J.P. McMANUS purchased his first racehorse in 1976. Last season he had runners with 75 different trainers, 47 of them Irish.

That statistic only tells part of the story behind the owner’s huge contribution to Irish racing which was recognised by his addition to the ITBA Hall of Fame.

The extent of his influence on the sport can be measured in many ways. His total of 59 Cheltenham Festival winners, starting with Mister Donovan in 1982, is streets ahead of his nearest rival. He has well over 400 horses in training in Ireland and Britain and owns Jackdaws Castle in Gloucestershire and Martinstown Stud in Co Limerick.

J.P. has been champion owner in Britain on 10 occasions and occupied the same position in Ireland a remarkable 17 times. He has farmed the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham a record-breaking eight times, won the Gold Cup there with the homebred Synchronised in 2012, and he combined with his great allies Jonjo O’Neill and A.P. McCoy to win the Grand National a decade ago with Don’t Push It. He will forever be linked with one of the greatest hurdlers of all time, Istabraq.

J.P.’s love of hurling matches his passion for racing, and the Co Limerick native is renowned for his charitable work. His golf classic, due to be held later this year, has already raised some €140 million. However, his greatest assets are family, his wife Noreen, children John, Kieran and Sue Ann, and grandchildren.

Last Saturday night video tributes to J.P. were paid by John Magnier, Brian Kavanagh, Michael O’Leary, Aidan O’Brien and rugby icon Paul O’Connell.

Both Magnier and O’Brien referred to J.P.’s loyalty to trainers and reluctance to take underperforming horses out of training. O’Leary poked fun at the amount of races won by horses carrying the green and gold hoops, saying: “I should report him to the Monopolies Commission. It’s disgraceful, outrageous, but nobody deserves this award more.”

“Truly grateful”

Unable to attend the event, J.P. did send a letter of appreciation which was read aloud by MC Leo Powell. McManus wrote: “To be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the ITBA awards this evening is something that I am truly grateful for. When I look back at previous inductees, people like Stan Cosgrove, Tim Hyde, John Magnier, Jim Bolger, Aidan and Annemarie O’Brien, David and Diane Nagle, Alan Lillingston ,and so many other wonderful contributors to Irish racing, I am honoured and humbled.

While I never could claim to have had the pace and power of previous Hall of Fame winners like Galileo and Sadler’s Wells, I do hope that I have, at least, brought some staying power to the racing game.”

Kieran McManus and Sue Ann Foley accept the Hall Of Fame trophy on behalf of their father from ITBA chairman Christy Grassick and Martin Heydon TD

J.P. was represented by his son Kieran and daughter Sue Ann. Kieran revealed that his father took great pleasure spending time with his retired racehorses at Martinstown Stud, and loved nothing better than telling his grandchildren some of the stories from the ‘golden years’.

Sensing a moment of weakness, MC Leo Powell asked Kieran to let us in on the name of this year’s McManus Cheltenham banker. The reply: “I got it for this year but if I told you I wouldn’t get if for next year!”