Martin Molony

1925-2017

MARTIN Molony, six times Irish champion jockey, has passed away, aged 91. The younger son of William and Kitty Molony, Martin John was born in Rathmore House, his ancestral home, on 20 July 1925.

Apprenticed initially to Martin Hartigan in England in 1939, Martin was sent home at the outbreak of WWII without having had a mount in public. Indentured to George Harris, Martin opened his account at the Curragh in October 1939, only for George Harris to disband his stable for the duration. Transfer to Ginger Wellesley’s Osborne Lodge, Curragh, stable soon saw Martin cross swords with Ginger’s wife Toby, left in charge when her husband decided to enlist. They clashed over how to ride Grand Inquisitor. As Martin recalled: “She said, ‘you better leave,’ so I did.”

Martin returned to Rathmore, his career over before it had even begun, destined to help his brother Tim with the farm following their father’s recent death in 1941. Former neighbour Captain Cyril Harty, then training in Chapelizod, called in, seeking horses to trade. He bought nothing but he did take the teenager home on the train. Martin paid tribute to what he acknowledged as a life-changer: “He was like a second father to me. I lived as one of the family during all the time I was with him and I still cherish his advice and his loyalty to me at all times.”

LOYALTY

Loyalty was to prove the key, for Cyril Harty appeared to be alone in perceiving his new apprentice’s latent talents, even though Martin opened his account over jumps at Leopardstown on St Stephen’s day, 1941. Head man Paddy Moylan spoke for the staff in expressing doubts. Owners removed their horses, rather than put Martin up.

Cyril’s loyalty saw Knight’s Crest transferred to his care, ostensibly the property of Martin’s mother Kitty. The horse’s waywardness had already led to the death of Jack Lenehan, killed when Knight’s Crest refused at Clonmel.

Determined to prove his point, Cyril Harty sorted out horse and rider to such effect that they went on to win a Leopardstown Chase, before their giant-killing performance in defeating the mighty Prince Regent to win the 1944 Irish Grand National. Better still, Cyril Harty got Knight’s Crest away to an English client for £600, a big price in wartime, for what Martin described as “a 9st 7lb horse”, that actually belonged to Tim and Martin, professional jockeys both.

ENGLISH CHAMPION

With the war over, Tim went on to reach the top of the jumping tree in England, five times champion jockey. Martin did likewise on the home front. He shared the honours with fun-loving Aubrey Brabazon in 1946. Aubrey paid tribute to his non-smoking, teetotal, thrifty rival, dubbing him ‘The Dry Martini’. Thereafter Martin monopolised the Irish title, even through 1951, despite his career being brought to a close by a life-threatening fall at Thurles in September. Martin was then 26.

LEGEND

‘A legend in his lifetime’ is an accolade applicable to very, very few; even less to those who vanish from the public eye aged 26. But Martin Molony had already won three Irish Grand Nationals, three Irish classics, a Cheltenham Gold Cup, two Irish Cesarewitches, a Phoenix Park ‘1500’, a Galway Hurdle and five further Cheltenham Festival events.

Perennial Irish champion, Martin rode 94 jumping winners in his last complete season, a record that would stand until broken by Charlie Swan in 1992. Moreover, despite his refusal to move to England, Martin, then retained by Lord Bicester, was runner-up to his brother Tim in the English NH table. Signing off with a winner at Sandown in November 1949, Martin won all five races open to him at Navan, and resumed with a winner at Leicester – seven in a row.

Ireland was a smaller, simpler society in 1951. Nonetheless, a postcard from Australian jockey ‘Pug’ McKenzie, mailed from Philadelphia, reached its destination, addressed: Martin Molony, The Jockey, Eire. The sorting office added: Croom, Co Limerick.

ON FARM

The aura accumulated round his name ensured that Martin’s return to race-riding was consistently to the fore in the Irish media – Radio Eireann and the newspapers. Martin finally put the matter to rest in 1954.

“I don’t want to go back. I’m happy here at home, working on the farm... I might have had a few years more, but every dog has his day. And I’ve had mine.”

Buying Tim out, Martin could call Rathmore House his own, grounds on which to woo and wed Julia Hilton-Green, who shared Martin’s love of foxhunting. They married in London on June 2nd 1960, honeymooning in Rome, granted an audience with Pope John XXIII. Jan was born in 1961, Mary two years later and Sue two years afterwards. Peter’s arrival three years later completed their family.

PAT TAAFFE

Although Martin continued to breed, buy and sell bloodstock – dual Champion Hurdle winner Bula included – Julia recalled her children’s awe when Pat Taaffe visited Rathmore to relive his early years riding against Martin, for his memoirs. Their reaction to such a renowned visitor brought it home to their watching mother that the children simply had no inkling of the celebrity status their father had enjoyed, no comprehension of Martin’s enduring status as the greatest jockey Ireland had ever produced, the one against whom all others were judged.

His family was afforded one opportunity to see Martin don colours, at Navan in April 1977, in the Veterans’ Private Sweepstakes. Rivals included Aubrey Brabazon, Tim Brookshaw, Jacky Dowdeswell, Lord Oaksey, Willie Robinson, Pat Taaffe, Toss Taaffe and Fred Winter. Martin finished third to Fred Winter, riding for Eddie Harty, whose father had launched Martin’s stellar career all those years before.

Confined to a wheelchair in later life, Julia became a tireless campaigner for muscular atrophy, dying in October 2016, predeceased by daughter Mary.

Our sympathies go out to Jan, Sue, Peter and extended family.

GW