2007

EMMET Mullins, a 16-year-old grandson of Paddy Mullins, certainly had an afternoon to savour at the Aghabullogue meeting last Sunday, as he recorded his initial career success aboard his father George’s Alphazar in the open.

Alphazar (6/1), a four-time track victor for George’s brother Tony Mullins, disputed the lead with Dan’s Your Man until edging ahead four out. Runner-up Hoi Annie moved second after two out, briefly challenged before the last, but was still four lengths adrift at the line.

The winning owner explained: “We brought this fellow here as he doesn’t fully stay three miles. We knew that the downhill run and easy finish would suit him. Tony told me when we bought him a year ago that he would make an excellent horse for a young lad of 16 to start off on.”

Mullins junior is a fifth year student at Cistercian College in Roscrea. On a memorable Sunday for the younger Mullins’, Patrick, son of Willie, posted his eighth and “most satisfying” track success on Adamant Approach in the Pertemps Handicap Hurdle at Leopardstown.

[Emmet enjoyed his first big-race success a little over a year later when Quiscover Fontaine, trained by his uncle Willie, won the Goffs Land Rover Bumper. In 2011 he enjoyed a Cheltenham Festival win on Sir Des Champs in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Hurdle, and he also rode the likes of Faugheen, The Paparrazi Kid, Abbey Lane, Golden Silver, He’llberemembered, Lambo, Gagewell Flyer and Enterprise Park to win graded races.

As a trainer Emmet has also had success at the Cheltenham Festival, with The Shunter last March, while he has trained a variety of blacktype winners on the flat and over jumps, and won in France, Britain and Ireland. These victories have been captured by Cape Gentleman, Oriental Eagle, Zero Ten, Fujimoto, Red Devil Lads and St Stephens Green]

A gift that kept on giving

2007

VALERIE Cooper, who owned Opera Hat in partnership with Carolyn Waters, received a very welcome Christmas present when the 15 times winner arrived at her door.

Her owners, Mike and Jan Saunder, decided to give up breeding and are dispersing their stock at the Doncaster January Sale. During a chance conversation between Henry Daly and Mrs Cooper’s son Patrick at the time that the dispersal was being organised by David Minton, a deal was struck.

Patrick and ‘Minty’ arranged with Mike that Opera Hat, who wasn’t covered last year because of her late foaling, would be smuggled back to Ireland and presented to Mrs Cooper on Christmas Day. The plan worked perfectly, as the whole Cooper clan gathered to welcome back Opera Hat.

The 19-year-old is now back at Rahinston, where she was trained by John Fowler, and will be covered by an Irish National Hunt stallion this year.

[At the time of repatriation Opera Hat, a Grade 1 winner of the Mumm Melling Chase, had produced just one point-to-point winner. At the age of 22 years she had a colt foal, later named Woodland Opera (Robin Des Champs), and he too carried Valerie Cooper’s colours to nine victories, in partnership with Carolyn Waters and Diana Cooper, including a Grade 1 chase victory over fences at the Punchestown Festival]

Disaster as teaser covers high-class broodmares

1982

IT has been revealed that the foals born last year to the mares Pampalina and Quay Line, though ostensibly by Tap On Wood, were in fact the progeny of a Connemara pony stallion, whose height was barely 12 hands.

The pony was a teaser at the Kildangan Stud, where Tap On Wood stood. Mr More O’Ferrall has paid out £140,000 in compensation to the mares’ owners.

[The Irish Oaks winner Pampalina was a classic producer too, at that time having bred the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas winner Pampapaul (Yellow God). She had a colt foal.

The filly produced by Quay Line was the first offspring of her dam whose six wins included the Group 2 Park Hill Stakes. She would go on to become the grandam of the 1995 Group 1 Irish Oaks winner Pure Grain (Polish Precedent)]

Always an element of luck too

1957

HOW much the element of luck enters into the breeding of racehorses is very strongly emphasised in the case of Golden Miller, who came from very humble stock.

It has been stated that his dam, Miller’s Pride, was left to mind with Lawrence Geraghty of Maynooth by a British officer on the outbreak of the First World War. The officer never returned and the mare was left on Mr Geraghty’s hands.

Miller’s Pride was bought by Mr James Nugent for a Dublin financier, Mr Julius Solomon, for £100, but she remained with Mr Geraghty all her life. She was put to sires standing at fees as low as five guineas, but two of her produce were the winners, May Crescent and Birthday’s Pride.

Later she was served by Goldcourt, who stood in the locality at the fabulous fee of eight guineas, and to him she produced the foal who became known as Golden Miller.

The foal was sold as a yearling at Ballsbridge for 105gns to Mr P Quinn, who passed him on to Mr Galway Greer for, it is said, 300gns.

The horse, when a three-year-old, came into the possession of the English trainer, Basil Briscoe, who had trained the two half-brothers to him, the price being £500.

The horse was a sorry sight when he arrived at Briscoe’s stable and did not take the slightest interest in his work, being incorrigibly lazy. He was looked upon as a joke by the staff who regarded the name of Golden Miller, bestowed upon him by the trainer, as being incongruous.

[Golden Miller is the most successful Cheltenham Gold Cup horse ever, winning the race in five consecutive years between 1932 and 1936. He also is the only horse to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National in the same year, that being 1934.

He was bred at the yard of Barry Geraghty’s grandfather in Pelletstown, Co. Meath, in 1927. His sire, the unraced Goldcourt, also sired two Irish Grand National winners. His dam, Miller’s Pride, was an ex-hunter who was placed on the track.

Golden Miller was trained by Basil Briscoe in Longstowe, Cambridgeshire and owned by Dorothy Paget, who was once the champion owner on the flat in Britain and the leading National Hunt owner there a number of times.

In 1933, as a six-year-old and winner of two Cheltenham Gold Cups, he started as favourite for the Grand National but fell at the Canal Turn. The following year he won the Grand National and set a new course record of 9 minutes 20.4 seconds. He retired in 1939 with a record of 29 wins from 52 races. Golden Miller is buried at Elsenham Stud in West Essex]