2009 and Irish Horse Racing

If anyone ever doubted Ireland’s credentials as a powerhouse in global horse racing they only need look back at 2009 and the achievements that we Irish have amassed over the last twelve months of racing. Be it in National Hunt or on the flat the Irish have succeeded in the biggest races in the world.

At this year’s Cheltenham Festival, there were nine Irish winners from the 26 races. Ruby Walsh, a native of Kildare was champion jockey having won a record seven races. Three of his winners were aboard Willie Mullins trained horses and Willie will be hoping to add to this tally next March with his talented Closutton based team.

Sea the Stars winning the Epsom Derby (The Daily Telegraph)

You couldn’t write about Irish achievements abroad without mentioning AP McCoy, who this February reached a mammoth three thousand winners and was crowned Champion Jockey in Britain for the fourteenth consecutive year! There wasn’t a better ride to be seen all year than when Wichita Lineman came to the front right at the post in the William Hill Trophy at the Festival. It looked like the 5-1 favourite was in trouble four fences from home when lagging behind, under much duress from McCoy but he managed to get rattling up the hill and took the race by a neck from the tiring Maljimar. This race symbolised everything that’s great about the legendary AP, he didn’t for one second relent on the horse from start to finish of the three mile marathon event.

It’s clear that the Irish had a successful year in the National Hunt but it was on the flat that every single element of the strength of the Irish horse racing industry was showcased by one outstanding specimen, Sea the Stars.

Sea the Stars was bred at the National Stud, a bay colt by Cape Cross out of Urban Sea. In April 2008, he came under the care of John Oxx at Currabeg. This season Sea the Stars won six Group 1 races inside six months. It was the style of his wins, seemingly without any great effort or pressure from his jockey, Mick Kinane that won over fans. Even in the Prix de l’Arc, Europe’s biggest race, he was so talented that even when it looked like things might be going against him he was able to run out a cosy 2 length winner . This was no racehorse, this was a phenomenon.

Sea the Stars wasn’t the only success story for the Irish this year. The Ballydoyle team were also quite prevalent this season and this year they helped Yeats to win his fourth successive Ascot Gold Cup. No mean feat to keep an eight year old entire sound and racing at the highest level for seven seasons. In the Epsom Derby, six of the first seven home were Irish trained and the sole intruder being trained by a Limerick man now based in England! An outstanding year by all accounts and one we can hopefully build on going into 2010!