CURRAGH, FRIDAY
JUNE 29TH
We are at the end of June, lads, and with the turn of the calendar it brings an end to my favourite month of the year. June’s jewels brings a trip to Epsom for the Derby at the start, the middle of the month is Royal Ascot week, the Tattersalls Derby Sale the week after and then the weekend’s Irish Derby meeting. These are the “dancehalls” I love to be in and with the current heat wave they have been glorious shows. From now on we are playing the back nine for the year and hopefully all the festivals from here to the Listowel Harvest in September will go well for all the tracks.
Mind you, this weather is unprecedented and it is a headache for track managers getting water on them. Clerk of the course here at the Curragh, Brendan Sheridan, and head groundsman Pat Webb and his team, have done a brilliant job and over the three days they get 40 inches of water on the course to keep it right.
On the card this evening the Apprentice Derby is the feature and it is won by the Jim Bolger-trained Dawn Hoofer ridden by Gavin Ryan who earns high praise from his boss telling us “he is a good rider and will probably be back here some day on Derby day in the number one spot.” High praise indeed from a man who definitely doesn’t suffer fools gladly.
CURRAGH, SATURDAY,
JUNE 30TH
Today is one of our biggest days in Healy Racing with images being supplied all over the world of the famous race and with the favourite for today’s renewal, Saxon Warrior, being by sire Deep Impact it brings extra interest from Japan where he stands at Shadai Farm. We will have a team of four photographers with Liam, Kevin and Aidan joining me covering different angles and young Sean will take care of our remote cameras.
As normal I rock up early and get settled in before taking a walk around the enclosures to see the craic. The building project is coming together here and I have to say judging on the work already done, the Curragh is going to be majestic next year when finished. There is a fantastic feel good factor walking about and the management has plenty of picnic tables and chairs for all the patrons.
They have opened up the North Plaza area for today which is situated behind the winner’s enclosure and with music and plenty of refreshment stands the racegoers are having a mighty day. You can cool down with a pint of Rockshore Lager for €6 or have a Hendrix Gin for €9 and if you are dining, a Dew Drop Burger will cost you €8, fish & chips for €9 or you can chance the Vegetarian Thai Curry for €9.
With the sun beating down all day fair play to the management for providing free bottles of water for all throughout the enclosures during the day also.
O’BRIEN BROTHERS
On the track we photograph history when Latrobe wins for brothers Joseph and Donnacha O’Brien, beating their father Aidan whose runners finish second, third, fourth and fifth! It’s a third classic in two months for 19-year-old Donnacha after the 2000 Guineas and Oaks, and with Joseph having ridden two Irish Derby winners – Camelot and Australia – it’s a maiden training success in the race for the 25-year-old.
The presentation to winning connections, Asser Khan, Joe Hernon, Donnacha O’Brien, JP McManus and Joseph O’Brien after The Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby won by Latrobe. Photo.carolinenorris.ie
Like all young fellas, Donnacha possesses a great wit and when asked on TV after his Epsom win on Forever Together what his greatest asset was as a jockey he replied, “being Aidan O’Brien’s son!’’
His graph as a jockey has continually risen since his first winner in 2014 when he finished up with seven winners. 2015 brought 24, in 2016 he rode 55, and last year he rode 70 winners.
“stopped giving them pocket money ages ago”
So far this year his strike rate is at 27% and he is bang in contention to become champion jockey. You can imagine the pride that parents Aidan and Annemarie must be feeling afterwards and Aidan tells Brian Gleeson on RTÉ that he stopped “giving them pocket money ages ago” when Brian suggests there will be none this week!
Of course Joseph is the head of Aidan in his interviews and he also thanks everyone in the yard along with owners Nick and Lloyd Williams for their support and a special mention for Joey Fallon who rides the horse out.
After racing I head to Kilcullen to meet up with ‘Chips’ where we catch the second half of the match between Kildare and Mayo. With a Kildare victory the locals are in mighty order and with the likes of Eddie Cross, the Lambe brothers, Shane and John with Dad ‘Porky’ and Peter Nolan and by the end of the evening they have me convinced its going to be a Kerry v Kildare All Ireland!
CURRAGH, SUNDAY,
JULY 1ST
Another glorious day to round off Derby weekend here at headquarters and the feature race the Group 1 Juddmonte Pretty Polly goes to English raider Urban Fox under Danny Tudhope for trainer William Haggas. William’s wife Maureen is a sister of “our own” Tracy Piggott and Maureen tells us afterwards that the absent William rang her, wondering were they doing the right thing in running the filly. “It’s a bit late now,” she tells him, “the jockey is standing in front of me!’’
Bought by son Sam Haggas for South African owner Wayne Kieswetter, who are based at Barnane Stud in Templemore, the win continues the international flavor in the winner’s enclosure.
Young Balbriggan trainer Damien English is also making a name for himself and he celebrates his first Curragh success when Red Avenger scores under jockey Rory Cleary for Damien’s dad Joe and Tyrone man Cathal McGuckin. It’s a sweet success for Cathal as Damien got Cathal’s colors registered on Friday just in time for the race.
It’s also great to capture owner Justin Carthy after his Band Of Outlaws, trained by Joseph O’Brien, wins under Wayne Lordan as I reckon if there was a best dressed man competition every day Justin would be a shoo-in with his array of fancy “tins of fruit” shirts and bright ties!
COMMENTATORS
This weekend’s Derby marked the final call of the great race for ‘Living Legend’ Dessie Scahill who retires next month. Calling the races around the country since 1971, I am lucky enough to have known Dessie and count him as a friend since I started in the game.
Back in the day, before I had a car, Dessie would ferry me around the country during the busy summer months and for a man that never drank there isn’t a mightier character for the craic. The car would have the same team of jockeys heading racing each day, Brendan Sheridan, Micky Flynn and Tommy Carmody and journeys were always shortened with tales of the old days, impersonations and chat about Dessie’s beloved Manchester United and, of course, GAA.
For the flat fixtures the car would be a taxi for young apprentices such as Richard Hughes and Johnny Murtagh. One evening, leaving the old Dundalk track along with Murtagh and Hughes, Dessie beckoned me into the driver’s seat to steer the car back to base in Kildare. Now I actually was never a speed jockey in a car and driving someone else’s motor I would always ease off the pedal another bit.
Dessie says: “what are you doing Cash, you started so you will finish, drive on.”
Travelling down the old road between Ardee and Slane, there is a right hand bend heading downhill a few miles outside Slane and with the evening sun I never spotted a gravel spill on the road. Sure enough the car skidded and doing a 360 degree turn went straight across the other side of the road hammering against the ditch. Thanks be to God there wasn’t a car coming against us because I’m not sure I would be around to be telling ye this story now.
SHAKING
Milk bottle white with the fright and shaking like a leaf, I looked at Dessie as we got out to survey the damage. Thankfully there was only a small dent on the back bumper and as I went to get into the back seat alongside Murtagh, Dessie says: “what are you doing Cash, you started so you will finish, drive on.”
On the flip side of the retirement coin it means that the new number one commentator in the country is now Listowel’s own Jerry Hannon. Of course I have known Jerry since nappies and his Dad, Joe, Lord have mercy on him, was a great friend of my own father.
I remember Jerry coming racing with us as a kid and on the way home my Dad would ask him what he learned during the day. Jerry would always reply that he had a great day even though all he did was stand in the middle of the track looking up into the stands watching his hero Dessie Scahill commentating on the races!
INSPIRATION
As time went on he was made up to also count Dessie as a friend and inspiration for his own career, which started 18 years ago in Downpatrick. How it came about was we were staying over for the two-day meeting there and Jerry, who was working for Healy Racing at the time, and was actually a great photographer I might add, was with me.
We were in Denver’s Hotel having dinner after racing with the Polly family who sponsored a race the following day and Brian Polly mentioned to Jerry that he should call their race. Fair play to Neville Ring who was the official commentator at the meeting for letting Jerry do the call and, as they say, the rest is history.
I also have to mention the passing of northern point-to-point commentator Oliver McCann during the week who was another of the game’s characters. He was the first man to call the points up north and as young fellas he would always go out of his way for Liam and I when we were working the northern venues, asking us if we were okay for sterling to buy a bag of chips.
A mad Armagh GAA follower he got great satisfaction out of them beating us in the 2002 final and always loved reminding me of the fact down the years. We pass on our sympathies to wife Teresa, sons Paul, Aidan and John and daughter Claire.