The inaugural Prestbury Cup – awarded to the country that trains the most winners at the Cheltenham festival – may have slipped out of reach, but on another league table Irish tails are up.
Four more Irish-bred winners yesterday underlines the industry’s resurgence after strong competition in recent years from France.
In a scoreline that hopefully augurs well for Saturday, Ireland led France 11-6 in the Cheltenham breeding stakes after three days, with the remaining three winners coming from the host country.
Ireland’s horse breeders are the hidden heroes of Cheltenham. Many are hobbyists – of the 6,491 registered horse breeders in Ireland, 93 per cent own less than five mares – and few ever breed a runner let alone a winner here.
But Dr John Waldron (69), a GP from Tuam, Co Galway, did just that when Faugheen galloped home in the Neptune Hurdle on Wednesday. His biggest win before that was getting “placed in a stakes race, and then when the recession came I practically packed it in.
“My Teagasc advisor said to me: ‘Go back to surgery and go back to giving a few more injections”.
He bred Faugheen in 2007 with his only mare Miss Pickering, named after the colourful master of the North Galway Foxhounds the late John Pickering. (Why not Master Pickering? “Well, she’s a mare,” Waldron explained patiently.)
He sold the gelding for a mere €3,500 – “it would hardly cover your expenses”, said Waldron – and it went on to be sold for €12,000 before later being acquired by Rich Ricci in whose colours it won.
“I have not made any money out of it except for the bets,” says Waldron, although he is hoping this might boost his profile and a spawn a twilight career to rival Coolmore.
Waldron was the first volunteer doctor to work at the Galway Family Planning Association which opened on Raleigh Row in 1977 in the face of vocal protests from Catholic conservatives. He continues to work as a GP specialising in sexual health and “advising the young and healthy”.
Does the medical expertise come in handy for horse breeding? “Everything helps,” he replies with a laugh.
Faugheen’s win was also a boon for Ireland’s point-to-point scene. Seven ex-Irish “pointers” have now won at this year’s festival.
A delighted Richard Pugh, director of Irish Point-to-Point Services said it underlines the strength of this market for aspiring owners.
“Point-to-pointers have been winning Gold Cups for half a century, but what’s changed is the depth of talent. Almost one in five festival runners this year have graduated from point-to-points.”
Nine of the last 15 Gold Cup winners have been ex-Irish pointers, and it will be 10 today if either of Michael O’Leary’s horses wins.
Ever the anti-establishment figure, O’Leary seemed to be relishing his new role of racing’s bad boy for keeping Last Instalment in the race in spite of court proceedings facing trainer Philip Fenton.
Asked yesterday whether he had any qualms about the decision, O’Leary replied: “None at all . . . In much the same way the Queen’s horse was involved in one of these issues a couple of years ago here, there was no issue over her horses running and I don’t think there will be any issue over ours either”.
The horse “has been tested every time he runs and there has never been an issue”.
Fog early yesterday delayed a number of flights from Ireland, and some day-trippers only arrived for the last race. Thankfully, it was an Irish winner, with the lanky but stylish amateur Robbie McNamara steering home Spring Heeled – and then springing from the saddle in winners’ enclosure in the style of Frankie Dettori.
McNamara is a cousin of fellow amateur JT McNamara who was paralysed in a fall at the festival last year, and there was some good news yesterday for the Jockeys Emergency Fund from which he is benefiting. A charity bet by Barry Geraghty came good, netting almost €10,000 for the fund.
The jockey tipped Jezski and More Of That at a Cheltenham preview night in Dublin last Thursday, and yesterday the double – on which he placed €200 from Boylesport – was completed.
A spokeswoman for the fund said “we are simply blown away” by the news.
