Eric McNamara© Photo Healy Racing
Limerick's Christmas festival was launched at Eric McNamara's Rathkeale base on Wednesday where the in-form local trainer gave some opinions on racing and recalled his first winner, during Christmas 1984.
McNamara, father of Epsom Derby winning jockey Emmet McNamara, is in his 41st year with a license and recalling December 27 1984, says “a horse we had called For John was my first winner (at Limerick city's old Greenpark Racecourse) when I didn't have as many grey hairs!
“It was a great occasion and was the start. I began with three very good horses who each won three or four races, so thought the game was simple and knew more than any one else. What really happened was those were just very good horses and, as you go through the years, you realise you need a very good horse.”
McNamara's big-race wins include three Kerry Nationals, two Munster Nationals and a Grade 1 success with Strangely Brown in 2006 but, three years later, Ireland's economic crash turned his yard upside down.
He says “looking back 20 years ago, before the crash, it was crazy. You'd be lucky to be paid by half the owners, so we all ended up broke for a few years. We went from having 60 horses down to six and looking back, you'd wonder how we survived. We gradually picked back up and are at 40 now, which is a lovely number.
“I'd say it is easier now: we have great owners and only have one who isn't paying. We've always had a couple of horses for J.P. (McManus) and there was only one horse from the last ten who didn't win, so we're been very lucky.”
He adds “things have gone far more professional nowadays but, mother of God, the paperwork involved is excessive. If I didn't have Kate (daughter) in the office, I really don't think I could do it. The veterinary side has absolutely become too much as these horses are looked after better than ourselves and that goes for 99% of the stables.
“Prizemoney also needs a lift as Ireland has gone stagnant and putting €650,000 into a big two-mile Flat handicap (Cesarewitch) - which will be won by multi-millionaires anyway, surely some of that could have drifted down to lower levels.”
Regarding the Mr Binman-sponsored four-day Christmas festival, he adds “Limerick racecourse has always been very dear to our hearts so we love coming back and it's been a long time since we left without a Christmas winner, so we'd be very disappointed without one. It is a great track, is well managed by a new manager (Michael Lynch) and they put an awful lot of work into it.”
McNamara mentions Mount Ferns as his best Limerick chance and says point-to-point winner L'evangeliste is “a very nice horse” and “the most expensive to have ever come into the yard”, although recent Munster National winner Real Steel runs at Leopardstown.
He says “Real Steel will definitely go back for the Paddy Power Chase, having won it two years ago and was third last year. He ran a fantastic race last year and, as he is getting older, seems to like nice ground. He is up a lot of weight from this time 12 months ago so will be really up against it, but obviously has to go there. Hopefully he will get place money.”
Reasoning his £27,000 purchase of washed-up Real Steel in May 2022, he says “we used to go to all the big sales hoping to buy 12 or 15 stores every year but they went from costing €20,000 to €70 or €80,000 due to the point-to-point influence. I had no one to buy those horses so bought ex-horses which had lost their way.
“We have been lucky to turn around quite a few of them and Real Steel is an example as he was a good horse with Willie Mullins and went to Paul Nicholls where, for two years, he never finished in front of another horse. We had heard different things about him but, look, we took a chance and luckily enough we turned him around.
“We were able to buy affordable store horses this year for the first time in years but whether or not that stays the same, I don't know.”
McNamara, leading trainer at September's Listowel festival and a recent nominee for HRI's National Hunt Achievement Award, concludes “I have great staff and Conor and Kate (children) have come home from where they've been working so they're here now. Sean Flanagan comes in once a week and Callum Hogan is a young lad who has started off his career recently and is doing very well for himself.”
Limerick's four-day festival features the Grade 1 Guinness 00 Faugheen Novice Chase on December 28, a race won in 2022 by Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up Gerri Colombe, and last year by top class Gaelic Warrior.
