McDonogh Handicap

The McDonogh Handicap

First held in 1971, the McDonogh Handicap has traditionally been one of the most fiercely competitive races of the entire flat season and it takes a very smart sort to win it. Galway specialist Pinch Hitter, trained by Noel Meade, was the only horse to ever win the race on two occasions, a feat he achieved in 1981 and 1982 before taking the Galway Hurdle in 1982 and 1983, but the best horse to ever win the race was the John Oxx trained Timarida. Successful in the McDonogh Handicap on only her third racecourse outing in 1995, this terrific performer rounded off her career with a brilliant win in the 1996 Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown under Johnny Murtagh having earlier won Group races in France, Germany and America.

Liam Browne’s Wray was successful in 1997 and he went on to win the Irish Lincolnshire at the Curragh two years later while Jim Bolger trained the winner on two consecutive occasions with

Tiger Shark in 1999 and Tushna twelve months later. Peter Casey enjoyed his biggest training success in the race with Palace Star in 2004 while last year trainer Robbie Osborne and jockey Robbie Burke enjoyed a popular win with the ultra consistent Latino Magic.

It is no real surprise to see that trainer Dermot Weld has the most victories in the race with 6 triumphs (Bonnie Bess 1985, Popular Glen 1989, Committed Dancer 1991, Saibot 1994, Pro Trader 1996 and Free To Speak 1998) with both Noel Meade (Pinch Hitter 1981 & 1982, Dromod Hill 1987) and Kevin Prendergast (Ryker 1972, Mudarris 1990, Eklim 2003) having secured three successes. Indeed it has been a good race for the Prengergast family down the years as Kevin’s father, Paddy, scored with Greek Waters in 1971 and Dunsian four years later while his brother, Paddy Prendergast Junior, won it with Readjust in 1978 and Rare Duke in 1980. Trainer Paddy Mullins was better known as a National Hunt trainer and will always be associated with the brilliant Dawn Run but was also adept at saddling big race flat winners and he also got his name on the roll of honour on two occasions with Ash Creek in 1984 and Pheopotstown in 1988.

Michael Kinane has the best record as a jockey in this prestigious race with 5 wins (Bonnie Bess 1985, Popular Glen 1989, Committed Dancer 1991, Pro Trader 1996 and Free To Speak 1998) with Stephen Craine’s four winners (Pinch Hitter 1981 & 1982, Dromod Hill 1987 and Wray 1997) the next best. Multiple Irish Champion National Hunt Jockey Charlie Swan, who will always be remembered as the man who partnered the brilliant Istabraq to three consecutive Champion Hurdle victories, rode Ash Creek to victory in 1984 while other riders to win this race before going on to bigger and better things on the National Hunt scene were Mark Dwyer, successful on Rare Duke in 1980 before winning the 1985 Cheltenham Gold Cup on Forgive ‘N’ Forget, and Tommy Carmody, a top class National Hunt jockey in later years and successful on Buck House in the 1986 Queen Mother Champion Chase, rode Swing-A-Ding to victory in the McDonogh Handicap in 1974 for trainer John Murphy.