For reasons which I’ve never quite been able to figure out, in certain circumstances, inclination has always been to veer towards the company of older folk rather than that of my own generation. If absolutely pressed for an explanation, it would be ventured that it was because somebody I once considered myself close to did likewise before me.
Included in the circle of what might be titled ‘senior’ advisors one was blessed to garner over the years was Danny Daly Snr, Corkman, horseman supreme, late of Ballymacoll Stud – the man who brought none other than the greatest racehorse that ever lived, Arkle, into the world – and a multiply successful winning owner. The apple of whose eye was Cockney Lad, Troytown Chase winner, trained by Noel Meade and ridden by the genius with veins of ice and balls of steel, Mr Carberry.
Mind you, Dan was long enough in racing to have seen both sides of the tracks. As any of sufficiently hooked to the damn thing have. Now, by the time I got to know him a bit better, my suspicion is that his involvement in racing – in terms of being an owner – was in its final few furlongs. Back then, I used to go – or be brought more like – to Saturday night Mass. Whereat Dan, and others like John Maguire and Tony Reilly, took care of the offertory collection.
When all the takings – which in all fairness would’ve been a fair whack at the time – were accounted for, we’d often ‘walk’ part of the journey home together. Where the chat would, almost by obligation, turn to horses. And it was on these night strolls that Dan imparted a few priceless nuggets of equine related advice in this direction.
One, that in terms of keeping a racehorse in training, you’d want to be winning two or three small races a year in order to meet the expenses involved. And secondly, no matter how long you are ‘at’ horses, they can make an awful eejit of you. Thus it was in relation to the latter part of that Dan returned to mind this morning.
Albeit with a bit of a twist. In that it was Aidan O’Brien who, in a way, made yours truly feel like an idiot rather than actually a horse. Not that I’ve ever met the great man or anything like that. However, you may have encountered a piece posted here yesterday in which I opined that the Master Of Ballydoyle would most likely deal with the jockey vacancy caused by Ryan Moore’s femur injury by promoting from within. In other words, given the likes of Wayne Lordan or Jack Cleary or Mark Crehan or even Seamie Heffernan the opportunity on some of the plum rides Moore will undoubtedly miss out on.
Indeed, it would still be ventured that if the decision was solely down to the Wexford native himself that is precisely what would have happened, but the reality is that the moneybag moaners probably insisted on having Christophe Soumillon aboard. Most likely with the Prix D’lArc at the beginning of next month at Longchamp in mind.
Aidan O’Brien was this (Monday) morning quoted as saying “Christophe has always been (part of the plans). He’s not tied down to anybody now.
“He’s a world-class jockey everywhere, he’s been riding for us a lot since he’s been released.”
Let’s hope it works out to plan for all concerned. Though I remain steadfast in my belief the trainer has better jockeys – much better – already on the ‘roster’ in Ballydoyle than the over hyped Belgian.
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