses in the group is unknown and/or they are mixing with other horses off the premises at shows etc. Your horse should never be mixed with animals showing obvious signs of disease such as a cough, nasal discharge, diarrhoea or skin lesions.

Even animals which might not be considered a major disease risk, such as a solitary retired (and apparently healthy) child’s pony, have been found to carry the bacterium which causes Strangles and have led to disease outbreaks in in-contact horses.

The risk is not only that your own horse will become ill but that they could bring the

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CHANGES TO A HORSE’S ROUTINE SHOULD BE GRADUAL AND THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR DIETARY CHANGES IN ORDER TO AVOID INTESTINAL UPSETS SUCH AS COLIC.” infection back to the training yard and infect the other horses there. Respiratory diseases, such as Strangles, Equine Influenza and other viral infections are often top of the list when we think of infectious diseases in racehorses but other less apparent infections, such as ringworm and internal parasites, are also a threat to health and performance.

It is therefore vital that horses are checked daily to ensure they are in good health. The basic things to check for are that the horse is bright, alert and moving freely, with no signs of lameness or swelling in any limbs, has clean eyes and nostrils free of any discharge, is eating, drinking, urinating and defaecating with no signs of coughing or diarrhoea. Horses

showing any sign of pain or disease should be checked by your vet.

Your horse’s vaccination status should be checked with the trainer in advance of the layoff; if they are to mix with other horses then their vaccinations should be up to date; if, on the other hand, they will be kept alone, the layoff period may be a good opportunity to administer booster vaccinations.

Similarly, the need for any worm treatments should be discussed with your trainer and vet before the layoff; if mixing with other horses during this period a worm treatment may be necessary afterwards. One of the most effective elements of parasite control in horses involves daily collection of droppings from pasture.

Although labour intensive, this prevents further contamination of the pasture with parasites eggs and larvae found in faeces and helps to control the cycle of infection and should be included as part of the daily routine.

Dietary composition will obviously differ between stable and paddock-based horses and the nutritional requirements of the horse on layoff will differ depending on the reason for the layoff e.g., injury vs rest. Most horses in work will receive a modest amount of forage supplemented with hard feed while a horse at lay-off will consume a primarily grass-based diet. Any changes to a horse’s routine should be gradual and this is especially true for dietary changes in order to avoid intestinal upsets such as colic. While it may not be possible to implement a gradual transition to grass paddocks without overnight stabling at least, horses should never be exposed to lush fresh grass at turnout as this can lead to problems such as colic and laminitis. A previously grazed paddock may provide the best introduction to grass for horses coming from racing stables.

Paddocks should be monitored for the presence of poisonous weeds and plants, such as Ragwort and sycamore seeds which can cause fatal illness. The use of dietary supplements during layoff should be discussed with the trainer and vet to ensure that these are suitable for use in racing horses and will not result in adverse findings at a later date.

It is easy to overlook the simple things so don’t forget to have a headcollar, preferably leather, of a suitable size, and a lead-rope to hand should you need to catch the horse. One final tip is to make sure you have your vet’s number and the horse’s passport available, as the vet will need to consult this should the horse require any medical attention while on its holidays.

An overview of some of the points to consider when agreeing to take a horse for a layoff period may seem like a catalogue of possible catastrophes, but it should be remembered that thousands of horses enjoy an uneventful turnout each year and, with a little planning, this time should pass without incident.

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| VET |

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| PONY RACING |

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

Conor Stone-Walsh

Future of

RACHEL McMAHON INTRODUCES US TO THE STARS OF THE FUTURE

Conor is 13 years old and is from Cleariestown in County Wexford. Conor’s interest in racing stemmed from his family, his brother and uncle are both involved in racing and he has been keen to follow in their footsteps, dreaming of a career in racing from a young age. “I always wanted to be a jockey and got involved in pony racing through Richie O’Keeffe who got me a ride on a pony called Caca Millis and it all started from there.” So far Conor has ridden 56 pony racing winners with his biggest career win to date being on Call The FBI at Dingle, as well as recording a treble at Ballingarry, County Limerick at the end of this season.

Stone-Walsh has lofty ambitions but could be well set for success in years to come. “The dream would be to become Champion National Hunt Jockey in Ireland but I have a lot of work to do to go get there.”

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| PONY RACING |

Sam Ewing Sam Ewing (left) has been immersed in racing from a young age, his father Warren is a wellknown point-to-point trainer from County Antrim; so it was no surprise that Sam would also take an interest. Sam began his pony racing career aged 11 and has ridden over 100 winners so far.

He has enjoyed some fantastic days including success in the three biggest races in pony racing, the Dingle Derby, the Dingle Golden Mile and the Glenbeigh Invitational race. It is clear Sam is a driven and ambitious young rider and already has preparations made for the future. “I plan to do one more season pony racing before getting my apprentice licence and heading to Ger Lyons. The main dream is to become champion jockey.”

Healy Racing

Daniel King Daniel (above) is 14 years old and originates from Kilbrin, County Cork.

Daniel first became involved in pony racing through the influence of his two older brothers Connor and Rory who both rode in pony racing and went on to ride under Rules. Daniel’s brother Connor was Irish Champion Apprentice in 2013 and 2015 and has undoubtedly been an influential figure for Daniel. Still so early in his career Daniel has ridden 98 pony racing winners including riding an astounding seven-timer in Ballyferriter in 2018. Daniel was crowned Champion Jockey 2019 in the Southern region.

“My goals for the future are to keep riding and improving, the dream to get the opportunity to ride inside the rails someday.”

Dylan (left) has been a revelation to the sport of pony racing. On completion of his final season in September 2019 after five successful years, Dylan recorded an impressive six-timer at Carrigadawson on his final day, bringing his outstanding career to a total of 218 pony racing winners.

Dylan began his pony racing career at a young age riding confined local races where he rode his first winner. Tremendous support from Dylan’s family has seen him riding winners around pony racing tracks everywhere from Donegal to the Beara Peninsula in South Cork. From a young age Dylan’s uncle Adrian Browne has been a huge supporter and mentor to Dylan as well as providing him with some very talented horses. Dylan’s dedication to pony racing has seen him win The Irish Field National Riders Championship for two consecutive years as well as every race at the Dingle Festival including the Dingle Derby on Let’s Go. Last year Dylan reached within one win of breaking the record for the most winners in a season, the record currently stands at 78. He is now apprenticed to Joseph O’Brien and has ridden three winners so far since getting his licence in September.

In the past Dylan has been mentored by Champion jockey Sir A.P. McCoy and it would be no surprise to see Dylan claim a title of his own in the coming years. “I would love to become Champion Apprentice with the long-term goal to be a Group One winning jockey.”

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

Dylan Browne Mc Monagle

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| PONY RACING |

Dylan O’Connor

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

Ten-year-old Dylan O’Connor (right) from Freemount, County Cork has just completed his second season pony racing and is one of the youngest jockeys on the Irish pony racing circuit.

Since a very young age Dylan has been riding and a frequent racegoer thanks to his father, Mikey O’Connor who is an amateur jockey. Dylan began doing lead rein classes aged four and hunts regularly with the Duhallow Hunt Club. He first got involved in pony racing through his friend Darragh O’Keeffe who is currently leading the Irish Champion Conditional Title.

Dylan first competed in the ‘tiny-tots’ races on Templehill Tamara aged six and rode his first winner aboard the same pony in 2018 at Courtmacsherry; he repeated that success this year. In the 2019 season, Dylan rode an impressive 10 winners including a treble at Cahirsiveen. The future looks bright for young O’Connor and he has ambitions of a career in the saddle in the coming years. “When I am old enough, I hope to get my apprentice licence and make a career on the flat.”

Joey Sheridan Joey (pictured below) is 17 years old and is from Hollyford in County Tipperary and first became involved in racing through his family, both his father and grandfather were jockeys.

During his pony racing career, Joey rode over 50 winners.

Having started riding out for his local trainer, Steven Ryan, aged 12, Joey then spent a summer with David Wachman and went to Ballydoyle thereafter. Joey is now in his first season as an apprentice jockey to Denis Hogan where he rode his first winner on Eastern Racer at Dundalk in April on just his fifth ride and has ridden 20 winners so far this season. Sheridan has demonstrated he is a name to take note of on a racecard, having already enjoyed major success so early in his career, his accomplishments include winning the 2019 Tote Irish Cesarewitch aboard Royal Illusion for Willie Mullins as well as a winner at the 2019 Galway Festival on Make A Challenge for his boss Denis Hogan. Like any young apprentice, Joey has set himself goals for the future. “I just want to do the best I can to keep working towards losing my claim and long term, I am aiming to try to do as well as some of the top lads such as Colin Keane or Billy Lee. If I can achieve that I would be very happy.”

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| PONY RACING |

FROM PONIES TO

HORSES

LEFT: Coola Boola & Jack Kennedy after winning The Dawn Milk Dingle Derby at Dingle 2014 races. RIGHT: Delta Work winning jockey Jack Kennedy after their win for trainer Gordon Elliott at The Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup, Leopardstown, 2020

The Irish Horse and Pony Racing circuit has provided an endless conveyor belt of talent over the last 30 years. While there are trainers who started their training career in the sphere, the most notable being Noel Meade, it has predominantly acted as a stepping-stone for riders.

Back in the 1970s Pat Gilson, Mark Dwyer, John Egan, Helen Moloney and Caroline Hutchinson were among the leading riders, while the 80s saw Norman Williamson, Adrian Maguire, Charlie Swan, Richard Hughes and Kieran Fallon shine, followed in the 90s by Noel Fehily, Barry Geraghty, Tom Queally, Jamie Spencer, Pat Smullen, Nina Carberry, Jason Maguire and current trainer Peter Fahey.

The turn of the century saw Aidan Coleman, Chris Hayes, Wayne Lordan, Philip Enright, Davy Condon and Rory Cleary, while the mid-noughties introduced Paul Townend, Shane Foley, Danny Mullins, Ronan Whelan, Keith Donoghue, Gavin Sheehan, Bryan Cooper, Leigh Roche, Conor Hoban, Adrian Heskin, Emmet McNamara and Gary Carroll.

This period saw Hadden Frost, brother of Bryony and Olly Murphy, ride on the circuit and a certain Rachel Blackmore also rode a little without attracting too much notice, and in a foretaste of what was to come got the better of Paul Townend in a photo-finish.

2009 saw the first Irish Field National Riders Championships, won

by Danny Benson from Keith Donoghue. In 2010 Shane Gray took the honours from Ross Coakley in a vintage year, with future Champion Jockey Colin Keane high up the list. Two-times Irish Champion Apprentice Connor King, UK Champion Apprentice Darren Egan and South Australian Champion Apprentice Emily Finnegan all featured that year. Also of note were Mark Monaghan, Johnny (JJ) Burke and UKbased Brendan Powell junior.

2011 saw a tied Championship between Connor King and Luke Dempsey, with Joe Doyle in third. Jack Kennedy took the 2012 title from Connor King, with future Champion UK Apprentice and current Champion Jockey Oisin Murphy in third. Darragh O’Keeffe and Kevin Brouder, this year’s leading Conditional NH riders, also made the leaderboard as did Robbie Downey.

2013 again went to Jack Kennedy with Sean Corby taking the runnerup spot and Tom “Socks” Madden in third. Amongst the others was Jody Townend who went on to win the big amateur race at the 2019 Galway Festival.

Jack made it a hat-trick in 2014, this time from Mikey Sheehy, now an apprentice with Joseph O’Brien, while Mikey’s brother Danny was third in the table. Future Dual Champion Apprentice Oisin Orr had his best season that year as did Killian Leonard, while David Egan, who went on to be UK Champion Apprentice, also featured. Danny Sheehy took the 2015 title from Rossa Ryan, with Rossa taking the 2016 title.

Amongst those to ride winners in 2015 were two good NH riders, Conor McNamara and the UK-based Danny McMenamin, while amongst the winners in 2016 from limited opportunities was Gavin Ryan, who is one of our leading apprentices.

Mikey Sheehy won the 2017 Championship from Dylan BrowneMcMonagle with Ben Coen in third and dual Irish Apprentice Champion Shane Crosse two places back. Ben’s cousin and 2019 joint Irish Champion Apprentice Andrew Slattery also made the leaderboard, as did Joey Sheridan whose 2019 highlight was winning the Irish Cesarewitch for Willie Mullins. Dylan Browne-McMonagle, who has made a successful start to his apprenticeship with Joseph O’Brien, took the National title in both 2018 and 2019.

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

DENIS COAKLEY TELLS US WHY PONY RACING IS THE NURSERY OF FUTURE CHAMPIONS

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| COMMERCIAL FEATURE |

Four Days of Extraordinary The Jockey Club, Cheltenham

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

F

rom the roar of the crowd, to the thrill of the action, The Jockey Club opens its doors for four of the biggest days in sport as over 260,000 people flock through the gates when Jump racing’s top protagonists take to their greatest stage from Tuesday 10 to Friday 13 March at The Festival™ presented by Magners.

New for 2020, we have the perfect spot for the idyllic Instagram photo, welcome to The Park. With live music from top DJs such as Nick Grimshaw, Laura Whitmore, Roman Kemp and Marvin Humes, The Park will be a hive of fun, style and the perfect spot for racegoers looking to combine the action on the track with the fun of a day at the races. In addition, The Orchard™ returns for a second year

About The Jockey Club Cheltenham is part of The Jockey Club which stages thrilling sporting occasions including The Randox Health Grand National, The Festival™ presented

by Magners and The Investec Derby.

Millions of people every year enjoy the special experiences The Jockey Club offers through racing, music, food and entertainment. Governed by Royal Charter, every penny made goes back into British Racing to help the sport thrive. The Jockey Club was founded in 1750 and today is the largest commercial group in Britain’s second-biggest spectator sport, operating 15 racecourses nationwide, The National Stud, Jockey Club Estates, Jockey Club Catering, Jockey Club Live and the charity, Racing Welfare. For more information, visit www.thejockeyclub.co.uk

and will be home to brands such as Boodles and Bentley. New for 2020 in The Orchard will be The Pods.

Each Pod, with its own balcony, will be available to hire accommodating 12-20 guests.

The Hospitality available at The Festival is world class and over 45,000 meals are plated up throughout the four days. In true British style over 9,000 gallons of tea and coffee are consumed, with nine tons of locally produced potatoes and 5 tons of locally sourced salmon devoured throughout the week. With award winning venues such as The Horse and Groom Pub and Theatre@ The Festival as well as enjoying the company of the iconic Roux Family in Chez Roux, there is certain to be something for every palate.

Four days of extraordinary await in March as Champions return to retain their crown, while others battle to steal the limelight. A week of drama and high emotion, with moments of pure theatre thrown in for good measure. The Festival 2020 is set to have it all.

Cheltenham Racecourse is situated in Prestbury on the northern outskirts of the historic spa town of Cheltenham. The Home of Jump Racing, Cheltenham Racecourse is the venue for the world’s preeminent Jump meeting. The Festival™ presented by Magners, which happens in March over four days every year, next takes place from Tuesday, March 10, to Friday, March 13, 2020 inclusive and tickets are on sale. Set against the beautiful backdrop of the Cotswolds, Cheltenham Racecourse is a stunning natural arena and offers the highestquality action throughout the Jump season.

For details please visit www.cheltenham.co.uk or call 0344 579 3003 to book tickets.

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| FASHION |

A PACKING

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

FOR THE

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| FASHION |

CARRY ON 1

2

CHELTHENHAM The Cheltenham Festival, a bucket list event that captivates the racing world. This unmissable event, held in spring each year produces extraordinary moments which last a lifetime. Wrap up warm and watch the finest horses, jockeys, owners, and trainers battle it out for the highest racing honours, their reputations and over £4.5 million of prize money.

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

CHANEL 2

3

1

8 3 31 CHAPEL LANE 4 4 7

5 6

1 Sensational Wool Trilby, €44.00, Debenhams 2 Cashmere Jumper, €109, Autograph, Marks & Spencer 3Talia Women’s Sunglasses, €125, Ted Baker, Vision Express. 4 Plexus cuff bracelet, gold plated, sterling silver cuff bracelet, €750, Maria Dorai Raj 5 Manor 85 Boots, €1,390, Gianvito Rossi, Brown Thomas 6 Autumn Walk Lace Back Boots, €82, Joe Browns, Littlewoods 7 Check Tweed Mini Skirt, €845, Dolce Gabbana, Brown Thomas 8 Filigree Flower Drop Earrings, €210, Kenneth Jay Lane

1 “Novel” Canvas Duffle Bag, €99.99, Herschel Supply Co, herschel.eu 2 Personalized Check-in Black Round Luggage with Initials, €340, Ookonn, ookonn.com 3 “Echo” small leathertrimmed printed coated-canvas suitcase, POA, Gucci, gucci.com 4 “Keepall” Bandouliere leather bag, €1,380, Louis Vuitton, louisvuitton.com

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| FASHION |

CHECK IN 1

2

MELBOURNE The Melbourne Cup Carnival, the festival that stops a nation. Held across four days, this exciting event showcases racing, entertainment, fashion, culture, food and wine all in one place. While the track plays host to the finest thoroughbreds, by the trackside the event is a spectacle of fashion and entertainment. As a cultural and sporting event its lure is magnetic and undeniable, attracting crowds who descend upon Flemington to be a part of the truly unforgettable experience.

1

3

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

PHILOSOPHY DI LORENZO SERAFINI 2

4 3

4 7

1 Round Neck Mini Dress, €1800, Gucci, Brown Thomas 2 ‘Explosion’ Red Fascinator, €95, Star by Julien Macdonald, Debenham 3 Red Sunglasses, €12, Faith, Debenhams 4 Red Tassel Earrings, €10, Very, Debenhams 5 Darley Small Crocodile Crossbody Bag, €750, Mulberry 6 Red sandals, €100, River Island 7 Flourishing Garden In Hot Pink Scarf, €180, Ciara Silks

ROMAN ORIGINALS

1 Bank Spinner 55 Suitcase, €989, FPM Milano 2 Crash Baggage Suitcase, €345, Icon 3 Silver Check In L, €1050, Rimowa 4 The Goring 26ʺ Trolley Case, £2,260, Globetrotter

5

6

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| FASHION |

 Why buy?

Wind resistant and water repellant lightweight, fabric

2  Why buy?

Soft, warm & light weight

 Why buy?

Superb wind protection & light weight

1 3

1

4

STAY

WARM & DRY

8

 Why buy?

Durable, quiet fabric & pit zips to aid ventilation

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

FOR RINGSIDE AND RACEDAYS

 Why buy?

Light weight, super-packable & active cut

5 6

 Why buy?

Waterproof, windproof &breathable 7

 Why buy?

Waterproof, windproof, quilted lining and back vent

 Why buy?

Multi-pocket, waterproof & machine washable

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Crew Insulator Jacket, €119, HellyHensen.

Softshell Active Vest, €61, Jack Wolfskin.

Stretch Nano Storm Jacket, €400.00, Patagonia Zeta Women’s Waterproof Jacket, €322, Arc’teryx, Call of the Wild Apex Flex Gtx 2.0, €150, The North Face Full lenght Drovers Coat, €179, Jack Murphy Swift ladies waterproof jacket, €299, Dubarry Gandiva Paclite Jacket, €300, Mountain Hardware

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| FASHION |

AINE KNITWEAR Anne McConnell, award-winning Irish knitwear designer, is best known for her “Knitwear as Art Work” approach to her craft of making wearable art that is contemporary, looks good and most importantly, makes the wearer feel good as well. Anne creates beautiful garments with her exclusive team of speciality knitters based in Co. Clare, Ireland, where she translates her Irish Knitting heritage passion and knowledge through her use of sustainable all natural yarns into contemporary modern classics forging a new matrix of what will be considered Irish Knitwear Heritage by generations to come. aineknitwear.com

LOOK OF THE IRISH

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

Anne McConnell

IRELAND HAS A WEATLH OF TALENTED DESIGNERS AND ARTISTS. WE FEATURE 5 COMPANIES PLACING CONTEMPORARY IRISH CRAFT ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE.

EDGE ONLY Jenny Huston is the founder and designer of jewellery brand Edge Only ‘A luxury brand for individuals and black sheep’.

The company ethically manufactures solid gold and sterling silver jewellery in edgy designs for men and women - all produced and hallmarked in Ireland.

Edge Only is available online and in select retailers in Ireland, London and New York.

Prior to setting up her own business, Jenny worked as a radio presenter and music television presenter with RTÉ. In 2016 Jenny won the Dublin City Local Enterprise Office “Rising Star Award” at the Women in Business Network Awards.

Edge Only has been shortlisted for the for the Image Boutique Awards and thrice shortlisted for the Irish Country Magazine Irish Made Awards. edgeonly.com

Jenny Huston

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| FASHION |

ROS DUKE Ros Duke is a luxury cashmere knitwear label known for a fusion of modern design with a commitment to quality cashmere and craftsmanship. Through a modern use of beautiful pure cashmere and gently manipulated textures, Ros Duke creates luxurious, original, and timeless pieces. Taking inspiration from simple everyday life, and the process of knitting she loves so much, Ros uses innovative techniques, luxurious pure cashmere from Loro Piana, and a deep understanding of shape to create her aesthetic. They are made to be worn and loved for a long time. Ros Duke was born and raised in Dublin. She received a BAdes in Fashion Design from NCAD in 1998 and a PGCertificate in Innovative Pattern-making from Central St Martins in London, in 2003.

She spent 4 years creating knitted textiles for Lainey Keogh, before joining John Rocha and working alongside John and Simone for over 10 years, creating their mainline patterns. rosduke.com Ros Duke | MAGAZINE 2020 | Lynsey DeBurca

LYNSEY DE BURCA Lynsey de Burca is a jewellery designer/maker who designs and creates beautiful, quality pieces with a minimal aesthetic inspired by the piers and small harbours along the Wild Atlantic Way. Inspiration comes from sources like the composition of fishing nets strewn over a pier wall to the copper rust tones of boat chains contrasting against the silver tides. Her favourite link pendants and full chain necklaces highlight an innovative and contemporary approach to design. Created in sterling silver and using centuries old craft techniques, each link from every one of her collections is hand forged in her Studio in Galway. Each individual piece retains an untouched raw texture on the outer edge contrasting against the smooth high polish of its flat finished front. This reflects the rough texture of the rocks along our coastline in repose against a sometimes flat and tranquil silver tide.

Contemporary jewellery handmade in Galway. lynseydeburca.com

HANNA HATS In 1924 David Hanna Snr. started a small tailoring firm in the town land of Donegal on Ireland’s northwest coast. By the early 60’s David recognised that the demand for tailored suits was declining and the business needed to take a new direction. The Hanna Hat as we know it today was created in 1964. It took 4.5hrs to craft, and was given the name “Hanna Hat, Style no. 84”. And so the story of Hanna Hats began with the business now specialising in the design and production of handcrafted hats and caps. Hanna Hats is now a third generation company with John and Mary’s three children Amanda Jane, Eleanor and John Patrick all driving the company forward. Hanna Hats will be reaching a significant milestone in celebrating its centenary in 2024. hannahats.com

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LOOKING FOR AN EQUESTRIAN CAREER? Teagasc Kildalton College

QQI Certificate in Horsemanship Level 5 & 6 in Equitation or Stud Management STUD MANAGEMENT Equine Breeding Prepping for sales Work placement in top studs - making industry contacts Reproductive Anatomy and Physiology Stud Business Planning EQUITATION Breaking and Training Young Horses Coaching - Training for BHS and HSI exams Riding - Dressage, Showjumping and Cross Country Equine Anatomy and Physiology Equine Business Planning GREEN CERT Making you eligible for grants and schemes as a Young Trained Farmer

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT: Website: www.teagasc.ie Email: kildalton.college@teagasc.ie Tel: 051-644400

Shane Roche Kildalton Graduate Level 6 Certificate in Horsemanship Champion gentleman rider in southeast England in 2016/2017 & 2017/2018

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Josephine O’Brien t/a JB Equestrian Services

Established 1973

We have been manufacturing racing colours for over forty years.

We use fabrics which are:

Quality

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Racing

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Need C

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We manufacture Superior Quality Lightweight Racing Colours.

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Safe and Effective Fencing Solutions

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For more information or to request a catalogue please see

www.irishwire.com or contact us on 061-221100

Irish Wire Products Limited, Dock Road, Limerick

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A

IRO continues to campaign on behalf of Owners with Horse Racing Ireland and the Association of Irish Racecourses to ensure a continued good experience for all racehorse owners.

The Government’s budget for 2020 did not allocate any additional funding to the horse racing industry which is understandable because of the unknown impact that Brexit may have on the economy. We nevertheless appreciate the commitment shown by Government to the industry over the years.

Despite no increase in funding from Government, Horse Racing Ireland, by achieving savings in other areas, was able to announce an increase in prize money Aiden Burns Association in the sum of €1.7million to a total of €68million. Part Manager of this increase will facilitate the holding of seven The Association of Irish Racehorse additional race meetings and this is very welcome as it Owners (AIRO) in turn will allow for additional opportunities for owners.

One of the issues on which AIRO made a number of representations to Horse Racing Ireland was that of opportunities for flat horses rated in the category 45/65.

This has become a significant issue particularly in the winter programme at Dundalk Stadium and while some success has been achieved in getting a number of additional races to facilitate this category, a lot more has to be done to resolve the problem. It is hoped that the situation will improve for the 2020 winter programme.

We have secured in excess of 100 free entry days to racecourses for owners who have a horse returned in training and we express thanks to the racecourses for this much appreciated benefit. We also thank the racecourses for providing lunch for owners with a runner and encourage all racecourses to continue with this initiative.

The AIRO hospitality marquees for members will again be in place in Punchestown and Galway this year and of course our arrangement with the UK Owners Association (ROA) continues which facilitates AIRO members in purchasing admission badges to its marquee at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

Additional benefits that we secured this year for members are a discount for accommodation in the iNUA group of hotels and a 50% discount on the monthly fee for the Racing TV Channel.

The Annual General Meeting of the Association will be held in late March in our offices in the ITBA Building in Kill, Co Kildare and notice of this will be sent to all members in due course, Aiden Burns Association Manager

64 Benefits of Membership

65

Members Public Liability Insurance Scheme

66

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

VOICING OWNERS’ INTERESTS

Hospitality Exchange Programme

67

Guide to Horse Racing Ireland charges and deductions in relation to racehorse ownership

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| AIRO MEMBER BENEFITS |

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP

In addition to being represented within the governing body of the industry, members also receive the following benefits

PUBLIC LIABILITY INSURANCE All members are automatically covered in relation to sums they may become legally liable to pay (up to â‚Ź6.5 million) as damages in respect of accidental bodily injury to any person or accidental loss of, or damage to property, arising out of ownership of any horse kept for the purposes of racing.

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

OTHER INSURANCE

CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL

RACECOURSE HOSPITALITY

The Association’s insurance brokers, Howden UK, who handle the members Third Party Scheme, can also offer other insurance products such as All Risk Mortality at an exclusive discounted rate directly to our members.

Members interested in obtaining a quote should contact Howden UK at 0044/207 1331 382

Opportunity to purchase Marquee tickets at a discounted rate which will give access to the UK Owners Association facility at Cheltenham in March.

Access to Members Marquee and complimentary refreshments at Punchestown and Galway Racing Festivals.

RACING POST PHOTOGRAPHS

OTHER UK RACE MEETINGS

Members can avail of a 20% discount on all photos purchased from Racing Post.

Opportunity to purchase tickets at a favourable rate for the UK Owners Association corporate hospitality at Royal Ascot and Aintree Grand National Meeting Thursday and Friday.

The Marquee is ideally located in the Club Enclosure. Food and refreshments are on sale inside.

FRENCH RACING Free admission and access to the Jardin des Proprietaires (a private outdoor marquee in a prime location) at Deauville race

meetings in August.

Details available from the AIRO office.

HOTEL DISCOUNTS Members can avail of a special 10% discount when making a reservation in any of the iNUA group of nine hotels throughout the country including: Muckross Park Hotel, Killarney; Kilkenny Hibernian Hotel; Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan; Tullamore Court Hotel; Fairways Hotel, Dundalk; Radisson Blu Hotel, Athlone; Radisson Blu Hotel, Limerick; Radisson Blu Hotel, Cork; Radisson Blu Hotel, Sligo Members wishing to avail of this discount should contact AIRO for details.

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| AIRO MEMBER BENEFITS |

MEMBERS PUBLIC LIABILITY INSURANCE SCHEME

An owner may ask why he/ she would be responsible for the actions of their horse when it is in training or in the care of a training professional. The answer is that unfortunately in the current litigious environment where compensatory court awards for bodily injury are at an all time high, an owner is now more likely than ever to be drawn into an action as well as the trainer should his/her horse cause an incident resulting in bodily injury or property damage to a third party.

With Court Awards reported

to be increasing at around 15% per year it is more important than ever that owners are protected by their own public liability insurance policy should claims exceed the limits provided under another policy.

The Association of Irish Racehorse Owners works closely with insurance brokers, Howden UK, to ensure the best possible coverage for the AIRO Members and their horses. Howden UK is a specialist insurance broker, specialising in equestrian associations around the world.

SOME KEY FACTS OF THE POLICY MASTER POLICY HOLDER

The Association of Irish Racehorse Owners

LIMIT OF INDEMNITY

€6.5 million

CLAIMS

If any claim is also covered by another insurance, the liability under this policy will be as excess of and not as contributory with the other policy

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

Public liability insurance is one of the most important insurance policies that a racehorse owner should have and fortunately all AIRO Members have this automatically covered up to a limit of €6.5million.

The AIRO public liability policy provides cover for third party property damage and bodily injury to any person for any horse kept for the purposes of racing (under the Rules of Racing or National Hunt rules) or point to pointing (if trained by a licensed trainer) should you as an owner be found legally liable.

Cover applies to any horse kept for the purposes of racing under the Rules of Racing and National Hunt Rules or Point to Pointing, providing the Point to Pointer is being trained by a licensed trainer only.

COVER

The horse can be (a) in training in a licensed trainer’s yard in Ireland or UK (b) being prepared to go in to training in a licensed trainer’s yard in Ireland or UK (c) out of training provided the horse is only out of training on a temporary basis and is within Ireland or UK (d) temporarily outside Ireland or Great Britain for the purposes of participating in a race only.

Cover also applies to a yearling purchased at the sales provided it is the intention to begin preparation for training and to a horse being prepared for a breeze up from the time that process begins.

Racehorse owners who are not currently members of the AIRO are encouraged to join as the benefit alone of having this insurance cover will give peace of mind.

Membership costs €80 annually and has many other benefits

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| AIRO MEMBER BENEFITS |

HOSPITALITY EXCHANGE PROGRAMME

The Association of Irish Racehorse Owners (AIRO), the Racehorse Owners Association, UK, (ROA) and France Galop’s Owners Department joined forces to provide a programme of hospitality exchanges between Ireland, Great Britain and France, for the exclusive benefit of our respective members.

This has proven to be a very successful initiative with positive feedback from members of all three Associations who availed of the facilities.

AIRO, ROA and France Galop share a commitment to upgrading their services to members with a view to enhancing the recognition of owners’ invaluable contribution to the thoroughbred industry.

Through this exchange programme, the three organisations look to build and expand the reciprocal hospitality and look forward to welcoming each other’s members to their facilities at a number of high profile race meetings during 2020.

Race meetings included in the programme are Punchestown Festival, Galway Festival, Cheltenham Festival, Royal Ascot and Deauville Festival.

In addition to providing facilities at race meetings in their own country, the programme offers the opportunity to members to enjoy similar hospitality in Europe’s two other major racing jurisdictions.

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

DETAILS OF THE PROGRAMME Cheltenham Festival March 10th to 13th

• Badges can be purchased for the ROA Marquee at ROA Members rate Complimentary, Coffee/tea available • There is a cash bar and food can be purchased • Admission to racecourse is payable

Aintree Grand National Meeting April 2nd to 3rd

• ROA Hospitality package including racecourse admission, reserved seating and carvery buffet • Contact AIRO for details

Punchestown Festival April 28th to May 1st

• Access to AIRO Marquee, located in Reserved enclosure • Complimentary refreshments. Members may bring up to 3 guests • Racecourse admission is payable

Royal Ascot June 16th to 20th Galway Festival July 27th to July 29th

Deauville August Race Meetings

• ROA Hospitality package across all 5 days – Contact AIRO for details • Access to AIRO Marquee adjacent to Parade Ring.

• Complimentary Refreshments. Members may bring up to 3 guests • Racecourse admission is payable • Facility available Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday • Free admission to racecourse and access to Jardin des Proprietaires • Owners lounge • Food can be purchased. • Contact AIRO for dates and details

NOTES: 1. AIRO Members wishing to avail of ROA or France Galop facilities should contact the AIRO office – Tel: 045/878173 or Email: info@irishracehorseowners.com for the relative details.

2. ROA and France Galop Members who wish to avail of AIRO facilities should (a) for Punchestown and Galway – present membership I D at AIRO Marquee and (b) for the Curragh – Tickets must be reserved in advance by contacting AIRO as per contact details in note 1.

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| AIRO MEMBER BENEFITS |

Guide to Horse Racing Ireland charges and deductions in relation to racehorse ownership - 2019

The following are the main charges and deductions applied.

REGISTRATION FEES: Registration of Horse’s Name & Issue of Passport

€125

Annual Registration of Authority to Act on behalf of Owner

€40

Annual Registration of Colours

€40

Annual Registration of Partnerships

€40

Registration of Leases

€40

Bookage Charge for ordinary races – (group & listed cost more) (Bookage charges include €2.50 levy for Irish Equine Centre)

€10

Entry Fee

0.8% of Total Race Value

Declaration Fee

0.2% of Total Race Value

Jockey Riding Fee (Flat)

€172.36 (plus VAT if jockey registered)

Jockey Riding Fee (N/Hunt)

€197.04 (plus VAT if jockey registered)

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

RACING CHARGES

DEDUCTIONS FROM WINNERS PRIZE MONEY Trainers Share – 10% of owners winnings less Stable Lads’ and Jockeys’ Emergency Fund payments (Equivalent to approximately)

9.49% of winnings

Jockeys Share - Same as Trainers

9.49% of winnings

Stable Employee Bonus Scheme

3.00% of winnings

Stable Staff Association

0.10% of winnings

Jockeys’ Emergency Fund (Welfare fund for jockeys with permanent disability )

1.00% of winnings

Total deducted from Owners Prize Money including race entry

24%

HRI STATEMENT ABBREVIATIONS E+B.....Entry Fee plus Bookage Fee Fft+Bkge........................Forfeit Fee plus Bookage Fee Del......................................Declaration Fee

RF................................................... Riding Fee JO%....................... Jockey’s Percentage TR%.......................Trainer’s Percentage JEF.......... Jockey’s Emergency Fund

SEBS..............................Stable Employee Bonus Scheme ISA.........Irish Stablestaff Association

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| AIRO COUNCIL |

AIRO COUNCIL

CHAIRMAN: Brian Polly, Co. Down

VICE CHAIRMAN: David Hyland, Co. Laois

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

HON. TREASURER: William Bourke, Co. Meath

REPRESENTATIVE ON HRI BOARD: Caren Walsh, Co. Kildare

COUNCIL MEMBER: Paddy Roche, Co. Carlow

COUNCIL MEMBER: James Gough, Co. Meath

COUNCIL MEMBER: John Power, Co. Limerick

COUNCIL MEMBER: Sandra Fox, Co. Meath

ASSOCIATION MANAGER: Aiden Burns, Co. Meath

COUNCIL MEMBER: John Weld, Co. Kildare

COUNCIL MEMBER: John Lynam, Co. Dublin

COUNCIL MEMBER: Richard Pugh, Co. Kildare

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| AIRO MEMBER BENEFITS |

INSURANCE MEMBER BENEFITS

There is nothing quite as exhilarating as experiencing your horse finish first past the post. The weeks, months and often years of training (and cost!) all become more than worth it to hear the roar of the crowds as your horse turns dreams into reality. Unfortunately, not all days with the horses can be like this and there’s no doubt that horses are the ultimate leveller, able to create highs and lows in equal measure.

So what happens when things do go wrong? Well for a start as an AIRO member you receive third party liability insurance in respect of your ownership of horses in training.

Public Liability insurance is undoubtedly one of the most important insurance policies you should have as an owner, and as an AIRO member, this is covered up to a limit of EUR 6,500,000. The AIRO public liability policy provides cover for

third party property damage and bodily injury to a third party in respect of your ownership of any horse kept for the purposes of racing under rules or point to pointing (if trained by a licensed trainer). Your insurance will indemnify you for damages that you are legally liable to pay but insurers will also defend your position in court, should you not be responsible for the incident.

As an added benefit of being part of the AIRO you are also eligible for a discount off all bloodstock mortality policies via the AIRO insurance brokers, Howden UK. Howden have a specialist equine team who deal directly with experienced bloodstock underwriters to ensure you get the right cover at a competitive price. Howden know the market and care about ensuring that all clients have the same high level of service whether you are insuring your share in a Point to Pointer

or a Group 1 winner.

Howden also specialise in commercial insurance for equestrian businesses. Howden can offer competitive quotes for racehorse trainers and point to point handlers. Public and Employers liability policies can be costly but they should be an essential purchase for any equestrian business and Howden can guide you through the buying process to ensure that all aspects of your business are protected. Additionally group personal accident policies can be arranged to protect your employees in the event of a serious accident at work.

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

(+44) 207 1331 382 .

Howden are happy to provide equestrian insurance advice for any AIRO member so if you have a query or require further information about the AIRO public liability policy or any additional products please contact Howden on

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| MEMBERS DAYS 2019 |

ABOVE: (L-R) Sarah Glynn, Pat McCormack and Eamon McGonagle.

BELOW: (L-R) Mike Ryan, Ann Smith and Paul Ryan.

Rosealeen Finnerty and Judy Owens

| MAGAZINE 2019 |

M AIRO MEMBERS DAYS 2019

embers and f riends enjoying one of the benef its of AIRO Membership in their exclusive hospitality marquee at Galway Race Week 2019.

ABOVE: (L-R) Siobhain & Doreen King.

RIGHT: (L-R) Paul Starr and Simon Hales.

(L-R) Derry Fitzpatrick, Mary O’Connor, Donal O’Connor, Stephen Cooney and Maura Cooney.

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| MEMBERS DAYS 2019 |

LEFT: (L-R) Joe Lynch, Joe Walsh, Ann Mannion and Patrick Mannion.

BELOW: (L-R) Eamon Fahy and Cathriona Ryan.

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

LEFT: (L-R) Mary Hegarty and Phil McGrath.

BELOW: (L-R) Pat Dunlea, Ann Ryan, Kay Skehan and Martin Armshaw.

ABOVE: (L-R) (L-R) Michael & Ger Griffin. LEFT: (L-R) Clark Cruickshank, Chris Joyce and Breege O’Reilly.

| THE ASSOCIATION OF IRISH RACEHORSE OWNERS | 71 |

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TH IS IS A SMALL AD

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One of Ireland’s longest established Equine Veterinary Practices Specialist Medicine & Surgical Services Committed to the Health and Welfare of your Racehorse

The Curragh, Co Kildare. Tel: 00353 45 521373 / Fax: 00353 45 521114 / www.aleh.ie / email: info@aleh.ie

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| PEOPLE |

The 2019 Godolphin Award nominee has worked on course as a volunteer for the Order of Malta for over 40 years and received a medal in 2018 from the Order of Malta for his outstanding contribution to the charity.

A Newbridge native, Tom visits each of the Kildare racecourses in advance of the season to ensure the ambulance room, equipment and supplies are up to the required standard.

Come raceday, he is the familiar and reassuring face beside any jockey unfortunate enough to be fetched back by ambulance. Hopefully that isn’t a regular role, but he is kept busy preparing everything in advance for his fellow volunteers, support teams and doctors, which includes organising radio charging, medical bags, racecards and refreshments. He “minds like babies” the point-to-point medical unit and two ambulances at his own home, between meetings, and his services often extend beyond the usual raceday. He will be there to help when additional horses arrive for schooling mornings or after-racing work, whatever the weather. A volunteer extraordinaire!

Martin ‘Snowy’ Pearse – Facilities Manager, Punchestown Snowy, as he is best known, has been a key member of the Punchestown team for over 40 years. He has become the vital ‘Go To’ person, or ‘miracle worker’ as the Punchestown team say! It’s his job to ensure everything is in place for a successful race meeting, be it equipment, furniture, catering, heating, lighting, the right doors being unlocked, the right gates being locked up again. Punchestown isn’t only used for racing, so he must adapt for weddings, conferences, shows, charity events and even music festivals. Let’s not forget the hours he puts in to the Punchestown Float for the annual Easter Parade in Naas, on which he rightly takes pride of place. He will never see a racegoer stuck for a lift or a horseless jockey left to walk back down the course alone. The stable staff have Snowy to thank for their food and hospitality and he even sets up and assists at the start of every race. Little wonder Snowy won the 2018 Godolphin Award.

FAMILIAR FACES

MEET THE UNSUNG HEROES WHO WORK BEHIND THE SCENES TO MAKE YOUR RACEDAY EXPERIENCE SPECIAL

Carol Cusack – Secretary & Administrator, Leopardstown You could call Carol the voice of Leopardstown, although her colleagues call her The Oracle! She is the first point of contact for everyone, whether on the switchboard or that familiar friendly smile at reception on racedays. She has been at Leopardstown since 1994, “just to cover for Christmas”, and has since taken on every job from accounts to hospitality, even braving strange looks in the supermarket to buy 100 packets of wine gums for the Jockeys Room!

From teabags to toilet rolls to the return of lost property, the duties of the Administrator are as varied as endless. She must arrange for the Panel of Stewards, medical staff, veterinary staff and casual staff for every raceday and ensures every email and letter is responded to.

While nothing is ever too much trouble and all appears relaxed, this is thanks only to long days of preparation beforehand, and Carol is just as busy the day after a racemeeting as in the weeks leading up to it. Everything we take for granted is there only thanks to her experience, it’s no wonder she has everything running so smoothly that we remain blissfully unaware of all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes.

Willie Gibbons Track Manager, Leopardstown You could say Willie has been at Leopardstown all his life, as he holds the distinction of being born in the house that used to be in the middle of the track, when his father John was Track Manager.

It was fitting that Willie inherited this same role 31 years ago, having helped his father from the age of 12. It’s Willie’s job to ensure a pristine turf and safe ground conditions, as

well as the smooth transition between the busy Flat season and winter jumping, which means a virtual rebuild between Champions Weekend and the Christmas Festival.

Immediately after the final National Hunt meeting of the year, the portable fences are moved and the rebuild kicks off again, in time for a new Flat season. The track needs Willie’s attention all year round and he even squeezes in time for a quick walk of the course on Christmas Day prior to the St Stephen’s Day racing. It’s thanks to his dedication, experience and knowledge that we are able to sit back and take for granted the course at Leopardstown.

Gerry Daly Idealgraphix Ltd

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

Tom Maguire – Order of Malta volunteer

Gerry, now with his son Mervyn, has run this family business since 1965, supplying grooms’ jackets, number cloths and winners’ rugs to Irish racecourses, UK and abroad, for over 40 years. His graphics company designs and produces signage and banners, but for us it is best known for the sought after and cherished rugs so highly photographed in every winner’s enclosure. There’s more to a winner’s rug than meets the eye, and Gerry uses his years of experience to ensure the sheet awarded to the juvenile filly in the Moyglare Stud Stakes fits just as perfectly as the sheet won by the Irish National hero. Having it ready, made-to-measure, in the sponsor’s branding on the day is only part of Gerry’s role. He’ll usher in the sponsors and owners and ensure the perfect photograph captures the special occasion for all involved. Between races, he is always there in the parade ring to share a friendly chat with all and to double check his number cloths, tailored for each race, are well-presented, correct and perfect – much like himself!

THE ASSOCIATION OF IRISH RACEHORSE OWNERS | 73 |

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| AWARDS 2019 |

L/R –Leo Powell, Irish Field, Caren Walsh, AIRO, Dermot Cantillon, Naas Racecourse, Aiden Burns, AIRO, Barry Brennan, Naas Racecourse.

I

n 2019 we had a “Racecourse of the Year” award based on a poll among our members to select a racecourse at which they were best treated on a day that they had a runner. Naas Racecourse was the comprehensive and deserved winner. A significant amount of money was invested in the construction of its new feature building – The Circle, in which the Owners & Trainers Lounge is located on the first floor overlooking the racetrack and parade ring. We were delighted that the whole team at Naas received recognition from our members for their efforts.

The award was presented to Naas Racecourse Chairman, Dermot Cantillon during the race meeting on Saturday 9th November, following a lunch hosted by him and his fellow Director,

Barry Brennan. In attendance from AIRO were Caren Walsh, William Bourke, Aiden Burns and from the Irish Field, Leo Powell and Mark Costello. AIRO has also come together with Dundalk Stadium to give recognition to the owners and their horses who race there during the winter months.

There will be two awards – one for the horse who achieves the greatest number of victories there between November and March and the second one for the horse that accumulates the greatest number of points in the winter series. Both awards will be presented at a new Winter Series Awards Day on Saturday 4th April 2020 which will include a seven race card with race values twice the normal value for the grade.

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

Racecourse Award 2019

THE ANNUAL AIRO & THE IRISH FIELD AWARDS DINNER DID NOT TAKE PLACE IN 2019 BUT WILL RESUME IN 2020 AND THE EVENT IS SCHEDULED TO BE HELD IN THE KILLASHEE HOTEL ON SATURDAY 31ST OCTOBER.

THE ASSOCIATION OF IRISH RACEHORSE OWNERS | 75 |

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| THE KNOWLEDGE BANK |

All Is Fair In

Love

Handicapping LEARN HOW HANDICAPS WORK, WHY THEY ARE CHANGED, WHO SETS THEM AND WHY THEY ARE IMPORTANT, BY LISSA OLIVER.

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

M

arxists advocate equality for all, Orwell pointed out some are more equal than others, and in racing both maxims are true. Equestrianism is the only sport that allows both sexes to compete unsegregated, and it’s open to all ages too. In the utopian world of horseracing, we get to have our oats and eat them too, and the job of the handicapper is to create an equal chance of winning for all. In theory, ask Usain Bolt to carry an anvil in the 100m sprint and possibly Donald Trump could deadheat with him at the line.

There’s a lot to be said in favour of equality, not least in the interests of spectating. As much as we loved Frankel and are excited by Pinatubo, how dull would it be if the same horses always won every race? Aren’t smaller trainers and owners often to be heard bemoaning their Fate against the might of the bigger stables?

Horses don’t have that problem, because horses are blessed with The Handicapper. Those who are more equal than others get to carry the anvil… or does that make them the less equal ones...?

Even when horses ascend to the highest echelons of elite competition and meet peers on equal terms, those terms can be more favourable to one than another. Let’s look at the Irish Oaks, a race confined to three-year-old fillies at the highest level. Every runner is the same age and same sex and they all carry 9st-0Ib. Move on to the Irish Derby, again confined to three-year-olds, and all the colts carry 9st-0Ib. However, fillies may also run and they will carry 8st-11Ib. Pretty simple, a filly gets a 3Ib allowance to compensate her against the stronger physique of a colt. At the distance of 12f, 3Ib equates to a two-length advantage.

Move forward to the Irish Champion Stakes, where three-yearold colts carry 9st-1Ib and three-year-old fillies 8st-12Ib. Also eligible to run are older horses, but as they are more physically mature and stronger, they must carry 9st-7Ib. The older fillies likewise carry 9st-4Ib. These are the Weight-For-Age races, in which all horses run on equal terms, but with compensatory

allowances for sex and age. At its extreme, such as the Prix de l’Abbaye open to all ages, older horses concede 4Ib to three-year-olds and 21Ib to twoyear-olds. Theoretically, a two-year-old has a seven-length advantage, because at the minimum trip of 5f, 3Ib equates to a length.

This is where it gets complicated. The equating of pounds to lengths differs according to distance.

Usain Bolt’s anvil probably won’t trouble him at all in the 100m sprint, but might pose a greater issue if he carries it in the Marathon. You might be inclined to switch your bets to Trump. The Weight-For-Age scale also varies, allowing for three-year-olds strengthening and maturing throughout the summer. An older horse will concede more weight to them in July than it will in October.

But at least those running at Pattern level in Weight-For-Age races are considered to be of equal ability, if not of equal sex and maturity. Drop down a level to the average horse and they are forced to compete with the majority of horses of varying ability. If they had to compete on level terms, the vast majority would be unable to win a race. Ordinary is ordinary for a reason – it’s the most common. And ordinary horses need a bit of help.

Enter the Handicapper. His job is to ensure every horse in a handicap race has an equal chance of winning by assigning a compensatory weight to a horse of lesser ability and a prohibitive weight to the better horse in the race. Theoretically, every handicap should finish in a multiple dead-heat between all the runners.

As soon as a horse has raced three times the handicapper can begin his assessment and assign a Rating – a handicap mark. This rates the horse’s ability and, unlike Weight-For-Age, can fluctuate throughout the horse’s career. As a horse improves or deteriorates, so his Rating will change to reflect

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that. Each point on the rating scale is equivalent to a pound in weight, so a horse rated 75 will carry 5lb more than a horse rated 70.

Ratings apply to all horses, even those who will never run in a handicap, and provide the advantage of assessing horses from different generations and different countries without bias. Opinions may differ, but Ratings are only based on winning margins and times and provide an objective assessment. For example, Frankel remains the highest-ever Rated horse, at 147.

The 1965 Derby hero, Sea Bird, is Rated 145, so on paper he is assessed to be just over a length behind Frankel. Half a length back in third comes 144-Rated Brigadier Gerard, and Sea The Stars, Rated 140, is two lengths behind them.

Ratings on the Flat generally start at 47 and go up to 120+, with handicap races targeting specific bands of ability, for example 47-60 rated only, 50-80 rated only, or 60-100 rated only. There is nothing to prevent a horse rated higher than 100 from running in a handicap, other than the prohibitive weight it would be required to carry.

Frankel, for example, would need to ‘give’ his nearest rival 47Ib. For those better horses, the so-called equal terms of Weight-For-Age are the target.

As National Hunt horses are older, physically bigger and stronger, and race over longer distances, their Ratings generally go from 80 to 170+, with a minimum weight of 9st-10Ib. On the Flat, the minimum weight is 8st-12Ib. And if your jockey lacks experience, there’s further compensatory allowances, too. An apprentice or conditional (NH) jockey who has not yet ridden five winners may claim a 10Ib allowance, reducing the weight his or her mount was officially set to carry by 10Ib. From five up to 20 winners the allowance reduces to 7Ib; up to 40 winners it reduces to 5Ib and up to 75 winners 3Ib. Thereafter, the apprentice must meet his colleagues on equal terms.

Handicappers must continually reassess every horse after every race. If a horse performs according to its rating then its handicap mark will stay the same, but if it runs below expectations the handicapper will consider reducing it. A horse that wins will be given a weight increase and may be required to carry a weight penalty should it run again before the official weight increase has been made. For example, the handicap of each race has been set at the time of entry and will not subsequently be changed. A horse that has won

between the Entry Stage and the race itself will be given a penalty, detailed in the conditions of that race.

Another way of providing a level playing field is through Auction races. Have you ever noticed that the Aidan O’Brien horses tend to look a million dollars? This is usually because they cost a million dollars. Having spent that kind of money when out shopping, it’s reasonable to expect the expensive horse to beat the cheaplypurchased horse, but that doesn’t fit in with our Utopian Fair Play Society. An Auction race is similar to a handicap, except that the weights are based on purchase price, not ability. The more money a horse originally cost at the sales, the more weight it will carry.

And, finally, have you ever noticed how those pesky Galileos keep winning everything? We’ve a Utopian answer for that one, too. In a Median Auction race, entries are confined to the offspring of stallions whose yearlings attain an average sales price of no more than €50,000, for example.

Which leaves only one question – what would happen in a racing world where every horse, in every race, carried 9st-7Ib?

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

| THE KNOWLEDGE BANK |

CALCULATING RATINGS DISTANCE

EQUATING TO 1LGTH

5 FURLONGS 3IB 6 FURLONGS 2.5IB 7-8 FURLONGS 2IB 9-10 FURLONGS 1.75IB 11-13 FURLONGS 1.5IB 14 FURLONGS 1.25IB 15+ FURLONGS 1IB

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| SAFETY |

Keeping Our Riders Safe

BY LISSA OLIVER

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

R

ecent research has shown a connection between mental health, nutrition and concussion, three areas inextricably linked with a career with racehorses. The cushion of cerebrospinal fluid that protects our brain decreases when we are depressed, is weakened by dehydration, but is strengthened by hydration and particular food groups.

Depression and poor nutrition can make us more susceptible to concussion; and repeated concussion and dehydration can in turn make us more vulnerable to depression.

A key feature in escaping this vicious circle is the riding helmet, which has seen incredible advances in recent years. Recognising a connection between nutrition, depression and concussion, it was the multi-billion-dollar industry of American football that turned to the racing industry for help and poured

funding into the common goal of improving protective headwear.

Among the teams working on research projects is the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board’s Senior Medical Officer, Jennifer Pugh, helping Ireland to lead the way in research and development when it comes to the protection of our riders.

“We have three active research projects going on and I’m very lucky to be working with such an experienced team,” says Jennifer. “We have the potential to really change things for riders.”

Current helmets have already reduced the rates of concussion within the industry. Jennifer’s predecessor, Dr Adrian McGoldrick, collected figures from falls in competitive races, as well as at exercise. “Modern helmets have dramatically reduced the level of concussion I’m seeing by 95%,” he observed.

University College Dublin is one

RECOGNISING CONCUSSION A RIDER DOES NOT NEED TO LOSE CONSCIOUSNESS TO SUFFER CONCUSSION. WATCH FOR, IN THE DAYS FOLLOWING THE FALL.

of the lead partners in HEADS, a major EU research group focusing on helmet certification improvements.

Supervisor of HEADS is Professor Roy Burek, the Managing Director of Charles Owen, leading manufacturer of riding helmets.

The construction of a helmet isn’t only about a solid outer layer to protect the head, as Roy Burek explains. “We have to understand the length of time the impact lasts from the surface. For example, impact lasts five milliseconds on steel, but 25-30 milliseconds on soft surfaces. This is important to know, because when we land on the ground we see a longer mild impact.

“We need to think about how the helmet works with the ground. We need two surfaces to the helmet, so when it hits the ground it comes to a stop as there’s not much momentum.

On the outside the helmet sticks to the ground, while the head slides within the helmet, for absorption of energy. So now we have to design the inside of the helmet to slide and move, similar to the scalp, which is very revolutionary.”

KTH in Stockholm, part of HEADS, has developed the MIPS helmet, with a plastic shield on the inside of the helmet, designed to slide from sideto-side, absorbing collision impact and reducing the force of a blow to the head. The technology mimics the body’s own brain protection, where a cushion of cerebrospinal fluid slides in the cranium to shield the brain.

When the head hits the ground, the brain first collides against the skull at the point of impact and then rebounds, causing injury on the opposite side. If the helmet isn’t tight enough, the head similarly rebounds inside the helmet and subsequently increases the number of times that the brain hits the skull in the point of

1 Confusion, inability to remember things that happened before and/or after the injury 2 Slow to answer questions or follow directions 3 Easily distracted, not performing duties as well as expected 4 A blank stare/glassy eyed 5 Headache/Dizziness

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impact and rebounds. A helmet that is too loose may reduce the helmet’s protection.

Improving helmet design to protect against concussion is only one focus of research. “Many factors can help us prevent over-reaction to an impact to the head and one of them is hydration.

It’s known to reduce concussive events,” reveals Roy. “Another is diet.

The body is hugely neuro protective and if there is sulphur in the diet, such as broccoli, cabbage and garlic, with exercise it produces the protective chemical the brain releases when it feels under threat.”

Depression is another factor in increasing the likelihood of sustaining concussion, as it activates the brain in the same way that an impact activates the brain to become unwell.

“Depression could cause worse symptoms from hitting your head than if you are happy and healthy,” Roy warns. Dehydrating and starvation to make weight is regular among our riders, whether jockeys or stable staff, increasing the risk of concussion as well as affecting mental health.

Mental health is a major area of research that has revealed a connection to diet, highlighted by the clinical tests for measuring mood in lifestyle conducted by Dr George Wilson of John Moores University, Liverpool. George points out, “Staff now have to watch their weight and some yards set weight limits.

Traditionally, how to make weight is to undergo food restriction and even starve. When you’re hungry, you’re not in the best mood, and that has massive implications.”

Research by George and his team in professional jockeys has demonstrated that a high protein, low glycaemic index carbohydrate diet, for example dried beans, kidney beans and lentils, all non-starchy vegetables, and some

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

| SAFETY |

starchy vegetables such as sweet potatoes, most fruit, and many whole grain breads and cereals, can facilitate fat loss whilst still maintaining lean tissue and improving performance markers.

The jockeys were also asked to complete a General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), a highly reliable measure of psychological distress. The data showed that prior

6 Loss of vision, seeing double or blurred, seeing stars or flashing lights 7 Ringing in the ears 8 Sleepiness 9 Stomach ache, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting 10 Poor coordination or balance, unsteady on feet

to the dietary intervention, a significant proportion of jockeys (21.4 %) fell into the classification of suffering from depression or anxiety and requiring specialist clinical input.

This reduced from two out of 10, to one out of 10 following the dietary intervention.

Scientists are doing all they can to protect riders, but by simply heeding advice and taking care of our diet and mental health, we can help ourselves to protect against concussion.

11 Slurred speech 12 Poor concentration 13 Strange or inappropriate emotions (i.e. laughing, crying, getting angry easily) 14 Feeling generally unwell

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| PROFILE |

David Browne OUT OF THE STALLS

| MAGAZINE 2020 |

David Betts

LISSA OLIVER MEETS DAVID BROWNE, A YOUNG MAN BITTEN BY THE RACING BUG AS HE BEGINS HIS CAREER WITH HORSES.

avid Browne is a 20-year-old veterinary student from Castledermot, Kildare. In little more than 10 years he has established the successful family-run Johnstown Farm Horses, which led to his winning Sport Horse Ireland’s Young Breeder of the Year Award in 2017. He competed with show ponies at the World Championship at Spruce Meadows, Canada, that same year, while completing his Leaving Cert. He is now turning his attention to the Turf and has two well-bred broodmares, Mistress Of Rome and Circes Island, with ambitions to breed a Grand National winner!

David combines veterinary college with working within the racing industry, at the racing yard of Willie McCreery in the morning and at the Curragh racecourse on racedays. He has also shadowed a bloodstock agent and delved behind the scenes at a pre-training yard. Given that he has no family background in racing, David’s success is testament to hard work and an eagerness to learn.

“My parents are amazing, they are supportive of everything that I do in life and completely back me,” he says. “They enjoy a day out at the races and would always go to Leopardstown at Christmas and Punchestown in April. They are aware of racing results from around the country as I never stop talking about horses and racing!”

Although David always loved watching racing on TV from a young age, what really ignited his passion for the sport was a lasting gift from Dermot Weld. “When I was 12, I met Dermot Weld at the Curragh racecourse. He gave me a present of his book ‘Against All Odds’ and I found it fascinating. It was the first time that I really started to learn about racing.”

The language and terminology of racing is often said to put newcomers off, and David reveals, “At the start, it was very confusing.

However, people don’t mind you asking questions and love to see a young person wanting to find out more about the game.

“My first job was with Willie McCreery in Rathbride Stables. I didn’t know Willie at all before I rang him one day and asked if I could come work in his yard. Willie is an absolute gentleman and he has taught me nearly everything I know about racing. I have also worked in the Curragh racecourse on racedays, which is fantastic as you get to meet many new people.”

He also gets to work with the horses and reveals his favourite is the incomparable Sea The Stars. “Without a doubt, my favourite.

He was an outstanding racehorse and he was always given a fantastic ride by Mick Kinane.”

David’s advice for any young person who wants to work in racing is simple, “Just pick up the phone and give a trainer a ring.

That’s what I did. Always be willing to learn and work hard. A trainer will respect this and will teach you plenty, they want to promote young people getting involved in the industry. I think racing is a very open industry and really welcomes everyone. It’s very accessible with fantastic people working in it, the door is open to every young person.”

Just pick up the phone and give a trainer a ring. That’s what I did.

Always be willing to learn and work hard.”

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