HRI Fact Book 2006 - Horse Racing Ireland

MARCH
06
The decision to bypass the
Cheltenham Festival with
Mounthenry proved to be a
wise one as Charles Byrnes’ charge
landed the Michael Purcell Memorial
Novice Hurdle (Grade 2) at Thurles
in the first week of March while at
Naas there were good performances
from Jimmy Mangan’s Conna Castle
and Arthur Moore’s Mansony as
both horses won well. The success
of Adrian McGuinness’ Victram in a
thrilling renewal of the Imperial Cup
at Sandown on the Saturday before
Cheltenham got the week off to a
great start for the Irish as Andrew
Lynch’s mount just prevailed from
outsider Dusky Warbler.
While there was no luck for the Irish
in the opening two events on the
opening day of Cheltenham, the
Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle
proved to be an Irish benefit for
the second consecutive year. While
reigning two-time champion, Hardy
Eustace, had to settle for third place,
the race went to Colm Murphy’s
Brave Inca who held off the persistent
challenge of Macs Joy by a length in
what was a virtual re-run of the Irish
Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown
six weeks earlier. For good measure, Al
Eile took fourth place to complete an
Irish 1-2-3-4 but unfortunately Asian
Maze was an early faller. However, her
jockey, Ruby Walsh, bounced back in
the very next race as Dun Doire made
it five wins in a row in the William Hill
Trophy, Tony Martin’s charge coming
from the clouds to snatch victory by
two lengths. As generally expected,
the Irish dominated the finish of
the Sporting Index Cross Country
Handicap Chase with Native Jack
leading home Spot Thedifference,
Buailtes And Fadas and Il de Boitron
to credit trainer Philip Rothwell and
jockey Davy Russell with their first
festival success.
Day two of Cheltenham was
completely dominated by the Irish as
there were no less than four winners
from the Emerald Isle during the
course of the afternoon. Moscow
Flyer failed to win the Queen Mother
Champion Chase for a third time
as John Joseph Murphy’s Newmill
sprang a 16/1 surprise under Andrew
McNamara, this much improved
eight year old defeating Fota Island
by nine lengths. The opening Royal
& SunAlliance Novice Hurdle was
expected to go to the hot favourite,
Denman, but Noel Meade’s Nicanor
proved two and a half lengths too
good under Paul Carberry to give his
trainer only his second ever Festival
winner. Before the Festival began,
there was plenty of controversy
regarding the handicapping of the
Irish horses in some of the handicap
races but Edward O’Grady’s Sky’s
The Limit made light of his 11st
12lb burden by romping away from
his rivals in the Coral Cup under
Barry Geraghty while to round off a
wonderful day, Joe Crowley’s Hairy
Molly became the eleventh Irish
trained winner of the Champion
Bumper in the last fourteen years as
he led home a tightly grouped field
under Paul Carberry at odds of 33/1.
There was agony for trainer Mick
Halford and jockey Johnny Murtagh
on the third day when Golden Cross
was just denied by My Way De
Solzen in a spine tingling finish to
the Ladbrokes World Hurdle before
Michael O’Brien’s 50/1 chance,
Kadoun, led home a 1-2-3 for the
Irish in the Pertemps Handicap
Hurdle under Tom Ryan. The
Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup
was the highlight of the entire four
day meeting and as it fell this year
on St Patrick’s Day it was perhaps
little wonder that the 2006 renewal
saw Irish trained contenders land
an unprecedented and historic 1-
2-3 with ‘Mouse’ Morris’ War Of
Attrition, (returned at 15/2), defeating
Hedgehunter and Forget The Past in
a memorable race. Given a superb
ride by Conor O’Dwyer who was
recording his second victory in this
race having guided Imperial Call to
success ten years earlier, this brilliant
seven year old put in an impeccable
round of jumping and stayed on
strongly up the famous Cheltenham
hill in the colours of Ryanair supremo,
Michael O’Leary. To put the icing on
what was a very large cake for Irish
trained horses, Ray Hurley’s Whyso
Mayo sprang a 20/1 surprise in the
Christie’s Foxhunter Chase half
an hour later as this nine year old
spearheaded an amazing 1-2-3-4-5
for the Emerald Isle. This success was
the tenth one for Irish trained horses
at the meeting, surpassing last year’s
record total of nine and to complete
a memorable meeting, jockey Ruby
Walsh walked off with the leading
rider award after partnering Desert
Quest to a smooth victory in the
concluding County Hurdle. The
following day, the run of Irish success
continued when G V A Ireland, once
more with Ruby on board, took
the Midlands Grand National at
Uttoxeter for trainer Francis Flood.
March ended with the opening of
the 2006 Flat Season at the Curragh
and Dermot Weld was quickly out of
the blocks as he saddled Bawaader to
land the Irish Lincolnshire in runaway
fashion while David Wachman’s
Danehill Music took the Park Express
Stakes under Wayne Lordan.
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