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Phoenix Park Racecourse
Phoenix Park Racecourse
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Very good thread. I remember playing hurling in the park with the noise of the Cartier Million meeting going on in the background.
Terrible waste of a good resource. |
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Used to go there a lot in the seventies and eighties, the jazz band was wonderful entertainment. Saw Oliver Reed dancing on a table after racing one Saturday. Michael Kauntze married to Tom Dreaper's daughter used have lots of runners. Remember Ballad Rock making his debut one midweek evening,went off at 4/7, everyone had heard about him. He was the last decent horse the McGrath's trained. The half way house was a perfect place to finish off the evening
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used to bunk off college on a regular basis to go there in the 80's......someone else hit on it but i think my interest in flat racing started to wane with its closure........evening meetings, sun shining, beers.........loved the place to bits and flat racing never the same in Ireland since its closure:(
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Went to nearly every meeting when I lived in Dublin ( early/mid sixties ) .Names I remember were Charlie Weld , Bertie Kerr , Mick OToole ( although I think he was still at the grus at that stage --Paul Hennessey not the first to go that route ! ), Seamus NcGrath , as well as the inevitable O'Brien and Predergast presence .
Jockeys who rode the track well were Johnnie Roe , George McGrath , also remember Buster Parnell , Pat Glennon , Cash , although not all at that time . Paddy Prendergast had an Aussie riding for him some time around then , but need reminding of his name . Ron Hutchinson obviously . Think Bill Williamson also rode a bit there for a short time . Lester made an occasional sortie . Saw Bustino and Grundy there that scorching Saturday afternoon ( on the TV ) . But that was the seventies . Always won money there , dont know how the bookies made a profit . Rank Cup hurdle and bumper races went round behind the stands , as did the horses finishing the sprints etc . Originally there were manual tote machines that took half crowns , like fruit machines . Many memories there , and my wife loved going there too , fashion and good craic . Its demise took something out of the metropolitan area . |
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Kelly,was that jockey Paul Jarman?
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Kelly was it Wayne Harris? (was thinking Quinton but he was with Oxx. Now training in Sydney.)
Funny you mentioned Prendergast. I remember Darkie was pally with TJ Smith and his daughter Gai Waterhouse came over and stayed at Darkies way back in the day. Bit of an Autralian connection Also remember hearing something about the photo finishes there. Buggered if I can remember. Had my worst ever day punting there so not so happy memories for me. If I didnt go racing there though I could go through the card. Memory is slipping but did The Caretaker win his Cartier there? Remember we were all over that horse for weeks before hand and I didn't go to the race and I think the reason was it was at the park and didnt want to sink the bets. Phonsie's daughter worked there and started the Lily o'Brien chocolate empire from there as well |
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Best Australian jockey i ever saw was Garnie Bougoure,anyone else remember him.
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Yes remember Bougoure . But my lineup for Aussie jockeys that we saw regularly was
Scobie Bill Williamson Bougoure Hutchinson Away from the Aussies , the enigma was Cash . Brilliant in his native soil , but everything he touched here in Europe seemed to turn to stone . He took some awful lambasting here on course and off course for his time with Vincent . And a lot of it associated with the Park . |
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Was Daryl McHargue(spelling prob wrong) the jockey you're thinking about Valjean?
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Problem with Cash was when it came to the business end of a race Charlton Heston in his role at the end of "El Cid" (strapped upright & dead to his horse) would appear to have been more animated -and that didn't/doesn't sit well with us here.
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hello lads just back from the uk ..delighted to see this thread ...some great memories from that magical place...remember christy bringing me to the park one sat as darkie fancied one he was riding , me him and ned tynon owner of the leinster pub in kildare town set off for the park..darkie had been having a hit or miss sort of season with his 2yos ..he'd told me he really fancied this one it was called al bourak ..i was sitting in the car with he lads and ned was asking christy if darkies was fancied , christy been the diplomat that he is told him it was working well but he he wasen't sure if today was its day ...i sat there saying nothing ...the horse opened 5/2 and went all the way out to 8/1 and won by 4 lenths.....darkie was livid as he'd backed a horse of o'briens called princess bonita in the race.....so yes it was not fancied ...there was dark murmurings all the way back to kildare ...all sorts of implications as you can imagine ..i sat there having a little chuckle to myself having bagged an 8/1 winner ...oh happy days
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@mkj no thinking of harris was at a night for him 3 yrs ago.brought back a lot of memories.
@wmob no where near the best aussie jockey imho. no disrepect to you but he was'nt near - you did'nt ride for tj or bc you were not near the top. And the best that rode was for tj at work but he never rode track believe it or not. That man was unbelievable and that is from the top @any one re:cash - monjeu?????????? |
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Montjeu was a horse that did everything on the bridle,anything that needed a "ride" would never suit Cash's quiet style,it's a game of opinions I suppose
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and that is the beauty of the game
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Think it was around late 80s but I remember a marquee around near the Tote windows where Harp were doing a promotion and if you had a free coupon you got free pints of Harp. Needless to say it got to the stage where the place was littered with these coupons and you could have as many pints as you liked. Never drank a pint of Harp since.
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the world record was beaten by a horse of mick o'tooles called miami something or other one sat at pp.. first time i ever took my missus racing and she gets to see a world record ....
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sorry it was for either 5 or 6 furs ....
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Miami Springs
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well done thats the one ...
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Anyone recognize themselves here!?
http://www.impactphotos.com /Preview/PreviewPage.aspx? id=1255929&licenseType=RM& from=search&back=1255929&orntn=2 |
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I was searching for something and stumbled across this old thread. It brings back a flood of memories.
I remember The Caretaker winning the Cartier Million, the brainchild of Jonathan Irwin. I also remember Cash Asmussen getting a lot of stick. I was there the day he got beaten on a Vincent O'Brien short priced 2 year old. When he came back into the parade ring a handful of disgruntled punters started to sing "California,here I come, right back where I started from" Great days and great fun. It was a most beautiful race course with a unique atmosphere. |
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Had my last runner there The Gotchee , a lovely place , old world , not great to watch racing in all honesty , but some great times to be had , a lovely parade ring , usually full of beautiful ladies during the summer , ah the nostalgia is flooding back...
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Drove though the Park today as it happens......couldn't help but to look where the track was....until the wife remarked that i was was vering across the road and did i know that there was a Garda car behind me........
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workrider, the finishing post was brutal but I suppose that was part of the appeal of the place. I loved going there and there was a lot of quality racing. The Champion Stakes and the Heinz or the 1500 as it use to be known were run there. I'm not sure why it was called the 1500? Anyway, I loved the place. The consortium that sold it and HRI should hang their heads in shame.
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agree gotchee...and also tralee.let go to rack and ruin and then closed down.. a well appointed racetrack..
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Great Thread loved those Wednesday nights. had one great touch on a horse call Elementary Trained by the master jim bolger .
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great thread I remember Darkie had some great 2yos Sixpence The Pie King Skindles Hotel Mick Connolly also had a great strike rate at the Park Mrs Biddle Liam Ward Iremember Joe Canty and Tony Dardis riding their last winners there on the same WEDs night Funny I can remember those things and cant remember what happened last week Many thanks Good Night
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Remember The Caretaker winning. My father was going on about it for two weeks or more beforehand. I don't know how much he had on, but when she hit the front, he nearly hit the roof!! We had a good christmas that year! I think I was about 10 at the time, so probably about 1989 or 90? Used to get the train to Ashtown in the latter years of racing there and walk over. Loved the place.
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One of my uncles friends owned a horse called Che Bella , trained by Charlie Weld . We were at the meeting , my uncle was talking to the owner , not a word from him reference whether the horse was fancied , fit or expected . Luckily my uncle and I had independent minds , backed it anyway , hosed up , 7/1 . Not sure my uncle ever spoke civilly to that friend again ( our stakes were modest in the circumstances ) .
The Park had an atmosphere of its own . And the fact that most of the horses running there were decent animals made it invariably enjoyable . |
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Whatever about reminiscing about the Phoenix Park this thread just shows how much the Irish Soorts forum has alos become delapidated.
Some high quality informative and knowledgable posters have been pushed aside by those who know so much more. |
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The Gotchee , I think the reason it was called the 1500 was because of the acreage of the pp...it was thought the total amount of acre's was about 1500 hence the name ..PIANISSIMO a real flyer trained by Clem Magniar won it one year and i thought she was one of the fastest horses i'd ever seen . When i was a student in the INS low and behold who arrived only herself to visit Tudor Music or Whistling Wind i'm not sure which .Some wonderful jockeys who rode the park well included George McGrath , Johnny Roe , Buster Parnell ...As a kid i loved the long distance races when the horses went behind the main stand , i would run up those steps just to catch a glimpse as they thundered by...Magical...
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Doubt the acreage thing , workrider . Surely more likely it was the value of the stakes race . PP is the second largest public Park in Europe , all in , could google it for size .
George McGrath initially was associated with Bertie Kerr as I recall . Parnell was with the Weld stable . Johnny Roe was stable jockey for Vincent for a while , rode the Park very well , unlike the Cash fellow who invariably drew a lot of adverse comment , although I think Vincents stable was not firing on all cylinders at that time . Dont remember a lot of Anne Biddle horses at the Park , Liam Ward would have been riding those I suspect . Always liked backing Seamus McGrath horses there over the years . Lots of the maiden races were 2 or 3 horse races , effectively . Backing without one or 2 of them in a race made finding winners not too difficult , if you were prepared for short odds . |
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Nobody mentioned Fetherstonhaugh ( ? ) , of the english Fanshawe variety --and some of their commentators complain about the pronunciations of the many Irish runners every day -- move over JP and more power to your elbow , particularly at Towcester ! . Had some seriously good horses , sprinters mainly as I recall . But it wasn't long term .
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rem i was there one day with my father..i found a big blue tenner on the ground..i made he mistake of giving it to my father!!
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I met JR Ewing there one day.
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One of Anne Biddles i remember was a horse called Toledo Steel reason i remember it was it looked so unlike a TB more of a rodeo horse , also remember seeing the the dam of TAP ON WOOD , CAT'O MOUNTAINE race there trained by John Oxxs father i think ... She also came to the INS to be covered by Tudor Music ...My brothers mother in law used to fix G MC GRATHS trousers when he came to collect them he tell her such and such a horse would win , hardly ever did though....
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http://www.britishpathe.com/video/phoenix-park-plate/query/phoenix+park
http://www.britishpathe.com/video/phoenix-park-races-2 http://www.britishpathe.com/video/phoenix-park-races-1 |
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Vaguely remember going to the "outside" in the Park with my dad in the sixties . I think the "outside" stand was in the middle of the field ,side on opposite roughly the furlong marker. You barely saw the horses crossing the line from there and hadn't a clue in a close finish. Baldoyle used run the 1st 2y o race of the season and I think that moved to the Park when Baldoyle closed.
Good memories reading lads talking about the parade ring and the Bandstand. |
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Brilliant The Gotchee , the old mock Tudor stand looked great , I never realized it was that old ...
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workrider, did you get a glimpse of yourself at the Parade Ring?
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