CHELTENHAM – the word that makes the heart of every lover of jump racing beat that little faster.
It’s the aim of every owner and trainer to have a runner, and maybe, just maybe, a winner.
But, if you look through the most recent decades of Irish-trained winners, you will see that the number of individual Irish owners who have enjoyed success is quite small. Take out J.P. and Gigginstown, and multiple winning owners are few.
Chris Jones is immensely proud that his family’s maroon and white stripes have walked into that hallowed winner’s enclosure a total of four times.
Klairon Davis was the standard bearer, the star horse to carry the colours, winning two of the Festival’s prestigious Grade 1s in the 1990s.
“We realised, even at that stage, it was a classic period for two milers. You had horses like Viking Flagship and Sound Man, serious horses, and Klairon Davis was thrown in among them.
“There are three championship races, the Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle and he went and won the Queen Mother, which was extraordinary. It was something very special.”
“And someone made the point, that was at a time when Ireland rarely even had a winner, never mind in one of the top races.”
Jones remembers the star two-miler is with great affection. “Klairon Davis retired with us and he only passed away at 29 years of age last year - we had him for nearly 12 at home. He was a super horse – he won 21 times, not too many will do it.”
RACING MEMORIES
Racing was a big part of the Jones family from an early age.
“I think the first racing memory I have is from 1974, a horse named Temper and my cousin Timmy Jones won the Huzzar Hurdle at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday, that was the first in the maroon and white stripes.
“My father [also Chris] always had two or three horses - he was a little bit more controlled than I am!, in those early days the horses would have been trained by Paddy Sleator. My cousin Mary is married to Arthur Moore so, in the late 80s, the focus shifted to Arthur and Arthur trained them.”
“We had a horse named Seventh Son who ran at the Festival before and would have been the first we had. Tommy Carberry rode him to finish second in what, I think, is now the RSA Chase. I remember it well. We travelled on the train from London with my mum and dad, it was my first trip.”
If that was a good beginning, it could scarcely be believed that so much better was to come in the shape of the French-bred novice.
“Klairon Davis was the first proper horse we had, he ran four, if not five, times there. On his first visit in 1995 he won the Arkle, and the Queen Mother on his second visit in 1996.”
Klairon returned for the Champion Chase twice more. He was fourth in 1997 and 1998.
He won his Arkle ridden by Franny Woods and returned the following year and took the championship race, winning the Champion Chase by five lengths.
The colours became more familiar and success came again 10 years later with Tiger Cry.
“Tiger Cry was ridden by Davy Russell with whom we had and still have, a very close association. He was the first I owned personally and he ended up winning in Cheltenham, the Grand Annual in 2008. It was a fabulous day. Arthur had a particular good record in it.”
Klairon Davis and Fran Woods (left) jumps the last to win the Queen Mother Chase from Viking Flagship and Sound Man (right). HEALY RACING
SUCCESS
The Jones’ involvement in racing increased by 2010, a year which saw the family land the Leopardstown November Handicap with What A Charm. Chris had hurdling in mind for the filly.
“She was trained by John Oxx on the flat, and Arthur rang me one day and said ‘I think she has a future over hurdles’. We said ‘fine’. My dad and John Oxx agreed with Arthur that he would take over. She won a hurdle race in Cheltenham (the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap) and it was the only hurdle race she ever won. She never won before or after it.”
The Jones racing operation has increased in volume since the Klairon Davis era and it is centred on the Killeen Glebe farm in Dunsaughlin, managed by Gearóid O’Loughlin.
“We buy foals for re-sale. We buy a lot of National Hunt foals which we sell out of the farm. Predominantly the horses that we race, Kevin Ross and Mags O’Toole buy as store horses and are pre-trained from the farm. We have two very distinct operations - we have to pay the bills!
“Killeen Glebe is a big farm and the National Hunt foals for sale are a big part of that business. We also pre-train and break the horses that we run on the track. Gearóid runs that business for me. He’s now a trainer for us in his own right. It’s competitive but we enjoy it.”
The family connection with racing looks likely to be continue into the next generation, with three sons - Andrew, Christopher and Robbie - all enjoying their days at the races.
“Andrew’s a keen horseman and he rides. My sisters are very keen and go to a lot of the races. The boys might not have the bug as bad as their father but they certainly have some of it!”
Recent years have seen some unfortunate near misses at the Festival.
“In 2015 we brought over three horses. Zabana was beaten by a nose in the Coral Cup and Noble Endeavor lost by a head in the Martin Pipe to Killultagh Vic. Andy [Lynch] drove the two horses over and they both got placed. Any day you get into the winner’s enclosure is special.”
Zabana was unfortunate in that he never appeared to get the luck his talent deserved. At Cheltenham in 2016 he was facing the wrong way when the tapes went up, turning around too late and leaving a furious Davy Russell on the ground to remonstrate with the starter. The owner recalls: “He was nearly favourite (for the JLT Novices’Chase) and that bloody whole thing happened at the start. And the rest is history, we got no run.
“He came back after that and won his Grade 1 at Punchestown which was great for Andy Lynch. Andy is a huge part of what we do. He’s a great man, part of the family.”
TRIUMPH AND DISASTER
Jones has well learned that owners of National Hunt horses need to adhere to that Kipling saying “if you can meet with Triumph and Disaster. And treat those two impostors just the same”.
“We had a bad year last year, Zabana had a fatal accident at Leopardstown and Mega Fortune, who had been second in the Triumph Hurdle, lost his life in Limerick. That was two Grade 1 winners in one year. For an operation like ours, which isn’t a Gigginstown, to lose two Grade 1 winners in the space of four months was tough.
“That the way it is, take the rough with the smooth. Grade 1 winners are like Olympic gold medals. For us to have got two Grade 1 in the one year was extraordinary, and we won a Paddy Power Chase, we had a great year. It was tough.”
There is plenty of fire power to raise enthusiasm for this season.
Paloma Blue in the Arkle and Coeur Sublime in the Triumph Hurdle will lead the charge.
“Noble Endeavor has an entry but the Grand National is his main aim. He ran in the Becher Chase, he took to the fences. It was really only a finding-out exercise but he seemed to go well.”
GOLD CUP
Mala Beach has a Gold Cup entry, just in case Cheltenham comes up heavy. “He won a Troytown on heavy. Like Noble Endeavor, he is between the two stools. Rated in the high 150s it’s difficult for them to compete in the handicaps. There’s not a lot else for them except those good races. They both need an ease in the ground.
“Ordinary World gets no credit for it but he always runs in the first three. He was in the winner’s enclosure twice at Cheltenham as a placed horse, never really runs a bad race.”
He finished third in the last two runnings of the Grade 1 two-miler at Christmas and placed second again in the Grade 1 at the Dublin Racing Festival.
“Coeur Sublime is a Triumph Hurdle contender, he was very unlucky at Christmas - they are there to be jumped. I was relieved that he got up, concerned that he would not. He’s in good form and the aim is to get him to the Triumph at Cheltenham.”
The focus is now fully on the Festival – and it’s a family affair. “The boys are busy at school but get a dispensation to come over for a day.”
Success at the Festival is the Holy Grail and Jones looks back with fondness on that halcyon day in 1994.
“I suppose Klarion Davis would really stand out, My parents were both alive, we met the Queen Mother and we really got to see that side of Cheltenham. It was fabulous. To win the Grand Annual and Fred Winter was great but to win the Champion Chase, it’s one of those race everyone wants to win.”
“In the last few years there’s been Noble Endeavor, Zabana, Ordinary World, Mega Fortune, all those horses. We have had runners every year and, by and large, they’ve all finished in the money, all been placed, even Paloma Blue last year.
It’s been a lucky place for us, fabulous place.”
This year’s team look well capable of returning to the winner’s enclosure and maybe even that coveted number one spot.