HRI Fact Book 2008 - Horse Racing Ireland

OCTOBER 2008
career spanning a decade. Twice crowned
Ireland’s champion amateur jockey, in
2005 Crowley made history by becoming
the first woman to train an Irish classic
winner when saddling Saoire to win the
1,000 Guineas. Married to jockey Pat
Smullen with two young children, Crowley
will reportedly remain within the racing
industry.
Earlier in the season, Paul Nicholls
declared his intention to target the major
Irish races with his powerful string and he
started in fine style when saddling Dear
Villez to win the Ladbrokes.com Munster
National at Limerick.
In the opening days of the month,
David Wachman gained his third
Group 1 win of the season when
saddling Bushranger to win the
Shadwell Middle Park Stakes at
Newmarket and at the same track the
following day, Halfway To Heaven gained
her own third Group 1 win of the season
when prevailing in the Kingdom of Bahrain
Sun Chariot Stakes for Aidan O’Brien and
Seamie Heffernan.
In early-October, the race for the Irish
jockey’s championship really began to heat
up. Johnny Murtagh led the table on 73
winners, but with overseas commitments
and upcoming bans to contend with, both
Fran Berry (72 winners) and Pat Smullen
(71 winners) looked sure to make it an
exciting sprint finish in the weeks that
remained.
The final card of the season at the Curragh
took place early in the month and the star
BACK IN THE NATIONAL
HUNT ARENA, THE
BATTLE OF THE FORMER
CHELTENHAM GOLD
CUP WINNERS PROVED
TO BE NO CONTEST AT
PUNCHESTOWN, WITH
THE MOUSE MORRIS-
TRAINED WAR OF ATTRITION
MAKING AN IMPRESSIVE
WINNING RETURN
performer was the Dermot Weld-trained
Grace O’Malley, who made a winning debut
in the maiden for juvenile fillies. Ridden
by Pat Smullen, the daughter of Refuse
To Bend overcame her inexperience
to prevail by a head and looks to be an
exciting prospect for 2009.
In mid-October, news reached the masses
that Classic-winning trainer Frances
Crowley had taken the decision to retire
as a public trainer after a successful
Remarkably, the two-day Prix de l‘Arc
de Triomphe meeting at Longchamp
and the two-day Breeders Cup meeting
at Santa Anita both failed to produce an
Irish-trained winner, but in between those
disappointments there was a tremendous
winning performance from the Jim
Bolger-trained, Kevin Manning-ridden
New Approach in the Emirates Airline
Champion Stakes at Newmarket on what
would prove to be the three-year-old’s final
career outing. Earlier on that card, the
pair had gained a somewhat unexpected
win with Intense Focus in the Dewhurst
Stakes, giving the Coolcullen team their
third consecutive win in the race and
capping a wonderful season for Bolger
and Manning.
As well as New Approach being retired,
the stunning Prix De l’Arc De Triomphe
winner Zarkava and Big Brown, who won
the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness
Stakes, were also retired in this period.
Back in the National Hunt arena, the
battle of the former Cheltenham Gold
Cup winners proved to be no contest at
Punchestown, with the Mouse Morristrained
War Of Attrition making an
impressive winning return from a 22-
month absence. Ridden by Davy Russell,
the nine-year-old ran out a comfortable
victor over Kicking King in the Grade 3
Star ´Best For Racing Coverage´ Chase.
22 FACTBOOK 2008