2012

Trainer Jimmy Mangan’s 18-year-old daughter Jane, sister of last season’s champion claimer Patrick, has been the find of the year, and she proved it by winning the same two races she won at Limerick in 2011 to record the second double of her blossoming career.

Don’t Tell Pa opened the batting in the Limerick Racecourse 80-102 Handicap Hurdle, when completing his hat-trick in style with a six-length win over Shesonlyahorse. The favourite, Senior Again, finished the same distance away in third.

This was a real family result because Don’t Tell Pa is owned by the rider’s mother, Mary, who was on duty at the sales. The 11/4 winner was giving the pilot her 13th winner on the track, and the successful handler commented: “Jane’s seven-pound claim is most valuable because he’s not a big, weight-carrying horse. He’s improving and will go for another handicap.”

Mangan went on to record her 14th success with the front-running win of Casablanca Lily, from the Charlie Swan stables, in the Limerickraces.ie Online Booking Mares Ladies Flat Race.

Trish Hyde

Racing in the familiar livery of the trainer’s mother-in-law, Trish Hyde, the daughter of Hurricane Run had been a beaten favourite on her last two starts.

Returning after a near three-month break, she made no mistake this time, digging deep to repel the final furlong challenge of the hotpot Kris Kindle by half a length.

The winning rider stated: “She’s very tough. She got through the [heavy] ground as a brave filly would, and I set a good gallop to make sure it was a test of stamina.”

Spot Themagificent

2007

THERE are moments of high drama at each and every Cheltenham Festival, but if the racecourse executive needed one single individual to lift the Open meeting to those dizzy heights, then Spot Thedifference unquestionably fits the bill.

This magnificent competitor won yesterday’s BGC Cross-Country Chase for the fourth year in a row, taking his tally at the famous old venue to seven. He led when everyone expected him to wait, he fought back when everyone thought anno domini was about to take a hand, and he got up again after losing his footing 100 yards beyond the winning post.

He was only messing around, of course, but the roar of relief and approval as he returned to the unsaddling enclosure showed that most people were fooled. They love him here, and there will not be a bigger cheer in March. At 14, he loves the game like a wide-eyed infant, and he is a proper, old-time hero.

This time around the old boy was in front far sooner than J.T. McNamara wanted, as three runners went the wrong side of an early obstacle – but it made no difference to Thedifference. Lobbing along, with a foreleg turning out as always, he led or disputed with French challenger Juful Tennis, as stable-companions Royal Auclair and Le Du kept tabs on proceedings.

The crucial thing in these affairs is not to make mistakes. They did and he didn’t, and when Tony Martin’s Millanymare and Twiston-Davies’ Florida Dream blundered, it was still there for him. It couldn’t happen surely, and Davy Condon, no sentimentalist he, tried hard to make sure it didn’t.

Casadei slipped through on the inner and went a couple of lengths up, but there is nothing Spot Thedifference likes better than coming wide and late, where the crowds can see him. Picking up again, he surged past and won in style.

The camera nearly lost Spot Thedifference as he fell, but picked him up again when he picked himself up. What a roar there was!

Truly, this is why people come National Hunt racing, and everyone who decries these ‘novelty’ events simply has no soul.

“He just slipped and lost his hind legs,” Enda Bolger said. “He was left in front sooner than we wanted, but JT said he was just enjoying himself so much that he let him bowl along. We needed something to take it up, and that happened for a while.

“This is a special place to Spot, and he went on again when he heard the crowd. Sure, the race conditions favour him, but I am just so relieved to see him win again, and then relieved when he stood up. I can’t tell you what it means.”

It is not often that one sees hardened members of the press room raising a cheer, especially when no money is at stake. It happened yesterday, and quite rightly. This was a very special day, and no one at Prestbury Park is likely to forget it.

[In fact, that proved to be the last run for Spot Thedifference who lived happily in retirement until the age of 25.

A son of Lafontaine and the Callernish mare Spotted Choice, Spot Thedifference was sold for IR8,200 gns at the Goffs Land Rover June National Hunt Sale in 1997 to Eddie Hales. He won 14 races over fences, earning £244,124, and placed 15 times over hurdles and fences. He also won two point-to-points]

Aga Khan auction of stock

1957

THE late HH the Aga Khan never hesitated to sell horses he bred or acquired.

They included the Derby winners Bahram, Blenheim II, Mahmoud and, more recently, Tulyar, and in recent years to dispose of mares and foals (mainly to the USA) on a large scale. His death has necessitated a substantial reduction of mares and fillies at the Irish and French studs, largely to meet death duties.

The Aly Khan, who is now the owner of the five Irish stud farms and of all the bloodstock formerly the joint property of his father and himself, has decided to put up for public auction 55 mares and fillies at the Newmarket December Sale, as well as six lots at Ballsbridge next week.

There is, however, no intention of closing down any of the studs in Ireland, where there will still remain a very large number (some 300) of mares and their foals, descending from lines that have made the Aga Khan breeding so successful and famous all over the world.

The mares for sale include Nikellora, Double Rose, Mehmany, Nashua and Emali. Nikellora won the French 1000 Guineas, Oaks and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and is the dam of winners.

Double Rose won over 8,000,000 francs and among her winning progeny is Hafiz II. Mehmany was top of her year in the Free Handicap, and Nashua won the Irish 1000 Guineas.

The Newmarket group also includes three fillies by Hyperion, and these alone seem certain to fetch very high prices, with US breeders likely to be keenly interested.

Champion trainer with winnings of £6,372

1932

AT the accounting for 1931, Philip Behan was top of the trainer’s section. Again this year he is top of it with a total of £6,372, which is approximately 50% more than that won by the runner-up.

Behan had a splendid innings with his two-year-olds, and for fully half the season almost every race for those of that age was won by one of his.

The jockey premiership has come to Tommy Burns for the first time, and it is a coincidence that his total of wins, 57, is exactly the same as that which gave first place a year ago to Joseph Canty. Burns’ average is high, 30.64%. In July he rode no less than 14 winners, and his score in May was only one less.

Burns came to Ireland from Scotland, and rode with success before he relinquished the saddle to take up training. However, after a season or two as a trainer he came back to jockeyship, and has ridden better than ever this year.