NAME AP McCoy’s longest-priced winner?
Chances are it was Finger Onthe Pulse (22/ 1) in last week’s Galway Plate. AP McCoy has rarely ridden one at such a price, much less won on it. As for winning trainer Tom Taaffe, he renewed a family connection with the two Galway feature events that had lain dormant since Tom himself rode Athy Spirit to land the Galway Hurdle for Athy owner-trainer Willie Fennin, 20 years ago.
However, the family’s association with Galway feature races goes back much further than
1990. It actually commenced during WWII when trainer Barney Nugent (Tom’s maternal great-uncle) sent out Point D’Atout to win the 1942 Galway Hurdle under Jimmy ‘Skinner’ Lenehan, later a successful Curragh trainer.
Barney went on to rack up a Galway Hurdle hat-trick with King Of The Jungle (1945-46) and the ageless Point D’Tout, successful again in 1947. Barney brought off the Galway double in the latter year, taking the Galway Plate with Charles Edward, ridden by Jimmy Brogan.
Rathcoole trainer TJ ‘Tom’ Taaffe emulated his brother-in-law in 1953 when saddling Gallant Wolf to win the Plate, ridden by his youngest son, ‘Toss’ Taaffe. Older brother Pat Taaffe put his name on the Plate’s roll of honour in 1955 when completing his Irish National-Galway Plate double on Umm for trainer Georgie Wells. 12 months later Pat added a Galway Hurdle to his growing tally of feature race triumphs when successful on Ivy Green for Naas trainer Joe Osborne.
Pat Taaffe (Tom’s father) struck Galway Hurdle gold again in 1959 when Cashel View, trained by Tom Dreaper for Anne, Duchess of Westminster, justified favouritism. Two years later the judge could not separate Pat on Cygne Noir and Christy Kinane on Newgrove in the only dead heat in a Galway Hurdle since the race was first run in 1913.
Whereas Pat was to ride on until 1970, when winning his second Grand National on Gay Trip, his brother ‘Toss’ announced his retirement from the saddle after riding Extra Stout to win the 1964 Galway Hurdle for the Hoeys. Taking over the family stable from his ailing father, ‘Toss’ went on to enjoy substantial success in that role, though Ballybrit failed to yield further feature race victories.
Pat Taaffe added to his Galway feature race record in the twilight of his long and distinguished career, albeit in somewhat bizarre circumstances. Amateur rider WA ‘Billy’ McLernon had struck up a very fruitful partnership with Bonne, a chestnut mare trained in Clane by Peter D McCreery, Pat’s brother-in-law. Her record made Bonne an obvious prospect for the coveted Galway Hurdle, with Billy McLernon her presumed partner. Sadly, the professional element became vocal in their objections to this arrangement. Incredibly, they threatened to go on strike if McLernon kept the mount. Connections bowed to pressure, replacing the amateur by Pat Taaffe, who duly delivered the goods but the episode left a sour taste.
Pat subsequently went on to train, hoping aloud that he might be lucky enough to un-earth another Arkle, or something akin to his incomparable partner in their Cheltenham Gold Cup hat-trick. His many friends wished him luck, while privately reflecting that lightning seldom strikes twice. In Pat’s case it did, through the enigmatic Captain Christy, winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup and consecutive King George VI Chases. However, just like ‘Toss’, Pat was never to add to his five Galway feature triumphs in the saddle once switching to training.
Tom, in his turn, must have begun to wonder whether his long deceased grandfather and namesake was to remain the only Taaffe to train a Galway feature race winner. Nor did 2010 hold out any real prospects. Finger Onthe Pulse might have provided Tom with Cheltenham Festival success, but that was all of three years ago. Back then Finger Onthe Pulse had carried the colours of Conor Clark-son, for whom Tom had also achieved Cheltenham Gold Cup glory with Kicking King.
Subsequent financial market meltdown had seen JP Mc-Manus step into the breach, buying the out-of-form animal. Moreover, perennial champion jockey AP McCoy was not even down to ride Finger Onthe Pulse for his retaining patron.
Rather was he to ride Dancing Tornado, only for Michael Hourigan’s charge to get cast in his box on the night before the Plate. AP McCoy switched to the horse he says he had ‘fallen off’ at Punchestown. The rest we know.