FAMILIAR FACES Caren Walsh catches up with some much-loved TV racing pundits

Familiar Faces

IN A YEAR FILLED WITH PROTOCOLS AND RESTRICTIONS, THERE WERE NO FACES MORE FAMILIAR THAN THE RACING TV PUNDITS. CAREN WALSH TAKES A LOOK BACK AT 2021 AND GETS A QUICKFIRE INSIGHT INTO SOME OF OUR FAVOURITE IRISH RACING PRESENTERS.

Donn McClean

First Memory of Horseracing Red Rum winning his third Grand National. Most Memorable Race 2021 Has to be Rachael Blackmore’s historic win in the Grand National. Best Jockey Performance When Hugh Morgan won on Young Dev with no irons for most of the race, you probably could have given the NH ride of the y ear right then. On the Flat, Chis Hayes’ ride on Romantic Proposal in the Dash at The Curragh was a masterclass. Best Training Performance Henry de Bromhead’s achievement at Cheltenham. Champion Chase, Champion Hurdle, The Gold Cup, two other Grade 1s and a Grade 2, six winners for five different owners. Favourite Horse of All Time Dawn Run. Race You Most Look Forward To Cheltenham Gold Cup. Best Moment as a TV Presenter Sitting with Pat Smullen for a feature in-depth interview in 2014. Guilty Pleasure Modern Family! Favourite Food My wife’s shepherd’s pie. Person You Most Admire Easy one, my Dad. The person that he is, all that he has achieved, the degree which he is universally respected, and his constant cheerful demeanour after everything. Lasting Memory of 2021 A short queue at the Galway entrance. One Wish for the Future Longer queues at racecourse entrances.

Lisa O’Neill

First Memory of Horseracing Being more interested in the amusement park at Bellewstown than horseracing! Most Memorable Race 2021 Tiger Roll doing what he does best, winning the Cross Country at Cheltenham. Best Jockey Performance 2021 Jack Kennedy’s never-say-die ride on Mount Ida in the Kim Muir in Cheltenham. Best Training Performance Noel Meade achieving his first Group 1 winner in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh with Helvic Dream. Favourite Horse of All Time Tiger Roll. Race You Most Look Forward To Aintree Grand National. Best Moment as a TV Presenter Working with great people on and off camera. Guilty Pleasure Chocolate! Favourite Food Fillet steak, chips and pepper sauce Person You Most Admire My mother Margaret, for her endless support, guidance and excellent cooking. Lasting Memory of 2021 Smooth Player, providing me with my 100th career win. One Wish for the Future To complete and pass my Master’s Degree in Sports Psychology next year.

Gary O’Brien

First Memory of Horseracing Seeing Foxtrot Tango win at Laytown for the late Fr. Sean Breen ridden by Joanna Morgan. Most Memorable Race 2021 Freewheelin Dylan’s exhibition of jumping in The Irish Grand National. Such a shame there wasn’t the normal crowd to acknowledge a hugely popular local winner. Best Jockey Performance You could probably say just Colin Keane’s entire season. Best Training Performance It has to be Willie Mullins for bringing Klassical Dream, a notoriously difficult horse, back from a huge layoff to hack up in a Grade 1 over a completely new distance at the Punchestown Festival. Favourite Horse of All Time Carvill’s Hill. Race You Most Look Forward To The Supreme Novice at Cheltenham – the beginning of the best week of racing. Best Moment as a TV Presenter Interviewing Sir Henry Cecil after Frankel won at Royal Ascot. Guilty Pleasure Sweet Treats! Favourite Food Curry. Person You Most Admire Hopefully no one will mind me picking two, Kevin Prendergast and John Kiely. Their enthusiasm and dedication is an inspiration to anyone involved in our sport. Lasting Memory of 2021 The public finally returning to the racecourses, adding some much-needed atmosphere. One Wish for the Future The CoVid -19 becomes a distant memory asap.

Kevin O’Ryan

First Memory of Horseracing Early 80s when my Dad, Bobby O’Ryan was headman for Mick O Toole. I would go to the yard and racing at every opportunity. I was totally immersed in horses’ names and pedigrees. I was hooked at a very early age. Most Memorable Race One race that stands out for me is the Cheltenham Gold Cup, it was Jack Kennedy’s (who I look after) first win aboard Minella Indo. Best Jockey Performance It’s very hard to separate Rachael Blackmore and Colin Keane on what they have both achieved this year. Colin setting a new record for most wins on the Flat in a season, but Rachael gets the vote as leading rider at the Cheltenham Festival and her win of The Aintree Grand National. Best Training Performance Peter Fahey and Noel Meade both deserve this award. Belfast Banter provided Peter with his first Festival Cheltenham winner and a couple of weeks later his first Grade 1 winner at Aintree. Helvic Dream provided Noel Meade with his first Group 1, winning the Tattersalls Gold Cup at The Curragh. Favourite Horse of All Time That’s a hard one to answer, I have been involved with a lot of horses in my time. One close to my heart was a mare called Native Shore that Dad paid £2,500 when I started riding back in the 90s. After making plenty of mistakes, we eventually won five races in the space of six weeks. She got me going and when she retired she became a foundation mare at home and has bred plenty of winners. Race You Most Look Forward To All the top races on the Flat and N/H. Best Moment as a TV Presenter Interviewing two heroes of mine, Lester Piggott and Cash Asmussen at the

Curragh. A chat with Mick Winters is always very interesting as you never know what he is going to say! Guilty Pleasure Totally addicted to chocolate, also love a pint of lager or two! Favourite Food Everything except lamb.

Person You Most Admire My parents, they built up their business from scratch and gave both myself and Mouse every opportunity without putting any pressure on us. I hope I can do the same for my kids. Lasting Memory of 2021 How successful the Irish racing and breeding industry has been throughout the world yet again. We are world leaders and for a small country we should be immensely proud. One Wish for the Future Health and happiness for my family and friends.

Jane Mangan

First Memory of Horseracing Watching my mother Mary shout home Stroll Home in the 1997 Galway Plate in her colours. Most Memorable Race 2021 Minella Times crossing the line in the Aintree Grand National will live long in the memory. That historical day transcended the sport and reached corners of the globe that only fairytale stories can reach. Best Jockey Performance So many to choose from here, but Rachael Blackmore’s exploits at Cheltenham were superb. Aside from her brilliance, her humility past the post added to the achievement. Best Training Performance We are not short on training talent in Ireland. Johnny Murtagh handled his string beautifully this season. A Royal Ascot winner, the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood, The Ebor at York and to finish the season with The Irish St Leger at the Curragh. Favourite Horse of All Time Best horse I have ever seen is Kauto Star, my favourite is probably Apple’s Jade. She was ambitiously campaigned, proved herself from two to three miles. She was a champion even if she never really wore the crown. Race You Most Look Forward To N/H Aintree Grand National, on the level the Arc is the best race in the world. No question. Best Moment as a TV Presenter Working alongside Robert Hall for his final day broadcasting for RTÉ. Faugheen had just brought the house down and the crowd at The Dublin Festival created the most wonderful atmosphere. Guilty Pleasure Chocolate and more chocolate! Favourite Food Anything from the sea. Person You Most Admire My parents for what they have built and achieved. Everything they have done has been from their own hard graft and they continue to set a fine example for my brothers and I. If we inherit even just some of their work ethic then we will never be idle. Lasting Memory of 2021 The Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown, 4,000 people back on the track. The roar from the crowd was incredible when St Marks Basilica, Poetic Flare and Tarnawa quickened up past the stands. Oh how we missed that energy. That was a poignant day. One Wish for the Future I always aim to provide the coverage and representation that the industry deserves. I’m not a wishing/dreaming kind of girl but I would accept breeding a Group/Grade 1 winner if it came my way.