2011

DENMAN, one of the most popular, talented and durable chasers of modern times, has been retired.

A scan revealed damage to his near-fore tendon and left trainer Paul Nicholls and owner Paul Barber with little option, just as the 11-year-old was being readied for his seasonal reappearance in the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown.

A wonderfully consistent horse, Denman won 14 of his 24 races [and his only point-to-point], including the Gold Cup in 2008 and the Hennessy at Newbury in 2007 and 2008. At Cheltenham he put in a powerhouse display, simply galloping the opposition into the ground and never allowing Kauto Star, who occupies the box next to his at Ditcheat, to mount a challenge.

Kauto Star had his revenge, of course, and it was their rivalry which ignited public interest and prompted people to wear Denman or Kauto Star colours at the 2010 Festival. They did not come up the hill together on that occasion, but raised the roof last March when going stride for stride with young pretender, Long Run, before giving best on the run-in.

Denman, originally with Adrian Maguire and a magnificent specimen even then, was a charismatic racehorse, much like his ebullient part-owner Harry Findlay whose bold plans sometimes seemed to take little account of Nicholls’ more pragmatic (and invariably correct) approach.

Sidelined with an irregular heartbeat, followed later by a crashing fall at Aintree, nothing could keep the old warrior down for long, and when he returned to win a second Hennessy under a crushing burden there was those who had to turn away, damp-eyed.

“He was tough and genuine and he’s been fantastic, not just for us but for racing,” Nicholls said. “We’re devastated, but he will always be a legend here at Ditcheat. It’s the end of an era.”

DENMAN

Owner: Paul K Barber

Trainer: Paul Nicholls

Winning riders: Colman Sweeney, Christian Williams, Ruby Walsh, Sam Thomas

Breeder: Colman O’Flynn

Breeding: By Presenting out of Polly Puttens, by Pollerton

Record: Won his only point-to-point, four of his five hurdle races and 10 of his 19 chases. He was placed six times and earned £1,141,347

Big race wins: 2006 Challow Hurdle and Berkshire Novices’ Chase, 2007 Royal & Sun Alliance Chase, Hennessy Gold Cup and Lexus Chase, 2008 Aon Chase and Cheltenham Gold Cup, and the 2009 Hennessy Gold Cup

[Denman spent his retirement team-chasing with Charlotte Alexander before spending his remaining days with Paul Barber, where he was looked after by the owner’s step-daughter Emma until his death in 2018 at the age of 18]

2006

WILLIAM ‘Billy’ Iceton, the last chairman of the old Irish Bloodstock Breeders’ Association (IBBA) and the first chairman of its all-Ireland successor, the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association (ITBA), can look back on six decades of active involvement in Irish bloodstock.

Crusading chairman from 1981 to 1983, Billy Iceton demonstrated a commitment beyond the call of duty when resuming the chair in 1994. His involvement in Irish bloodstock goes back much further.

“Hubert Hartigan owned Tara Stud – Douglas Lovatt managed it for him – when the Aga Khan approached Hubert to take over the training of his two-year-olds during the last war. Tara wasn’t suitable, so Hubert moved to the Curragh and sold this place to Clifford Nicholson, who already had Limestone Stud in Lincolnshire. Tom Iceton, my father, had recently gone to work for Clifford when he was asked to come over here to manage Tara, under the Limestone banner.

“Those were very different times in Ireland. My mother never settled here. So, when my parents returned to England, leaving Clifford seeking a manager, my father suggested me for the job. That was in 1946 and I’ve been here since.”

Curiously, Billy Iceton’s Irish foray coincided with that of an aspiring Irish jump jockey taking the mail boat in the opposite direction. Tim Molony was heading to Limestone Stud, subbed in by Bryan Marshall as stable jockey, and de facto private trainer in Nicholson’s name. Neither seafarer was to regret his switch of domicile.

Import ban

“As I recall, the English threatened to ban the import of Irish bloodstock, following an outbreak of virus abortion here. Bill Harrington mobilised the Irish breeders and succeeded in getting the ban averted. However, Irish breeders still did not speak with one voice. The IBBA was really a southern body, leaving the north effectively unrepresented.

“I kept at Bill Harrington to set up a national association, comprising regional bodies. It was really when Jonathan Irwin became involved that it all began to fall into place.”

A trawl through those invaluable annual volumes of The Irish Horse, published by the Bloodstock Breeders’ and Horse Owners’ Association of Ireland, reveals that Tara Stud has been home to such stalwart stallions as Champion Stakes winner Umidwar (300gns) and Way In (198gns) for 1947, joined by Pampas Grass (£98) for 1948 and Donato Di Niccolo (£198) for 1949.

In 1950 Donato Di Niccolo was transferred to Limestone Stud, replaced by another Italian classic performer, Arco (300gns).

Merry Boy

Down the decades Tara Stud’s roll of honour included such as 1953 Merry Boy (£198), sire of Thunderhead II; 1955 Torbido (£98), winner of the Italian Derby; 1957 Entente Cordiale (£98); and 1964 Arctic Storm, winner of the Irish 2000 Guineas, beaten a whisker in the inaugural Irish Sweeps Derby and winner of the Champion Stakes.

Arctic Storm was succeeded for the 1968 season by another classic winner in Sicilian Prince (98gns), trained by Stuart Murless to become the first Irish winner of the French St Leger.

During the late 1980s The Irish Field Directory revealed that the Tara Stud portfolio comprised Double Schwartz, Head For Heights, Heraldiste, Petorius and Simply Great, with a requisite 150 boxes, under the eye of stud groom, Peter Kavanagh. These were whittled down to three for 1993, the eminently commercial Petorius and Simply Great being joined by Kefaah (£3,000).

Service

Simply Great and Petorius still held sway at Tara in 2003, flanked by Bold Fact, newcomer Dilshaan and Key Of Luck, on a holding of 1,000 acres. For the coming season Tara will stand the last named trio, with Group 1 winner Balmont the latest recruit to a lengthy and distinguished tradition of service to Irish breeders.

Just as Billy Iceton transferred much of Tara’s administration to his son Derek, so this transfer was mirrored within the council of the ITBA. Derek assumed the chairmanship in 1998, when the Association published its millennium tome, Winner All Right, celebrating a century of Irish racing and breeding.

Not indeed that Billy has forsaken the cares of office. In 2000, over 50 years after taking control at Tara Stud, Billy accepted the presidency of the ITBA, holding that position until handing over his chair of office to Eimear Mulhern four years later.

President

As other office holders in the ITBA conceded in a recent feature in The Irish Field, their roles remain largely unheralded and unsung, the real work being done behind the scenes, out of the limelight. Yet, without their unstinting efforts on behalf of their members, it is patently obvious that Irish bloodstock breeders could hardly have achieved the crucial role they play today, as increasingly significant contributors to Ireland’s annual livestock exports.

Billy Iceton’s badgering of Bill Harrington all those years ago has yielded lasting benefits for all who shared his vision.