Incredible season for Irish-breds

A superb 2003-2004 National Hunt season for Irish-bred horses reached its conclusion at Sandown on Saturday with a string of outstanding performances to look back upon including the winners of almost two thirds of the black-type races run in Britain and Ireland.

No fewer than 143 of the winners of the 230 graded and Listed races in Britain and Ireland - over 62% - were Irish-bred including 26 of the 41 Grade 1 scorers (63%).

Best Mate´s historic third totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup at Cheltenham was a seventh breeding success in the last eight runnings of chasing´s Blue Riband and proved the icing on the cake at a terrific National Hunt Festival for Ireland´s bloodstock industry.

No less than six of the ten Grade 1 races at Cheltenham were won by Irish-breds with no other country accounting for more than one victory at the Festival.

Among the Cheltenham stars were Hardy Eustace in the Smurfit Champion Hurdle, Brave Inca in the Letheby & Christopher Supreme Novices´ Hurdle, Fundamentalist in the Royal & SunAlliance Novices´ Hurdle, Rule Supreme in the Royal & SunAlliance Chase and Total Enjoyment, who continued the 100 per cent record for Irish-breds in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper.

Amberleigh House, bred by Bobby McCarthy, became the fifth Irish-bred Martell Cognac Grand National winner in the last six runnings while Bindaree landed the Welsh version at Chepstow and Grey Abbey took the Scottish National at Ayr.

Also at Aintree, Rhinestone Cowboy landed the Grade 1 Martell Cognac Aintree Hurdle, Moscow Flyer made amends for his Cheltenham fall by winning the Grade 1 Martell Cognac Melling Chase and Al Eile landed the Grade 2 Unwins Wine Group Anniversary 4yo Novices´ Hurdle.

One of the brightest future stars seen during the season was Strong Flow, who won the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup and went on to land the Grade 1 Feltham Novices´ Chase at Kempton, while at the other end of the scale the 12-year-old Florida Pearl captured a record fourth Grade 1 Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown in February. Both horses, like so many other stars this season, are graduates of Irish point-to-points.

Further afield Irish-breds took the top hurdle races in America and France. Hirapour won the Grade 1 Sport Of Kings Hurdle at Keeneland in the US while Nobody Told Me landed the Group 1 Grande Course de Haies d´Auteuil (French Champion Hurdle) in June.

Michael O´Hagan, General Manager of Irish Thoroughbred Marketing, commented: 'Whether it is over fences or hurdles or in bumpers, Irish-breds have dominated National Hunt racing during a phenomenal season in Britain, Ireland and further afield. As testament to this success is the fact that 62 per cent of the black-type races during the latest campaign have been won by Irish-breds.'

Some of this season´s leading Irish-bred winners include..

AL EILE (IRE) - Unwins Group Anniversary 4YO Novices´ Hurdle, Aintree (Grade 2)

AMBERLEIGH HOUSE (IRE) - Martell Cognac Grand National, Aintree (Grade 3)

BEEF OR SALMON (IRE) - John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase, Punchestown (Grade 1)

BEST MATE (IRE) - totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup, Cheltenham (Grade 1) - Ericcson Chase, Leopardstown (Grade 1)

BINDAREE (IRE) - Coral Welsh National, Chepstow (Grade 3)

BRAVE INCA (IRE) - Letheby & Christopher Supreme Novices Hurdle, Cheltenham (Grade 1) - Deloitte Novice Hurdle, Leopardstown (Grade 1)

CORNISH REBEL (IRE) - Stan James Challow Novices´ Hurdle, Newbury (Grade1)

FLORIDA PEARL (IRE) - Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup, Leopardstown (Grade 1)

FORK LIGHTNING (IRE) - William Hill National Hunt Handicap Chase, Cheltenham (Grade 3)

FUNDAMENTALIST (IRE) - Royal & SunAlliance Novices´ Hurdle, Cheltenham (Grade 1)

GLENELLY GALE (IRE) - James Nicholson Wine Merchant Champion Chase, Down Royal (Grade 1)

GOLDEN CROSS (IRE) - Bewleys Hotel December Festival Hurdle, Leopardstown (Grade 1)

GREY ABBEY (IRE) - Daily Record Gala Casinos Scottish Grand National, Ayr (Grade 3)

HARDY EUSTACE (IRE) - Smurfit Champion Hurdle, Cheltenham (Grade 1)

HIRAPOUR (IRE) - Sport Of Kings Hurdle, Keeneland (Grade 1) - Aflac US Championship Supreme Hurdle, Keeneland (Grade 1)

KICKING KING (IRE) - Baileys Arkle Perpetual Challenge Cup Novice Chase, Leopardstown (Grade 1)

MOSCOW FLYER (IRE) - Martell Cognac Melling Chase, Aintree (Grade 1) - William Hill Tingle Creek Trophy, Sandown (Grade 1)

NEWMILL (IRE) - Boylesports Royal Bond Novice Hurdle, Fairyhouse (Grade 1)

NIL DESPERANDUM (IRE) - Pierse Group Drinmore Novice Chase, Fairyhouse (Grade 1)

NOBODY TOLD ME (IRE) - Grande Course de Haies d´Auteuil, Auteuil (Grade 1)

PATRICKSNINETEENTH (IRE) - Tote Scilly Isles Novices´ Chase, Sandown (Grade 1)

PIZARRO (IRE) - Dr P J Moriarty Novice Chase, Leopardstown (Grade 1) - William Neville & Sons Novice Chase, Leopardstown (Grade 1)

RHINESTONE COWBOY (IRE) - Martell Cognac Aintree Hurdle, Aintree (Grade 1)

RULE SUPREME (IRE) - Royal & SunAlliance Chase, Cheltenham (Grade 1)

SOLERINA (IRE) - Ballymore Properties Hatton´s Grace Hurdle, Fairyhouse (Grade 1)

STRONG FLOW (IRE) - Networks Design Feltham Novices´ Chase, Kempton (Grade 1) - Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup, Newbury (Grade 3)

THISTHATANDTOTHER (IRE) - Extraman Henry VIII Novices´ Chase, Sandown (Grade 2) - Independent Newspaper November Novices´ Chase, Cheltenham (Grade 2)

TOTAL ENJOYMENT (IRE) - Weatherbys Champion Bumper, Cheltenham (Grade 1)