Eric McNamara eyes 40th anniversary winner as Limerick Christmas Racing Festival is launched

ERIC McNamara is hoping to continue his red-hot form on familiar home territory and the Rathkeale trainer believes that he has some good prospects of maintaining that run during the Mr Binman Christmas Racing Festival at Limerick Racecourse.

Limerick Racecourse CEO Michael Lynch, sponsors and members of the media were at McNamara’s fabulous Beechmount facility on Wednesday to watch the Grade One-winning conditioner put his team through their paces ahead of a tilt for glory at Limerick’s Christmas showpiece from December 26 - 29.

While the festival is always special to a man who trains 20 minutes over the road, this year will have even more resonance, as the 40^th anniversary of his first winner.

McNamara was better known for his show jumping exploits at this juncture and had just started to dip his toe into the world of training racehorses. For John, owned by his brother Jimmy and ridden by Michael Byrne, did the business at Limerick’s Christmas Festival on December 27, 1984, and the rest, as they say, is history.

“I didn’t have as many grey hairs then,” McNamara observed after watching his string canter over two and a quarter miles on his six-furlong sand gallop.

“It was in the old Limerick Racecourse obviously. It was the start of the career that we’ve had, a reasonably good career I suppose. We’ve won a few lovely races.

“For John was the start of it. I suppose everyone remembers their first winner and For John was a super little horse. Jimmy had a couple of nice horses that used to be trained by Mickey Lee. When I gave up my show jumping career, I ended up starting to train some very good horses: For John and War Saint were two. There were one or two others came as well and they all won three or four races.

“I got the bug and of course I thought this game is simple and I knew more than everyone else whereas what really happened is I had a few very good horses that all won for us. As you go through the years, you realise, you need a good horse.”

He certainly has a few of decent calibre now. Since saddling five winners at the September Harvest Festival in Listowel, his other local and thus heavily targeted week of the year, he has been on fire in both codes.

The family element is a significant part of that. Eldest son, Emmet rode Serpentine to win the Derby in 2020 but is now retired and an accountant at Coolmore, so neither of his areas of expertise are directly available, though he is always on offer as a sounding board.

The return of daughter, Kate, and youngest son, Conor has added energy and serious skillsets to the operation. Conor rides most of the horses in races – the hard-working Sean Flanagan steps in when required and is in the yard once a week. Conor will add his opinion and feedback to the mix before Eric makes the final decision.

Meanwhile, Kate also rides out but has proven a godsend in the office with the mountains of admin required now to run a training operation. Given that by his own admission, he would struggle to turn on a computer, one suspects that she could charge whatever she likes to stay!

“To have Conor and Kate back in the fold after being away learning is great. Conor was in Willie Mullins’, Gavin Cromwell’s, Gordon Elliott’s, learned a lot and has brought it home and that’s a big help.
“If I didn’t have Kate with me to organise syndicates, look after the paperwork, all that’s needed on the veterinary side and all the rest of it, I would be lost. I wouldn’t be able to do it. Without Kate I couldn’t handle all that paperwork.”

“Like any business, and Garry Dillon there of Mr Binman, the main sponsor in Limerick will tell you, no business will run well without good back-up. Without good staff and great people.

“I remember talking to JP McManus one time and he said, “Surround yourself with good people and you’ll have a great chance,” and we have. Kate and Conor have come back home and we have great staff that have been here a long time. And it all stems from the kids’ mother, Paula.”

Limerick has been very kind since that first winner and McNamara is optimistic that he can make his presence felt once more.

“Limerick Racecourse is very dear to our hearts and we love going back there every Christmas. It would be very disappointing if we left after the four days without a winner but it’s a long time since we have left without one. It’s been a lucky track for us and long may that stand.”

His likely representatives are as follows, in alphabetical order:

Bitofajokelike: “He ran once in a maiden hurdle. The ground was too quick for him and he got injured the same day. I’m sure we’ll have plenty of soft ground in Limerick at Christmas for him but he won’t start until then. He is ready to go for the last few weeks but we’re just waiting for really soft ground. A nice horse but he is more of a next-year horse.”

Decimation: “The biggest thing with him is he wants pretty soft ground. There’s a novice handicap chase over 2m6f on the last day that should be right up his alley. We were going to run him once or twice over the last couple of weeks but we have purposely kept him for this race at Christmas and I’d like to think he might be one that might win.”

Embittered: “He ran well in the Munster National but doesn’t get three miles. He is going to be aimed at the Campion Insurance Tim Duggan chase, which we’ve been lucky to win a few times now and that should be the ideal trip for him. He is not as good as he was. I’d say he doesn’t try as hard as he used to but it was a mistake to run him in the Munster National. In the Tim Duggan, the ground, the trip, the track – everything should suit him.”

Gaelic Des Chastys: “He has only run four times for us. He won his first hurdle race in Punchestown for us and then we went campaigning him over fences because I wanted to run him over fences before he reached a mark of 102. He has been second in his three chases.

“The man that owned him isn’t well and is from England so we’re after putting a syndicate together and he’ll run in the Top of the Town colours, a great bunch of lads from Askeaton own him now. He’ll probably run in the 2m5f Dpack Packaging Handicap Hurdle handicap on December 28 and definitely wouldn’t be without a chance.”

L’Evangeliste: “A very nice horse. The most expensive horse I think that ever came into the yard. He won his point-to-point in Quakerstown. He was good and a couple of good lads are after buying him and gave him to me to train, thank God. We aim to run him a bumper at Christmas. If he keeps progressing the way he is, we think he might be special. He looks to be a really nice horse, hopefully.”

Meehall: “He is a very solid horse, always runs well. He’ll probably run in the The Infinity Lifts Handicap Hurdle. He has run four for us at this stage and he’ll go there with his chance but the handicapper probably has a bit of a hold of him now.”

Mount Ferns: “He is a horse that’s well handicapped. We just couldn’t see him being beaten in Listowel really. Of any of the horses that ran there, we just thought he would win and he won easy on his first run for us. He disappointed a bit in Cork after but the ground was a lot better so we’re going to keep him for Limerick at Christmas when the ground will be softer. He’ll have everything in his favour. He is a nice horse and will hopefully make into a good chaser.”

My Friend The Wind: “There is juice in his mark over fences but the biggest problem with him is that he is not as good a jumper over a fence as he is over a hurdle unfortunately. He was disappointing at Ballinrobe when we went back over fences as we thought it might suit him. We’ll probably go back over hurdles at Limerick, particularly as the ground is likely to be soft.”

Storm Mahler: “He burst his blood vessel and seemed to lose his way after that. So we left him off for a good while and he is back fresh. He is going to run in Cork on Sunday to get a run into him before Limerick and possibly aim him back at the race he won 12 months ago. He does have to up his game but he’ll be aimed at it anyway and we’ll have him there in the best shape possible.”

The upshot of all of this seems to be that McNamara is optimistic about supplementing his magnificent Limerick record and marking the 40^th anniversary of his first winner in style.

“If we have one winner now, everything after that would be a bonus but I’d like to think that between a few of those, one of them would surely win.”

Michael Lynch, CEO of Limerick Racecourse, said: “Special thanks go to Eric and the McNamara’s for their warm hospitality and the unbelievable access to his incredible training facilities. Hopefully Limerick Racecourse will provide Eric with a few more winners this Christmas – a fitting way to mark his 40^th anniversary of his first winner.

“Mr Binman is a brilliant partnership for Limerick Racecourse and their continued sponsorship for our four-day Christmas Festival is key to its success and a key driver for our sustainability goals. I must also acknowledge the wonderful support of all our other sponsors and in particular McMahon Builders Providers, Diageo, Lyons of Limerick, Campion Insurance and Quinnbet.

“The team are working really hard to put on a great four-day Festival and we are really looking forward to opening our gates on St Stephen’s day – I’d advise everyone to come early, avail of the bus service and enjoy some great racing.”