They say home is where the heart is. Seldom if ever has an adage been more applicable than in the case of the Boylesports Irish Grand National, the 150th incarnation of which was launched in Dunboyne Castle Hotel this evening.
Just think of some of the names associated with Ireland’s greatest race. The Moore family, the Carberry family, the Geraghty gang, the Walsh’s, Noel Meade, John and Chich Fowler, Liam and Dermot McLoughlin, and the greatest of them all, the Dreaper dynasty. The list could be stretched from here to the back of beyond.
And not a horse has been mentioned yet. Where does one begin? Actually, that was a ridiculous question. There’s only one possible start point for any such discussion – Arkle. The greatest horse there’s ever been won the greatest race in 1964 and how special it was to have the two men who tended to his every need, Paddy Woods and Johnny Lumley in attendance.
Quite incredibly, Johnny told the tale of how ended up as groom to the legend simply known as ‘Himself’ “Because nobody else wanted him”. How some of the others like Nicky O’Connor and Joe Finglas and Sean Barker must have felt when they saw how ‘Himself’ turned out!
Arthur Moore told the story of the special place Kings Sprite will always have in his life “He was my first winner over hurdles, my first winner riding against professionals and my first winner over fences. It was great to win it for Mr (Georgie) Wells”
Also in attendance was Noel Meade who recalled his winner, The Bunny Boiler (2002) in typically humorous fashion “He really was a terrible jumper, but he’d stay all day”! A fact emphasised by the video clip shown of him absolutely ploughing the last out of it but Ross Geraghty managed to gather him up and take the trophy back to Castletown!
While a small number of trainers and owners tend to dominate many of the final declarations, the history of the great race is punctuated by smaller trainers attaining glory against all odds. From Tommy Carberry, to Tom Gibney, Dot Love and Martin Brassil.
Last year, Dermot McLoughlin achieved the most unlikely of breakthrough victories when Freewheelin Dylan and Ricky Doyle jumped off in front and stayed there. Coming home at odds of 150/1. The Ratoath trainer recalled:
“After he won the Midlands National (in Kilbeggan), it was the obvious target. We minded him and kept him fresh. It’s a race that means so much to our family and our locality and it was a dream come true to win it”.
Family connections flow through the veins of the Irish Grand National. Sons and grandsons and granddaughters of former winners going on to do so is part of the lore of the race. This year, don’t be surprised if the father of a former winning rider does it… Again!
FOGRA: When recalling his earliest memories of the race, Noel said “Where most young fellas were filling scrapbooks with footballers, mine was all about Tom Dreaper, I wasn’t into footballers“. Thankfully that changed dramatically, Colm O’Rourke and Graham Geraghty are always on the lorry with his horses!!
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