1986

CONDITIONS were atrocious at Limerick last Thursday, but racing went ahead following a mid-morning inspection. The feature was the Limerick Racing Club INH Flat Race [worth £2,760 to the winner] which fell to the Tommy Lacy-trained outsider Bonne Arme.

This race, however, due off at 3.15pm, was delayed by almost half an hour due to a protest by some of the senior jockeys who refused to ride in the preceding Clarina (Mares) Novice Chase. The problem began when a delegation of jockeys comprising Frank Berry, Anthony Powell, Tom Taaffe and Tommy Carmody approached the stewards to complain that the chase course was not safe for horse or rider.

This approach was made, I might add, only 15 minutes before the race was due off. The jockeys, along with Peter Kavanagh, Tommy Kinane, Tom Morgan and Conor O’Dwyer, all refused to ride in the race. Substitute riders had to be found and weighed out, all of which meant that the race was run 25 minutes late.

Indeed, the final ditch, the third last fence, was omitted because of loose water lying on the take-off side. Yet, fully aware of the situation, the jockeys’ delegation waited until the last moment to voice their protest.

The race provided the best finish of the day which saw Fubar (T.V. O’Connell) come a second time to snatch the spoils by a neck from Sari’s Daughter (T.M. O’Donovan), with Marians Pride (K.F. O’Brien) only a length behind in third place. And, it is interesting to note, that all 12 runners finished the course.

The feature provided 17-year-old Tony Lacy with his first ever riding success, and he did it in some style. Bonne Arme, trained by the rider’s father Tommy, was unconsidered in the market but won very much as he pleased by 10 lengths from Ronallon (Mr T Mullins). The winner is owned by Dublin quantity surveyor John Lacy (no relation), who reputedly turned down an offer of £25,000 for the horse before the race.

[Bonne Arme, a son of Bonne Noel, later went on to win six times over hurdles. His winning dam Laud, a daughter of Dual, was a half-sister to the Heinz Chase winner Beau Champ and the Irish Cambridgeshire winner Ryker. This was the family of Little Buskins, winner of the Great Metropolitan Handicap at Epsom and later a leading National Hunt sire.

The Ebor Handicap winner Bonne Noel (by Santa Claus) was immensely successful with his National Hunt runners, and his best were The Illiad, Bonalma, Derrymore Boy, and El-Sid Senor.]

Thank goodness now for some political correctness – and lady owners

1961

DO women owners change their trainers more frequently than men?

Noting that a certain horse in England had changed his stable twice since the beginning of the season, and that he was owned by a lady, I sought the views of some Irish trainers on this subject.

The first said: “Almost every year I make a resolution to cut out women patrons. They interfere, they ring up every second day with suggestions for entries in most unsuitable races. They have fairy-tale ideas about their horse, and if the fairy tales don’t come true they blame the trainer and not the horse.

“They think horses are machines and if they don’t win races all the time, they take them away and try them with someone else. I am not saying that all women owners are as bad as this. Men can be temperamental too, but, taking all things into consideration, I would prefer to train for them any day.”

The next trainer held the opposite view. He said: Women owners are much less suspicious than men. I must say that the women who have horses with me seldom question my decision about anything. They are good sports too, although some call for tactful handling when they come to a race all dolled up in their best clothes, ready to lead in a winner, and the winner doesn’t materialise.

“Also, I find it hard to tell a woman straight out that her horse is no good. They have great faith in their animals and are always hoping that they will improve. Sometimes they are over-apt to make pets of their horses. I have seen horses play up and try all kinds of little tricks as soon as their owner appeared to watch them at work – you wouldn’t believe it.”

The third trainer was cryptic and, like many Irishmen, disinclined to give a straight answer. He told me: “Take it from me. All patrons, men and women, are not only hard but are impossible to satisfy. A trainer must have a tough hide, the patience of Job, the diplomacy of a prime minister, and, even then, some people would like him to be a magician into the bargain.”

Awards aplenty at annual David Foster Ball

2006

SUE Shortt was the worthy recipient of the best international performance award at the Eventing Ireland, David Foster Injured Riders’ Fund Ball, attended by over 300 guests in the Marriott Johnstown Hotel last Saturday.

Runner-up in three-day events on no fewer than 11 previous occasions, the Co Kildare rider secured her first international title at Dartfield last June. Beating British riders Nigel Taylor and Rodney Powell on the final day of the two-star on Kieran Connors’ Karamea Dublin, Shortt was ending a drought that had lasted well over 20 years.

Shortt was one of a number of special guests honoured during the night, which saw the inaugural running of the media awards, four of which were judged by journalists Ruth Loney, Grania Willis, Louise Parkes, Mary Davison, Siobhan English and Quentin Doran-O’Reilly.

Events cannot run without volunteers and committees cannot run without good guidance, and three regions nominated the person they saw as the ‘unsung hero’, who worked tirelessly for eventing, but did so quietly and sometimes unnoticed. Represented by her daughter Emma, Roma Kieran was honoured for her involvement in north Leinster.

Among the horses nominated for the most outstanding performance by an Irish-bred, the 11-year-old Ben Along Time was chosen by the media as the winner, Bred in Co Monaghan by Anne Marie Jamieson Reynolds, the son of Cavalier Royale was ridden by Australian Clayton Fredericks to win the Eventing World Cup Final in Malmo, Sweden.

Judged by the members of Eventing Ireland, the best event award went to the northern venue, Ballygraffan. First run in 2004, Jim and June Burgess’ event was deservedly upgraded to international status in 2005, and ran a very successful CIC**, as well as a one-star and a Sportsman’s class, all of which attracted almost 100 entries.

Jean Pim was chosen as the recipient of the lifetime achievement award. A former chairman of the south Leinster region, and chef d’equipe for junior and young rider teams, her involvement with eventing in Ireland has spanned over 25 years, during which she travelled extensively with Irish riders.

Dot Love was also on hand to collect her award as winner of the highly-competitive 2005 Sportsman League.