You have to ask the Question, why was Mc Goldrick trying to raise the weights in maidens and black type races in the first place when 99.9% of jockeys can comfortably do the weight in those particular races? He came with the smokescreen proposal of trying to raise the lower end of the weight scale and left the meeting with the upper end of the weight scale being raised. I am sure he laughed all the way to Ballydoyle. Another question you have to ask is, who benefited most from that decision? Who has the most horses running in maidens and black type races???????????????????????????????????????????? Even you can work that out, Ruby.

Ruby thats why the whole wide world of racing didn't fall for it, they knew exactly what it was, a move to accomodate one individual, dress it up if you want, you'll still come to the same conclusion!.

I have no doubt Gotchee and Silver there are numerous certain interests in racing. I have no doubt what so ever and politics pay a massive part.

The point I am arguing is that a highly respected individual who spent his time doing this report for the good of irish racing is now being made a scapegoat for what some people see as Joseph O Brien champion jockey at all costs. I would be hopeful that you would acknoledge that you are wrong and out of order to suggest that Adrian McG has any way been compromised and his work is of the highest integrity and indepedance.

If you want to make accusations about the Trainers and Jockeys association and HRI etc go ahead.

But the facts are

:He wanted all weights raised for all races
:Consulted Stakeholder(Jockeys and Trainers) and they refused his apprentice race idea
:Forwarded the proposals following consultation to the HRI AND Turf Club who made the decision.

Dont make him a scapegoat for the internal workings of Irish Racing.

As usual you never give any sort of pretext to your comments and factual backup.

"The HRI review the position in relation to the minimum weights and all the other related weight structure changes at the end of the season in the light of more comprehensive medical research to be undertaken this year." That is what was actually said in 2006. The report that was produced by Dr Giles Warrington, Dr Adrian McGoldrick and Dr Michael Griffin. The HRI also increased the Jumps weight(must have not read that part) to 11st 7lb. The Doctors made no recommendation but the HRI did.

Your pursuit against the health profession is clear for everyone to see. It is clear that many jockeys go through hell to get down to weights. All you have to do is go into any gym around Kildare to see the torture some jockeys go through. Are you telling me that is healthy?? to spend 3 hours in the sauna every day and live off a cup of coffee and slice of toast?. Is that what Horse Racing represents the cruel punishment of human beings just because some old farts in the Turf Club want to keep it the same as it always has been. Its astonishing how one eyed you are.

You don't critcise Trainer/Jockeys/HRI/Turf Club but the health profession. Why don't you get on your high horse to Noel Meade or Mick Halford the public face of the trainer's. Why don't you give out about Smullen and Murtagh who publicly back the proposals. Why don't you play the realsionship's with the HRI/Turf Club and senior members of one certain racing stable(mentioned the chairman but focus on the doctors). No you don't want that because for every one realsionship, we can name the exact same for Willie Mullins for Michael O Leary for JP McManus for Dermot Weld etc etc. It is a incesteous society is horse racing in Ireland it has always been like that.

Joseph O Brien has benefited from these changes in weights no doubt, but I believe that this was a framework that has been in motion for a long time for the good of the health of jockeys. I can't quite believe that HRI funded reports all the way back in the early years of the last decade so Joseph O Brien could become Champion Jockey. Its up there with Elvis is still alive as a conspiracy or Obama is Muslim intent on destroying America.

You would struggle to meet a more sincere genuine committed physician than Dr McGoldrick and he is passionate about the importance of jockeys not wasting from a health point of view. No surprise that people would add two and two and create a conspiracy theory about his actions helping one jockey to a probable jockeys championship but there is no substance in fact to this suggestion

Fair point SG , there is no doubt that the effect of his initiative while properly motivated from a health paoint of view is to benefit senior established jockeys such as Murtagh and Berry who have always struggled to do less than 8'10 with the latter constantly petitioning for higher weights in maidens/condition races so it is not just JPOB who has been the beneficiary of the recent change.

Silvergreaser........So Ballydoyle have been planning this for years.

Yes gant, mammy and daddy would've been well aware when Joseph was 13 back in 2006 that their precious was always going to be too heavy to be a flat jockey.

I found it very strange that a stipulation was put into McGoldricks report for a future review of the weights for condition races and maidens, races where flat jockeys never had any problem doing the weights unless of course your name is Joseph O'Brien.
A lot of coincidences happened here, it was introduced to correspond with Josephs assent to the Coolmore top job, snook in almost under everyones noses right before the start of the current flat season?, Johnny Murtagh suddenly departing, did Johnny have an inkling that Joesph was already been groomed for the job?, nobody has ever come out with a satisfactory reason for Johnnys sudden departure?, this sounds like a plausible reason, and of course its no coincidence that the vast majority of the Ballydoyle blue bloods horses ply their trade in maidens and condition races?.

Joseph did go to RACE to pass the riding test when getting his license. Since when was going through the yearly course a compulsory aspect of getting a license? That's a new one to me.

He would have been wasting his time there anyway. He was riding international event horses when he was barely a teenager and riding work on good horses for several years before he set foot on the track. What are they supposed to teach him exactly? I'm sure he was already very aware about how to ride a horse and husbandry along with the other areas covered. Anything that he has learned since he was 16 has come from racecourse experience which can't be taught. It's a great course for getting young people that don't come from a strong racing background into the industry and helping them establish themselves. This fella has been watching Sheamie Heffernan and Colm O' Donaghue ride every morning since he was a child. Big difference between that kind of upbringing and riding ponies bareback around Finglas.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/magazine/2012/0721/1224320408314.html

gotchee the O'Brien children are like robots, I doubt they're even allowed have friends?, read the interview from the link above, very revealing.

They certainly have a very  unconventional and sheltered lifestyle. It is incredible that none of them have any other interests outside of horses.

Not really. The racing world lives in a bubble. There are tons of trainers that haven't a clue about the outside world and also I am sure there is a lot more to the family than they are going to reveal to a reporter. You'd swear reticence on the part of teenagers is something new.

Yeah I thought he was the guy you were referencing Gotchee. Remember reading in the post that he left for the States after a friend of his committed suicide.

Isn't Shane Kelly also from that neck of the woods if I am not mistaken?

Sorry Kelly is from Cloone. Fairly sure there is another well established jockey based in England that traces back to Dublin alrite. It'll come to me!

Cathy Gannon from Donaghamede.

I dont know much about Shane Kelly dont think he is from Dublin.

The James Graham story is truely inspiring. I first noticed the lad when he was a 10lb claimer because he was regarded as being good value for his claim. He actually rode a horse for a friend of mine and I happened to be in the parade ring. He was a nice young lad and he told me he was from Finglas. I came accross him again a few years later when I was in Pat Martins yard. At that time he told me he had to give up riding through lack of opportunities. He never rode out his 10lb claim and I am not sure whether he rode a winner here in Ireland. He went over to the States "the land of opportunity" at the age of 22 and through talent hard work and graft he got his break.

This is an article I found on the net.




The Irishman from Finglas done good!


By Susanne Reardon

Scratch beneath the whimsical “bobble-head” persona that jockey James Graham presents to the public and you will find the rare trait that puts him above the crowd.
No surprise. He’s Irish.

“Eaten bread is quickly forgotten” is an adage from the Emerald Isle. It doesn’t apply to the man. After he dismounts, whether from a morning work or Stakes race finish, Graham’s still on the clock giving advice, taking the time to give trainer and owner the “dish”.

A report of the trip, thoughts on how the horse might improve, and an honest evaluation of the race is all inclusive. “If I can make the horse better, I’m happy to do it, whether I ride it back or not. I like to see horses do well, and my experience wearing all the hats in Ireland for trainers of the caliber that I worked for molded me into what I’m doing now.”

Since getting his rider’s license in 2004, Graham’s been among the top five finishers in jockey’s standing in every meet he‘s attended. He has wintered at Fairgrounds every year since, and was this-close to finishing top dog there this year when “at the eleventh hour, Asmussen brought in all his big guns, and I didn’t ride them,” he laughs.

Finishing the meet a strong second with 72 wins, just seven away from leader Shaun Bridgmohan, he’s currently in third place at Arlington Park stalking the leaders in the standings. Just fine in Graham's eyes, having given the Arlington jocks a week's head start after his stop at Keeneland. He has always finished strong.

Of the Fairgrounds, Graham says, “Now that’s a majestic place to ride, all right. The locals are a tough crew, but they gave me the distinction of being the only non-Cajun apprentice to do as well as one of their own.” He credits the ‘The Big Easy’s’ oval “with those tight turns and the longest stretch anywhere” for honing his riding skills in the U.S.

The 31- year-old rider is from Finglas (Fionn-ghlas), a Dublin suburb with a village core, located on the Northside of the city “where it’s so rough that even dogs walk around in gangs,” Graham recounts. He had first contact with equines, he says, by “stealing ponies and riding around the fields bareback until I fell off. I complained to my grandfather, who said I should pick one that goes slower next time!”

Accepted at age 15 by the Racing Academy and Centre of Education (R.A.C.E), the jockey apprentice program in Ireland, Graham’s credential landed him in the yard of Irish racing great John Oxx, trainer of recently retired European champion Sea the Stars.

Moving on to work for Pat Byrne, Graham quickly ascended the ladder. He was often put in charge of multiple runners at Irish racetracks performing all duties. “The only thing I didn’t do was drive the horse box,” Graham recalls. “One day, I was sent with five runners to Down Royal Racecourse. I was the groom, led the horse up, rode the race, and back at the yard, gave the report to the boss!”

Down Royal, located in Northern Ireland, is where Graham met his wife, Lisa Caverly, also a graduate of R.A.C.E. Graham took a shot and asked if she’d lead up one of his horses. While Lisa declined the horse, she took the jockey, and in 2002 the pair took a trip to the U.S. for the Breeders’ Cup at Arlington Park, where they’ve been since. Married four years ago in Lisa’s native Cork, the Graham’s are proud parents of two young children, Hannah, 2, and Christopher, 8 months. Lisa is assistant trainer for Jeff Thornbury.

“For every man, there’s a backbone, and Lisa is mine,” confesses Graham.

After receiving the Rising Star Award at Arlington Park in his first year of riding, Graham’s first milestone was competing in his 1,000th race, which happened at Keeneland in spring 2010. He’s got a knack for multiple daily wins, too, winning six in a day on May 24, 2008 at Arlington Park, a single card standout equaled only by Rene Douglas. Among Graham’s achievements are 12 stakes victories in 2009, including his first Grade I win aboard Hot Cha Cha in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland, and13 graded stakes wins in 2008.

Graham tips his cap to a “who’s who” of trainers that have influenced his career, including Bobby Springer, the provider of his first Stakes winner, Jeff Thornbury, Hugh Robertson and Tom Proctor. He also thanks “everyone else who books me to ride their horses!”

As Graham sits poised for his best year yet, he acknowledges Arlington Park as “the nicest racetrack I’ve ever been to ride at.” Looking back on his early days riding in Ireland, he says of U.S. horse racing “It’s too easy over here. I’m just lucky.”
Easy? Only for the gifted and deserving James Graham. Keep both eyes on this particular Irishman in 2010, as the lad from Finglas is one to watch! 

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l2r4MOu6dE gotchee an interview with Graham.

Wildman you're twisting it, its not preposterous to suggest that McGoldrick could've been influenced by persons of high authority within Horse Racing Ireland, now thats never happened before has it?, its almost part of the job description, I gave my reasons which are very plausible.
Did you read the interview link ref O'Brien family, it comes across as if Daddy has a huge controlling influence on them, its all well and good wanting the best for your children but you don't own your children, everyone is an individual but you get the feeling the O'Brien children are not allowed to think for themselves, outside is a big bad world they need protection from?.

I don`t mean to twist its just my take on it.
All fathers have an influence on their children and thats only right,especially when the particular father is of exemplary character,would you not rather they take some of their fathers beliefs than from some rapper or some pop star,they will be old and on their own for long enough.

wildman plenty of jockeys are natural lightweights and have no problem controlling their weight and can eat healthily. I'll repeat myself again 8st4 is the minimum why would you feel the need to raise weights for races that were never a problem for any flat jockey to do the weight?, its obvious really, to broaden the opportunities for one individual, only the blind could say anything different, if they raised the minimum to 10st jockeys who are natural at 11st will diet to try to get close to the minimum, you just can't keep raising weights, no other racing nations have any problem with their current weight structures, and most of them have even lesser minimum riding weights.

his mother "never thought he'd be able to keep his weight at that level"

Which makes it all the more plausible and who mentioned bribe?, big difference between bribe and influence, ie put in recommendation for a review with the aim to raising weights for maidens and condition races in your report, but no recommendation for the raising of the minimum weight, am I missing something here??.

Wildman, I have never got personal in relation to Joseph O Brien, I have only ever discussed his riding ability which I believe to be average at best.  As for a quirky outlook, I am not sure what you are on about. On occasions I agree with silvergreaser because from personal experience I know what that mob are capable of and I don't think he is far off the mark in relation to the weight issue. I could tell you a story that would truly shock you but for fear of litigation I wouldn't discuss it on here. I wouldn't rate Aiden O Brien as the greatest trainer in the world. I would rate him a good trainer who trains the best bred horses in the world. Any half decent trainer could do the same job.  Attention to detail although a fine trait, doesn't make a horse run any faster. When he first went to Ballydoyle he had to be shown by the senior staff how to train the two year olds because he had come from a NH background and hadn't got a clue. Anything he learned about training flat horses was nurtured from the staff in Ballydoyle. Someone close to that scene once told me that Tommy Murphy has forgotten more than Aiden O Brien knows about training racehorses.

^ "Maybe the forum should open its own Social and Psychiatric helpline", very droll,the one word that springs to mind straightaway is inundated.
Good reading and debate the last page or so,My take on it is Joe is a lucky(talented as well) youngfella in this day and age,he is being well rewarded for keeping his weight in check.Couldn,t begrudge him in the slightest as he seems a mannered and well balanced young man.

Its a public forum and I'd say its littered with presumptions on a daily basis?, just because its a presumption doesn't make it untrue?, of course I could be wrong and this sudden weight rise was all above board and for the benefit of all the jockeys in racing not just for one individual to almost starve himself to death to fullfil his parents long term plan for him.
I'm sticking to my presumptions, because there is enough evidence out there for my presumptions to carry plenty of clout against the arguments the sycophantic apologists put up in their blind defence of the indefensible.

I had to laugh at the psychiatric helpline bit obviously aimed at me and probably another individual, I'm sure if Aiden O'Brien was given a psychiatric assessment he'd be a prime candidate for years of psychiatric therapy?.

Are the O'Brien children the only mild mannered and balanced children in the world?, if one of them acccidently muttered the word "feck" I'd say it would be instant hell fire and eternal damnation.

That article from the Irish times was revealing in what it didn't actually reveal, I'll leave you with;

 
What about non-horsey distractions? Music? Socialising? Aidan answers for the children. “They don’t have time for any of that stuff . . . it’s full on here the whole time, when we are not racing we are discussing pedigrees or the mating, the only chance the lads have of escaping is on their phones . . . would that be right Ana? Would that be right lads? I should be letting you talk.”