Jordan Norris Adversity is not always a stumbling block. At times, it proves to be a stepping stone where the only way is up – forging a path to greatness. It’s incredibly hard to find the words to sum up some of the things we’ve been lucky enough to witness in the past week, but I’m going to try to. With the...
Racing
The man with the Midas touch
The man with the Midas touch
Henry De Bromhead achieves ‘Holy Trinity’ with Gold Cup glory Catherine Power Having two horses good enough to contend the Cheltenham Gold Cup is an achievement in itself but watching them come home first and second in the Blue Riband of national hunt racing is the stuff of dreams, mind boggling even....
Sean Houlihan: “My mam thought I’d be back after a year to go to college”
Sean Houlihan: “My mam thought I’d be back after a year to go to college”
Jockey Sean Houlihan chats with the Munster Express on his career, brotherhood and future ambitions Jordan Norris When Sean Houlihan headed to England after sitting his Leaving Certificate, his mother thought he’d be back in a year. Seven and a half years later and there’s still no sign of him – but there’s...
The Final Furlong: 2021 Cheltenham Festival Special
The Final Furlong: 2021 Cheltenham Festival Special
Jordan Norris Christmas is around the corner. The Cheltenham Festival is finally on the horizon – another four days of normality amidst the growing monotony of our draconian COVID society. Enough of that – racing, racing, racing. Four days, 28 races – I’ve tried my best to keep a close eye...
2021 Cheltenham Festival Preview – Magical Waterford Memories
2021 Cheltenham Festival Preview – Magical Waterford Memories
Catherine Power Given the strength in particular of Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott over the past few years, it’s easy to forget that the Cheltenham Festival wasn’t always a happy hunting ground for Irish trainers. The late 80’s were particularly bad. In 1989 there was no Irish trainer winner of the Cheltenham...
Livelihoods in limbo: point-to-point peril
Livelihoods in limbo: point-to-point peril
Jordan Norris Some things in life are abstruse. I often lie awake at night, pondering the difficult questions life has to offer, the ones it can never seem to provide any semblance of an answer to. This week, I found myself scratching my head at another abstruse instance. It wasn’t along the usual calibre, but I...
QUEALLY’S JUBILEE JOY
QUEALLY’S JUBILEE JOY
Royal Ascot naturally enough occupied centre stage on the racing front last week and Waterford jockey Tom Queally ended the Royal meeting with a brilliant win in Saturday’s feature race, the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes aboard the James Fanshawe trained The Tin Man. Queally was always travelling well on The Tin Man...
Wexford win for Queally’s Cloudy Morning
Wexford win for Queally’s Cloudy Morning
The final race meeting of the year at Wexford took place at the popular Bettyville venue on Tuesday of last week and Cappagh-based handler Declan Queally sent out Cloudy Morning to record his third success of the season in the Loch Garman Handicap Hurdle. This performance becomes all the more meritorious when one...
Henry’s Super Sunday
Henry’s Super Sunday
Photo: Nichols Canyon and Ruby Walsh winning “The Stanjames Morgiana Hurdle” at a foggy Punchestown on Sunday. Photographer: Alain Barr What a ‘Super Sunday’ for Henry de Bromhead this past weekend! On Sunday, there were meetings at Punchestown and Cork and the local Knockeen handler was responsible for...
Halley’s Arctic Skipper springs ‘Fortria’ surprise
Halley’s Arctic Skipper springs ‘Fortria’ surprise
Waterford-trained horses continued their rich vein of success this past week and on Sunday, Bonmahon-based handler Vincent Halley experienced his most prestigious career success to date by saddling Arctic Skipper to spring a mild surprise with Sean Flanagan in the Grade 2 thetote.com Fortria Chase over two miles at...
Wild celebrations as Miss Evecatcher wins at Tipperary
Wild celebrations as Miss Evecatcher wins at Tipperary
The ‘junction’ hardly ever saw anything like it! Last Thursday, there were massive celebrations at Tipperary following the hugely-popular success of Aghlish-based handler Roger McGrath’s Miss Eyecatcher in the closing Tipperary Mares’ (Pro/Am) INH Flat Race over two miles. The five-year-old Miss Eyecatcher, who won...
Sir Des Champs delights after 700 day absence
Sir Des Champs delights after 700 day absence
It’s always endearing to see the return of a top-class steeplechaser from injury and the 2013 Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up Sir Des Champs overcame a lengthy absence to win the Boomerang Animal Bedding And Boomerang Horse & Country Store at Thurles on Thursday of last week. The Willie Mullins-trained Sir Des...
