The Dave Clerkin Racing Club was founded in 2020. Dave Clerkin, after whom the club was named, sadly passed away after a tragic accident abroad. The club’s members, all of whom were friends with Dave, came together to form the club on account of Dave’s love for horse racing. Last weekend Freddie Robdal provided the club with their first ever winner.

Can you tell us about David?

David joined Permanent TSB with me back in 2008 and we were good friends ever since. We shared a love of sport, in particular football and horse racing. Before long he was coming to Cheltenham with me and my pals, who soon became his pals too. We went to many other racing venues and football matches. His friends became my friends and my friends became his friends. He was a season ticket holder at Drogheda United and that’s why our horse runs in maroon and light blue. He was a great man and a very hard worker. His colleagues at First Auto now work at Clerkin House in Ballsbridge, renamed in honour of Dave. He made a lasting impact there and won’t be forgotten.

How did the idea to create a racing club in David’s honour come about?

I thought it was a good idea to have a hobby or an interest in honour of Dave. Involve all our mates. It would give us the opportunity to meet up at the racecourse or down in Mick Murphy’s or Henry’s yard. I made sure to float the idea with his parents before asking everyone. The uptake was huge. We have about 60 members. A clear sign of how loved Dave was. Freddie Robdal provided the club with its first win last weekend on what would have been David’s 35th birthday.

Tell us about the day and the race itself and what it meant to the club

It was unbelievable for many reasons. First and foremost it would have been Dave’s 35th birthday so it was emotional all week. But secondly, because the win was relatively unexpected. It was our horse’s handicap debut and Henry thought he’d come on for it. The ground went against us too so not many of us had him backed. But you know what, that added to the surprise of it and made it all the more special.

All of your horses are with Henry de Bromhead, what key personal qualities /factors do you think Henry possesses to make him so successful?

Myself and another member of the club, Johnny Breach, had a horse called Marshal Dillon with Henry back in 2010 and while it didn’t work out, we loved the way Henry dealt with us. He offered us a mare for lease to have a bit of fun with so we decided to go back to him for this project. Henry and all the lads in the yard Nicole, Davey, Puppy, Alan, Zoe and everyone are A1. Rachael has been fantastic too. They are like a close-knit family. Henry himself is always on the other end of the phone or on WhatsApp. We get regular updates and videos of our horse. He keeps good company too. He recommended Mick Murphy to us as a breaker and Gerry Hogan as an agent. All genuine folk. Henry had us all down in his yard a few times. He really looks after us. He was honest with our first horse Drogheda Dave and bluntly told us he wasn’t good enough. The lads in the club appreciated that honesty. You might not get that with every trainer. Henry’s honest. That’s his best quality.

How did you come to buy Freddie Robdal?

We had previously gone down the sales route and were unsuccessful. There’s nothing wrong with this route but it takes patience and time. We had been there and done that and didn’t have the patience for it again. After that bad experience, we needed a horse that was ready to run immediately and therefore we went to buy a pointer. With a budget of €20,000 you can’t be competing to buy winners. Henry had seen Freddie exercise before with Paul Power in a gallop at Tipperary. He took a mental note of him. Paul was running him in points but thought he might be suited by a shorter trip. Henry liked him and thought he had some natural speed. He rang me and thought if he could get Freddie for €20,000 he’d be a good buy so we went with that. It was completely Henry’s decision and we trusted him the whole way.

As I understand it Dave’s parents, Rita and Jim, support the club and love seeing it succeed, Can you tell us about them and what their support means to the club and vice versa?

I asked Rita and Jim to join the club. They were fully supportive of the idea but said were happy to support it from a distance and let me run it. I said fine but that they would be honorary members. They were happy with that. Rita is in our WhatsApp group and both she and Jim came down to Mick Murphy’s yard when he was breaking our first horse. They were over the moon with Freddie’s win on Sunday and are looking forward to the future.

Is the racing club looking at buying more horses or have you acquired any more horses that have yet to run?

We have one horse and that’s Freddie. We are busy enough with him at the moment. We are fortunate he is durable and runs often. He’s only six years old so hopefully he will be around for a while yet and we can continue having fun with him. You never know what the future will hold. My current feeling is that I wouldn’t be keen to ask the members of the club for another outlay to go in again and buy another horse. Freddie won a few bob for us on Sunday and if we could squeeze another few wins from him over the next couple of seasons and we ended up with a surplus in the account, then I would definitely pose the question about getting another horse. But it’s not on the agenda at the moment.

What’s next on the agenda for Freddie?

There’s a similar race in Tramore on June 2nd. That gives him a six-week break which is nice. He has good form at Tramore and, being trained in Knockeen, it’s like a home game for our fella. Plans might change but I’d say it’s likely that’s the next place you will see him.

What advice would you give someone thinking of becoming a racehorse owner?

Do it. Life is too short. It’s a hobby that you can share with your family old and young. It takes you to places all over Ireland where you can make a night or a weekend out of it. The more you get together in your syndicate or club, the less costly it becomes.