New Years Day in 2005, and the concluding bumper threw up a local derby of sorts. In that the market was headed by the Tucker Geraghty trained, Jill Geraghty ridden All’s Rosie and Kilbreena. Trained by Des McDonogh for Dunboyne butcher Pat Macken.
It may well have been around the same time that the Tom Foley-trained Hairy Molly claimed the Cheltenham Champion Bumper under a trademark Paul Carberry masterclass.
To consider either case now is telling. Quite simply because, with the greatest of respect to all concerned, the chances and instances of those of lesser profile usurping the elite are now few and far between.
Yet such things do happen. As was gloriously illustrated on several occasions during the recent feast of Christmas racing. Now, without question, headlining any such summary has to be the latest glorious chapter in the astounding story of Hewick.
John ‘Shark’ Hanlon’s charge has now amassed over €612,000 in prize money. By virtue of winming the Galway Plate, the American Grand National and, latterly, the King George on St Stephen’s Day. And could, nay should, have won the Cheltenham Gold Cup only to crash out at the last.
Not bad for a steed who changed hands for a mere €800. 800 – there must he something in a number. That, and the Shark has a serious eye for bargain bloodstock. Because that’s exactly the amount he also paid for the talented hurdler Skyace out of the Willie Mullins yard.
Before that one went on to be a great money spinner for connections. Including but not limited to what was then called the WKD Hurdle at Down Royal’s November meeting.
Now, however, the gentle giant from the banks of the Suir has gone and not only topped that but taken his training career and status within racing to even greater heights.
That’s a fair mouthful considering he trained the classy Luska Lad before – for reasons best known to himself – Barry Connell took out a training licence and set up his own operation.
However, with Hewick, Shark has not only pitched himself back into the bigtime, but also – and maybe more significantly – flown the flag for ‘ordinary’ folk within racing in a world dominated by Galactico trainers and owners.
All with a heartbreaking layer of poignance attached too. The first Saturday in September of 2022. At about 4.30pm, word filtered through that the Pony Racing on Glenbeigh strand in Dingle had been abandoned because of a serious incident involving a young jockey. That being what we now know was the tragic death of Jack De Bromhead.
Among the myriad tributes which flooded in following the popular 13-year-old’s untimely demise, the one that absolutely hit this writer in the solar plexus. When his pal and fellow pupil in St Kieran’s College Kilkenny, Paddy Hanlon, was leading in Hewick having won the American National, the tearful youngster looked to the Heavens and said “That’s for Jack”.
All things considered, the Hewick story couldn’t get any more heart-warming than it already was, could it? Oh yes it did. I’m sure there are sports fans who – even within their favourite discipline – have one event they aren’t too bothered about. Like the pre season competitions in GAA or the League Cup in soccer or, say, the early stages of the World Darts Championship before the heavy hitters join the party.
For me, for whatever reason, that event is the King George on St Stephen’s Day. It is suspected apathy towards the event goes back more than than three decades to the day Adrian Maguire and Barton Bank appeared to have the race won at a time when Adrian was neck and neck Richard Dunwoody in the greatest battle for the British NH Jockeys Championship there has been.
The Shark and Hewick have certainly prompted a rethink in that regard. But, more importantly than that, they have demonstrated there’s still a place for (a) sporting romantics and (b) ordinary folk in National Hunt racing. And there’s a sense the Hewick story is far from finished yet.
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