Racing in lockdown but great memories live on

THE remainder of the spring point-to-point season has been cancelled, which means that the only fixtures to take place were East Down’s two meetings at Tyrella, the first North Down meeting at Kirkistown, and despite very wet conditions the Armagh meeting at Farmacaffley. This is the first time this has happened since the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001.

There is a possibility of point-to-point bumpers on racecourses when jump racing returns and also an expanded autumn season.

The national hunt season has ended which means no Irish Grand National on Easter Monday and no Punchestown Festival — Ireland’s Cheltenham — at the end of the month.

Gordon Elliott, who had two winners at the recent Downpatrick meeting and who had 200 horses in training, is now down to 30, so he has had to cut back on staff.

The end of the point-to-point season is a severe blow to local trainers like Paddy Turley, Stuart Crawford, Colin McKeever and Warren Ewing, who produce young horses to sell after running them in four year-old races.

I understand that Co Wexford trainer Donnchadh Doyle had 40 four year-olds ready to make their debuts and there are a lot more trainers in the same boat.

When racing resumes it will be all flat racing for a month, so with Downpatrick now only running jump racing it will be some time until locals get back to their favourite venue.

With the English jump season also curtailed it is good to know that Newtownhamilton native Brian Hughes, who rode his first ever winner as a flat apprentice for his boss Kevin Prendergast at Downpatrick, has been crowned

champion jockey for the first time, with a total of 141 wins, 19 clear of reigning champion Richard Johnston.

Sadly this week’s news has seen thousands of horses taken out of training.

With the English national hunt season coming to a close earlier than originally planned, it’s well done to Ballee native David Maxwell on riding a total of 18 winners from a total of only 55 rides. He rides all his own horses.

It was also a very good season for another Downpatrick rider, Danny McMenamin, who is attached to the yard of Nicky Richards, for whom Tony Dobbin was stable jockey for many years.

Danny, who gets plenty of rides for other yards, rode a fantastic 28 winners from 221 rides. He also rode many to finish either second or third during the season.

The original fixture list for 2020 is now null and void so the original dates for Downpatrick and Down Royal, when we hopefully get back to normal sooner than later, will be all change to those originally sent out to members.

An interesting fact that I learned with interest at the weekend was that Willie Robinson, who rode Laffy to win the 1962 Ulster National at Downpatrick for the Queen Mother, was retained by Major John Corbett of Tyrella to ride for him.

This was in the 1950s before he moved to England as stable jockey to Fulke Walwyn. O course Laffy was stabled at Major Corbett’s establishment prior to running in the Ulster National, being trained in England by Peter Cazalet.

With no racing in Ireland or England at the present time, it is a good chance to do some reading and a book just recently published, The Story of Dundalk Stadium, is a must for local racing fans.

As most people know Dundalk — always thought about as the third local track, despite being in Co Louth — holds some great memories for locals, too many to record here.

A feature by Frankie Fitzsimons is most interesting and he recalls the day that his father and namesake, brother Brian and himself, all rose in the famous Sweet Afton Hunters Chase back in 1968.

Frankie senior finished fifth on Royal Knight, now owned by Tom Kerr from Ballygowan, while Brian rode Satin Link, also owned by Kerr, whose colours were red with the initials THK on them. Frankie finished third on Bright Cottage in the colours of Bright’s Arnold Ennis, who at that stage was a farmer but later turned his farm into a popular golf club.

The book records that Frankie senior won the Sweet Afton in 1951 on Fort Wayne, trained by Major John Corbett at Tyrella. He also rode Copper Cottage, trained beside Downpatrick Racecourse by Ned Altern in 1956. He also won the race in 1963 on Copper Ridge, like Copper Cottage owned by Major T W Hughes, this one also trained by Ned Altern. This race was won in 1974 by Frigid Fox, owned by S J Martin from Ballynahinch and ridden by his son Raymond.

In later years this race became known as the Tallanstown Hunters Chase and was won by Bald Joker in the colours of Christine McBratney and ridden by her brother-in-law Colin, now a trainer at Crossgar.

Frankie Fitzsimons junior rode a few winners under rules, but the one that he will always recall was when he rode Palo to victory in the opening hurdle race of the day at Dundalk in 1971, the horse being owned by the well known busy draper, Downpatrick’s Joe Rea, and trained by Peter McGreevy.

Back in 1974 owner/trainer Tom McConnell, from Carsonstown, near Saintfield, and Darragh Cross amateur Barney Jones recorded their first ever success when successful with loving star in the bumper race.

Barney told me recently that on their way that day they collected a lot of bets to place on the horse and as his mouth got dry when he rode he was sucking a sweet that stuck to the roof of his mouth at the start.

In 1985 Farranfad farmer and horse breeder Brian Kennedy pulled off a 20/1 shock when he saddled Star of Venosos in his green and white belt colours to win the valuable Carroll

Handicap Hurdle under Harry Rodgers, now a trainer.

This was Brian’s first ever success as a trainer and although he only held a licence for a short time he also saddled his charge to win the Ulster Cesarewitch at 12/1 at Downpatrick when, if memory serves me correctly, it was ridden by Ards jockey Philip Lowry.

Lots of other names like Miss K R Payne, Leslie Crawford, Willie Rooney, Jeremy Maxwell, Sammy Shields, Robin Kidd and Pat McAteer feature in the book that brings back some great memories of a popular course, no longer the same to some of us.

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