RETIRED Sligo trainer Billy Boyers was 90 yesterday Friday and we send him many congratulations.

Former Sligo trainer Mickey McElhone is another old friend who contacted us sending best wishes.

Billy’s most famous triumph came at the 1977 Cheltenham Festival, when he sent over Kilcoleman to win the County Hurdle on St Patrick’s Day. The horse was owned by local man Paul Clarke who said: “I haven’t seen Billy lately but the family tell me he is well and looks as well as he did 40 years ago.

“It was my first Cheltenham when we went with Kilcoleman and you wouldn’t have gone without hope. Billy said he could handle any ground and had run over a range of distances. Tommy Kinane, Michael’s father, was riding and he was over 40 at the time so that was something of an achievement in itself. And for a West of Ireland horse to win at Cheltenham then, that was practically unheard of.

“Kilcoleman won 16 races, a bumper, seven hurdles and eight chases including a Connacht National and the Sean Graham Handicap Chase at Leopardstown.”

Paul and Billy went on to have a long association as owner and trainer, “Billy lived only eight or 10 miles away” and we had “60 or 70” winners over 10 years.

Another big-race victory for Billy was the Galway Plate with Sir Barry in 1980.

And one of the secrets to his success was galloping horses on the beach at Rosses Point – nothing like seawater for the horses’ legs.