Mullins Favourite For British Title After National Triumph With I Am Maximus

   I Am Maximus (Fr) (Authorized {Ire}) produced one of the most impressive Grand National-winning performances in some time to propel Willie Mullins to the head of the British Trainers' Championship.

Owned by JP McManus and ridden by Paul Townend, last year's Irish Grand National hero represented winner number two in the Aintree showpiece for Mullins, who sent out Hedgehunter (Ire) (Montelimar) to success in 2005.

Returned the 7-1 co-favourite, I Am Maximus stormed clear of Delta Work (Fr) (Network {Ger}) in second with former Gold Cup winner Minella Indo (Ire) (Beat Hollow {GB}) back in third.

Betfair reacted to the victory by making Ireland's dominant jumps trainer an 8-15 favourite to clinch a breakthrough British Championship ahead of Paul Nicholls and Dan Skelton at 2-1 and 5-1, respectively.

Mullins said, “I thought Paul was super on him as I'm not sure the horse was giving him a lot of help on the way round and I could see him just minding him the whole way round.

“We saw that last year in the Irish National and he has supreme confidence in the horse and he always has that bit in the tank. When he was cut off going to the second last or the last, you saw him coming out around and just biding his time waiting for his challenge to deliver.

“I could see Paul's body language and he was happy, so I was happy then. I don't think I said anything until he got over the last and then I let go (and gave him a cheer).

“I'm buzzing here now at the moment and it's huge. As far as I know our team is back in full order with no injuries or anything and I'm happy that we have a full complement of horses and riders coming back in.”

Mullins was winning the race for a second time but it was a first Aintree National victory for Townend.

The rider said, “I ended up being first down to the first to give him a look and as he got to the Melling Road he started backing off so it wasn't a great start, but the volume of horses pushed him down over the first three and he got a bit careful on the second circuit but I was trying to conserve as much as I could as well.

“He didn't get the clearest run from the second last to the last, but it kind of helped me and I had a feeling when I got him out he was going to start motoring in the clear air and he did.”

Townend added, “The ones in front of me, I'm sure they weren't looking for me but I had them well in my sights. I was hoping he would respond like I thought he would.

“Gold Cups are Gold Cups and Grade 1s are hard to win. But Grand Nationals are just a bit different. You just need so much luck and I can't believe it, I'm a lucky boy.”

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‘Start Of A New Legacy’ – Jetara Bids To Do Outstanding Family Proud At DRF

Gerry McGrath, breeder of Champion Hurdler Jezki (Ire) (Milan {GB}) and high-class performers Jett (Ire) (Flemensfirth), Jered (Ire) (Presenting {GB}), Jetson (Ire) (Oscar {Ire}) and Jenari (Ire) (Milan {GB}) all out of the outstanding broodmare La Noire (Ire) (Phardante {Fr}), has outlined hopes that the legacy can continue with leading Dublin Racing Festival contender Jetara (Ire) (Walk In The Park {Ire}).

A granddaughter of La Noire, the mare who was famously gifted to McGrath by his late father in the nineties, Jetara will take on the boys in the G1 Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle on Saturday and will arrive at Leopardstown in the form of her life after posting three wins on the trot. 

It was in 2020 when McGrath, 72, decided to offer the majority of his breeding and racing stock as part of a dispersal at Tattersalls Ireland. All bar the first foals out of each broodmare he owned were offered under the hammer and, once again, lady luck was on the breeder's side with the now Grade 1 aspirant Jetara one of the fillies he decided to retain. 

McGrath joked, “It's hard to get out of this game! It was a couple of years ago when Michael O'Leary said he was getting out but he still has plenty of horses. Basically, Jetara is the start of a new legacy, isn't she? If she stays safe, she is going to continue on the line.”

There is a common theme with McGrath's horses. They all begin with the letter J and, for the most part, they have been trained by Jessica Harrington. 

McGrath may well have felt that the final chapters of his famous association with the La Noire family had been written after the dispersal of less than four years ago which makes Jetara's emergence as a top-notch prospect all the sweeter.

“I hope that the best may still be to come with Jetara,” he explained. “She was superb in a Grade 3 at Leopardstown the last day and Jessica says that she will be even better on a nicer surface. We will see how Saturday goes but we will probably skip Cheltenham and target Fairyhouse and Punchestown, although that will be Jessica's decision.”

He added on his association with Harrington, “She is fantastic. Jessica is straight-talking and you know exactly where you stand with her. She always does the best she can by you and, what she has gone through last year, she is as strong as an ox. Nothing keeps her down.”

What makes McGrath's achievements even more mind-boggling is the fact that, prior to being gifted the amazing foundation mare La Noire, he had no knowledge about breeding or racing horses. Nobody could accuse him for being asleep at the wheel with Jezki's memorable Champion Hurdle performance in the colours of JP McManus last decade put forward as an obvious highlight.

He said, “Jezki winning the Champion Hurdle was an amazing day. And it's funny, you know, everybody knows the horse but they don't know his name. They call him jet ski. He was named after my daughters Kim and Zoe. So, as usual, we start off with the J, and added in the Z for Zoe and the K for Kim.”

It may be common practice in some jurisdictions for a horse's name to begin with a certain letter depending on when they were born. However, in this case, the naming of the steeds is once again down to nothing but pure superstition. 

McGrath explained, “Well, the mother was La Noire, which translates to black, and I just thought when you think of black, you think jet black. The first one beginning with the letter J was successful and, given we are a very superstitious crowd, we kept it going.”

He added, “I wasn't born into horses. My Dad was big into the breeding but he used to give away the fillies and race the boys. I was out helping him in the yard one day and he told me he was about to give La Noire away but asked me if I wanted her first. It was purely timing, otherwise somebody else would have owned La Noire. I hadn't a clue about breeding but learned as I went along. I knew what I had and I knew what I hoped to produce. One and one doesn't always make two and, even when you think you have the perfect formula, it doesn't work that way with breeding. But luck has been on our side. La Noire was so prolific. I must also say that Coolmore have been a great help to me.”

Having carried McGrath's colours for the early stages of his career, Jezki was sold to JP McManus, for whom he sported the famous green and gold hoops of the legendary owner when out-battling My Tent Or Yours (Ire) (Desert Prince {Ire}) in the 2014 Champion Hurdle. Similarly to Jezki, two more siblings, Jenari and Jered, were sold mid-career to McManus, and McGrath revealed that Jetara will probably change hands at some point in the near future such is the need to keep the wheels turning. 

He said, “Jetara reminds me so much of Jezki. The way she jumps and travels is similar to him and, you know, she's probably a roomier mare to La Noire so she should make a very good broodmare down the line. I don't have an interest in breeding anymore so, if somebody does come in for this filly, there is a likelihood that she will be sold. It has to make some business sense.”

He added, “When we had the dispersal, I decided to keep the first foal out of each of the mares. I kept Jetara in the hope that she'd be good and thank God that luck has been on my side again. We also have Jekiki (Ire) (Soldier Of Fortune {Ire}) in training. She is out of Jeree (Ire) (Flemensfirth), who hasn't produced anything of note yet, but she has a lovely four-year-old by Order Of St George (Ire) who is in Jessica's and is apparently showing the right signs. Do you want to know what he is going to be called? Jerrari. Like Ferrari, only with a J in front of it. Now, he's not red, but hopefully he's as fast as one!”

It's not just the naming of McGrath's horses that have captured the imagination down through the years. His bright orange colours, which can be seen from outer space, are just as synonymous as the names. 

“I am a bit of an artist so I drew up some blank colours and started colouring them in to see what worked. Orange and black works nicely so, when it came to getting the colours made up, I had two types of orange to choose from. I went with the bright fluorescent orange. You can see the colours through the fog. 

“But it's funny, they say racing is the sport of kings. Well what town in Ireland do you associate kings with? Tara. Say no more!”

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JP McManus Donates €1m To Every GAA County Board In Ireland

Legendary Irish owner JP McManus has pledged to donate €1m to every GAA county board. McManus, a multi billionaire whose green and gold hoops have been carried by some of the sport's brightest lights, such as Istabraq, has been a long-time backer of his own Limerick GAA. 

Viewed by many as one of the greatest hurling teams of all time, Limerick have dominated the past four All-Ireland championships, and have won five of the past six Liam MacCarthy Cups. 

On Thursday it emerged that McManus would extend his support to the remaining 31 counties in Ireland, to be distributed equally among the GAA, LGFA and Camogie organisations.

The move comes after McManus gave €100,000 to every GAA county board in Ireland five years ago which amounted to €3.2 million. 

A statement released on Thursday read, “Clubs have this morning been notified of the news. The funds which will be distributed before Christmas will greatly help clubs as they prepare their plans for the 2024 season.”

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54-Year-Old McCullagh Says ‘Fire Still In The Belly’ After Big-Race Win At Galway

They say the Galway Festival has an unrelenting ability to provide a springboard for young jockeys. Ride a winner at the Galway Festival on terrestrial television and it's worth 10 around the country tracks. 

Think of the baby-faced Colin Keane storming to Topaz Mile glory aboard Brendan Brackan (Ire) (Big Bad Bob {Ire}) for his boss Ger Lyons back in 2013 as a five-pound claimer. 

Just last week, we had local boy Danny Gilligan earning the plaudits for his front-running masterclass aboard Gordon Elliott's Ash Tree Meadow (Fr) (Bonbon Rose (Fr) in the Plate. Another star of the future, for sure.

But this year's meeting also provided a much needed boon for one of the elder statesmen of the weighing room, Niall McCullagh, who propelled himself back into the spotlight with an ice-cool victory aboard Brazil (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in a premier handicap on Friday night. 

At 54 years of age, McCullagh is the oldest jockey still operating in Ireland and victory aboard Brazil quashed any talk of retirement. 

“I'm still on a high, to tell the truth,” McCullagh said on Wednesday. “I suppose you don't realise how much it means until you go and have a big winner like that. There was a lot of emotion involved. I got a great kick out of it and it just shows you that it still matters, it still means a lot and the fire is still in the belly.”

McCullagh added, “Things have been slower this year. It's getting tougher but I've been a bit more selective as well in that I'm not going racing to ride something with no chance or for a horse or trainer I don't know something about. I'm a lot busier in the mornings than in the afternoons but I like being busy.”

To illustrate McCullagh's point, it wasn't until the end of July that he tasted his first winners of the season, and they came in rather fortuitous fashion. 

After Rory Cleary was stood down to ride at Down Royal last Friday week, McCullagh came in to partner Golden Spangle (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) and Eastern Legend (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) to victory for Jim Bolger. It was from there that things snowballed into Galway. 

“If you told me last Friday week that I'd ride two winners for Jim Bolger at Down Royal and then ride the winner of a premier handicap at Galway for JP McManus and Paudie Roche, I'd have laughed. It just goes to show you that this is a great game but you have to keep going. You have to keep trying and grafting and, if you do, it will turn. All you need is a bit of luck.”

He added, “A few times this year, I wondered if I would keep going. It came to Derby weekend at the Curragh and I didn't have many rides. I got one horse placed for Donal Kinsella and I got a good kick out of that–when I get a horse to run well it's a great feeling and then you're hoping that maybe there will be a next day. 

“But, when you have the few winners, it makes all the hard graft worthwhile and makes you feel better about yourself. When you had been going well, riding thirty and forty winners, when you're back down struggling to get a ride, you have to deal with the devaluation. I've a strong mind and have dealt with it. You have to remember as well, it's evolution, and just like in nature, the auld stags get pushed out to the periphery by the young stags.”

But even the young stags would have been proud of that ride you gave Brazil, Niall?

“Well that proved to myself more than anyone else that, if I have the horse, I'm fit enough and strong enough to be able to get the job done. Listen, I gave Brazil a good ride and I'm not afraid to say it. It all worked out and I will be in good humour now for a month!”

It is the progress of one particular young rider, his son Scott, that has particularly pleased McCullagh this year. Scott has partnered five winners all told and has struck up a good relationship with Jessica Harrington. 

McCullagh commented, “It's great. We sit close together in the weighroom and we both have Dave Fox as our valet. It's a great feeling to be heading out to ride in a race with your son. I'm competitive but he's even more competitive than me. It's special riding alongside him. That's why I am enjoying the last few years of my career so much. Let's face it, I'm 54, so I don't have long left. 

“But I'm proud as a kitten these days as my daughter graduated with first class honours in business in law from Maynooth University, so she got all of the brains. I'm very lucky that the two kids are going great because that gives me great pleasure.”

Brazil may have postponed any talk of retirement but McCullagh knows better than most that he can't go on forever. Just what he plans to turn his hand after riding, however, is even less certain than where his next big winner might come from. 

He said, “I have been asking myself that question for the past 10 years. I can't find anything else that I want to do so, while I am able to continue riding, I will. I will worry about life after retirement when it comes. 

“I just know that, one day, I'll be driving to the races and I'll say, 'today is the day.' I don't know when that will be. It could be this year or next year, I'm just not sure. I still have a few things I'd like to accomplish in my career. There are a few races I need to win.”

He added, “I ride out for Mick Halford and Tracey Collins, Johnny Murtagh, Ken Condon and I ride a lot of work for Jessica Harrington. They seem to appreciate the feedback and I feel like I am part of the team. They all try to give me rides whenever they can but they have their own owners to try and keep happy as well. I am happy enough to pitch up whenever they need me.”

You could say that things have turned full circle for McCullagh, who burst onto the scene at Galway as a young seven-pound claimer back in 1988, and there is no danger of him failing to soak up his latest moment in the spotlight there.

“Galway is where I got going back in 1988 by winning the McDonogh Handicap as a seven-pound claimer aboard Feverstown for Paddy Mullins. Every year, a young lad seems to announce himself at Galway, and young Danny Gilligan and Jack Kearney did that this year. 

“I don't know what it is but everyone seems to watch Galway. It's just an iconic meeting and I've never had so many texts and congratulations for winning aboard Brazil. Everyone I meet, the well wishes have been unreal. You could ride a winner anywhere else and they wouldn't know anything about it but Galway is different.”

 

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