CHALLENGING YEAR NEGOTIATED SAFELY

IT was a challenging year for Dundalk Stadium, one that was, thankfully, safely and successfully negotiated. Of course, COVID-19 impacted upon all and sport was initially amongst its casualties. Fortunately, it soon returned, albeit behind closed doors.

Its return was important in providing some distraction and respite from the pandemic-induced restrictions.

To this end, the laying of the well-received new Polytrack surface at Dundalk proved timely. Increased demand led to meetings being added to the calendar, a trend which will continue into 2021 when there will be a record 45 fixtures at the stadium.

What price will Joseph O’Brien (pictured below) be to add a fourth successive Trainers’ Championship title to his career record? Thirty-one winners this year at Dundalk can be added to the 23 he trained last year and the record 36 he accumulated in 2018.

That makes it 90 winners for Joseph in the last three calendar years at Dundalk, which is impressive.

The winning-most trainer, though, at Dundalk since the stadium opened in 2007 is Michael Halford, whose strong end to the year took his 2020 Dundalk tally to 17 and his career haul at the stadium to 272.

Ado McGuinness had another excellent year and his stable continues to go from strength to strength.

Among his 20 Dundalk winners was a first Group success, the Group 3 Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai, Diamond Stakes on September 25th with Bowerman, who went through the year unbeaten in three runs at the stadium. Harry’s Bar also won Ado a Listed Race at Dundalk, the Belgrave Stakes on November 6th.

Stamullen trainer John McConnell also had a fine year with 18 Dundalk winners, while Ger Lyons sent out 15 winners at the stadium at a strike-rate of 22%. His winners included the nicely-bred Ela Katrina, who won on each of her three visits to Dundalk, and pacy juvenile filly Frenetic, who won the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Legacy Stakes on October 2nd.

No horse won more races (four) at Dundalk in 2020 than Eglish, who is also trained by Ado, and no owners had more Dundalk winners than Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, whose seven victories came from just 12 runners, or James McAuley.

James’s seven winners included Sceptical, who was trained by Denis Hogan. He cost just £2,800 but won three times at Dundalk from four runs, including twice this year, and rose to become Ireland’s highest-rated sprinter.

He also won a Listed Race at Naas before running third in the Group One Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot and then second in the Group One July Cup at Newmarket before what sadly proved to be a fatal injury ended his career.

His memory will live on, though, for anyone who witnessed his electrifying performances.

As ever, a number of apprentice jockeys caught the eye, including this year’s champion, Gavin Ryan, who rode 17 winners at Dundalk. However, it was very much a year that saw the emergence of teenager Sam Ewing.

Sam rode his first winner on August 8th – Ardhoomey at Cork for his boss, Ger Lyons – and landed his first Dundalk winner on Ela Katrina, also for Ger, on September 18th. He ended the campaign with 15 Dundalk winners and his future looks bright.

Among Joseph O’Brien’s Dundalk winners was Crossfirehurricane, who is owned by Scott Heider and won twice from three runs at Dundalk, including February’s Kentucky Derby qualifier, the Listed Woodford Reserve Patton Stakes, before landing a Group Three race at The Curragh.

Joseph’s brother Donnacha O’Brien secured the first win of his training career when Flower Garland won at Dundalk on February 21st.

At the other end of the spectrum, it was great to see legendary handler John Oxx secure a Dundalk winner, Regal Eagle, shortly before his retirement. We wish him the very best.

Other notable winners were Aidan O’Brien’s Nobel Prize in the Group 3 Ballysax Stakes on July 12th and Aidan’s subsequent Grade One Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Order Of Australia on September 18th.

Johnny Murtagh also enjoyed big-race success at the stadium when Urban Beat won the Group Three Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai, Pat Smullen Mercury Stakes on October 16th.

It was one of a number of evenings when Pat, who passed away in September, was remembered with great affection and admiration. He will never be forgotten and, of course, the work he began for cancer research will continue unabated as a tribute to his life and courage. He is greatly missed.

On August 15th the remarkable 800-guineas purchase Geological landed his eighth Dundalk success for trainer Damian English, and it was lovely to see the 2018 Royal Hunt Cup-winner Settle For Bay prove that he still retains plenty of ability by registering a fifth success at Dundalk for trainer David Marnane on December 4th.

We also saw a number of Classic entries win maidens at Dundalk, including Hype, Lough Derg, Hazel (plus the filly she beat on November 6th, Joan Of Arc), Zozimus, Isle Of Sark, Messidor, Ratib and Russian River.

Maybe one of them will join the list of subsequent Classic winners seen at Dundalk in recent years – Winter, Qualify, Seventh Heaven, Magician and Homecoming Queen.

There was also a British success when William Haggas’s impressive Ummalnar won the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Cooley Fillies & Mares Stakes on November 13th, a victory that gave Britain a fourth win in the race since 2011.

Finally, Declan McDonogh’s 22 winners saw him edge out Ronan Whelan by a single victory in what proved to be a nail-biting end to the calendar-year Jockeys’ Championship at Dundalk which, once again, was sponsored, as was the Trainers’ Championship, by the Crowne Plaza Hotel, to whom Dundalk Stadium remains grateful.

For once, Colin Keane (17 winners at the stadium this year) wasn’t involved in the Dundalk title chase, although he had an outstanding season. Not only was he crowned Irish champion jockey for the second time but he won two Classics – the Irish 2,000 Guineas on Siskin and Irish Oaks on Even So, both for Ger Lyons – and landed his first Breeders’ Cup victory on Tarnawa for Dermot Weld.

It was quite a year for a jockey who, despite his young age, has been a popular and successful presence at Dundalk for a number of years.

And so another enjoyable year at Dundalk has come to an end, a year like no other, but one successfully negotiated in difficult times.

Among the wishes for 2021 is that customers can return to the track at some point soon.

We could all benefit from steps being made towards what we once viewed as normality.