Curtin call for Pat’s likely pair
THE black dog is the dark horse. That’s the word from owner\trainer Pat Curtin in the days leading up to the 80th Annual National Coursing Meet in Clonmel, starting on Monday.
Pat has two major interests in this year’s derby, the pinnacle of Irish coursing for dogs, one of whom, the lovely, laid-back brindle Boavista, is a leading fancy and the subject of a major gamble.
Pat, a realist, agrees with that assessment, but if it doesn’t work out (and nowhere is favouritism less sure than Clonmel, with all its variables, the slipper, hare, judge, risk of dogs being distracted by a nearby crow), he has a quiet fancy for his other runner, the bubbly black Smoking Banner.
“Smoking Banner is a half-brother to Murty’s Gang who won the Derby a few years ago for Clare hurler Anthony Daly. He had tendon problems all along, and John Garrahy operated on him, took it out, and to be honest, every day since he’s been improving. He was 94lb, but we have him toned up now, he’s at 89lb, still a big dog. He qualified for Clonmel in Cooraclare, first reserve, but he’s in.
“A couple of weeks ago, I took him to Sevenhouses for the cup and he beat two very good dogs. He was meeting the favourite on the first day, Cooga Supreme, and I thought, he’ll never beat this fella.
“The Sporting Press said he was there to pick up the points, but Smoking Banner beat him three lengths, then won again, beat the dog that beat Danagher’s Best, another three lengths.
“I just know he’s improving all the time, and what I liked about him there, he actually held his clock, improved on his clock in his second run. He had been for a trial on the Thursday before that, so that was his third run in a few days, but he wasn’t even out of breath afterwards, wouldn’t blow out a candle. I withdrew him after that.”
Withdrew him? With the chance of winning a cup? Why? Simple.
“Sevenhouses is a fantastic venue, the best field in Ireland, a superb meeting. The only problem, it’s run off too close to Clonmel, and if you go too far there, you have no chance in Clonmel.”
So, Big Ben (pet-name for Smoking Banner) lines up on Monday in the quarters, taking his chances alongside Boavista. They are good buddies in their shared training quarters under the Galtees at Monard in rural Tipperary, according to Brigid Curtin, sister of Pat, boss of the Ballygodoon Stud when The Squire (as they’ve nicknamed Pat) is absent with his other business (plant-hire in London).
It’s not just the colouring, or the size (Boavista is 82lb). “This fella,” says the smiling Brigid, indicating the black, “is pure mad, if you start messing with him, he’ll knock you flat. When Pat comes around, he’d nearly run you over. The funny thing is, they all seem to know when the boss is around, the whole kennel, they know when he arrives in the gate, they all go demented.
“This one though, Boavista, if you looked at him, you’d say no, never win anything, he’s so laid back you’d swear he couldn’t be bothered.”
And so it is. While Smoking Banner hops and bounds, looking for attention from Pat especially, Boavista rests, calm, serene. When the lead is off however, different animal entirely. Explosive, says Brigid, lightning speed, phenomenal stamina. Made for Clonmel, the gruelling three days, the energy- draining six trips up that hill to claim the ultimate prize.
Boavista would appear tailor- made for the job as his half brothers, Judicial Casteleu and Skellig Rock ran with distinction two seasons ago when both met in the semi-final.
Surprisingly, given that their father was also into dogs all his life, and had a runner in the National Meeting in 1979, this will be Brigid’s first time to Clonmel. Not a bad introduction, waiting at the top of the field to catch one of the derby favourites.
There’s also quite a contrast between the three joint owners of Boavista and Smoking Banner. ” Pat is about 6’6“, twice the size of me,” says Dinny Gould, publican and bookie, one of those owners. “Dinny would nearly say Mass for you,” says Pat of his colourful near-neighbour from Miltown Malbay. And the third partner? Famed football hardman, Hollywood film-star, should have been a long, long way from Clare to here, for Vinnie Jones. It wasn’t.
“I’ve been going track-racing since I was nine or 10-years old, but I’ve always had a love of field sports anyway, and do a lot of shooting, fishing. I have a lot of roots in Ireland, been coming over here a long time.
“I’ve been all over the country, due to do a movie there in Belfast soon. I love it, love the free spirit there, you can go about your business, no cameras stuck up your nose. I was becoming more aware of coursing over the years, but then when I met Pat, I became really keen on it.
“I’ve been to a few smaller meetings in Clare, but I’ve been meaning to go to Clonmel for about six years. Unfortunately something always came up, I’ve been working, or out of the country, but I’m hoping to make it this time, on the Tuesday and Wednesday. Hopefully Smoking Banner and Boavista will still be there at that stage.”
Vinnie isn’t the only high-profile owner on Pat’s books. Also resident in his Tipperary kennels now, alongside Smoking Ban (just starting his stud service after a record-setting career on the track), there’s Massage Parlour, Ice-Cream Parlour, named by and for their owner, former Arsenal great Ray Parlour.
“We’re going to have a Funeral Parlour soon, he tells us” says big Pat. Then there’s champion jockey Tony McCoy, through whom he got Rough Rough. Why the name?
“I was with Tony one night at a fundraiser and he said do you know what we’ll do, we’ll call him after Jones, we’ll call him Dog Rough. We sent off the name, and it came back, Rough Rough.”
And oh, was it well named. “A dirty bastard, he fought on the track, but he was a really fast dog. He won in Liscannor!”
Speaking of fundraisers, even as he prepares for Clonmel, Pat is the middle of raisin funds for the tsunami appeal: “We’re hoping to raise €20,000 from Ballygodoon Stud, over the next couple of weeks.
“I’m giving two saplings, a dog and a bitch, to Limerick track (fundraising night), along with a free service to Smoking Ban. On Thursday night in Cork, we’re giving a pup from Honcho Classic, reared to 12 months, and another free service to Smoking Ban.”
Smoking Ban? Would he be anything to Smoking Banner? “No,” says Pat, “He’s a track dog, holds the record in Thurles, 28.43, did 28.30 around Shelbourne.
“A really fast dog. But Dinny was always on to me, why the hell didn’t you call him Smoking Banner, and we could have been shouting, ‘c’mon the Banner’ So I said, to hell with it, you have your chance now.”
He certainly does, as does anyone else who fancies a dark horse for this week’s Derby, even if it is a dog race.
Ah yes, Clonmel, first week in February, All-Ireland finals in coursing; everything is bubbling along just nicely.
: The usual, nuts and meat and so on, fish once a week. On the morning of a meeting, we’d go with a bit of chicken and toast, bit of honey, two whites of an egg.
: We use the walker a lot, and they seem to enjoy it. When you let them out, they go straight to it, and if they enjoy it like that, let them use it. We have it on a ramp also, for building up the muscles. I’d walk them through the fields as well, but everyone has their own way.
: Every second day, bar there’s a trial coming up, we put them up. I’d put them on the walker first, 10 or 15 minutes, give them a good rub, just like we were going to a meeting, get them fully warmed up, then let them on the gallop.
: They love the gallops in the paddocks as well, running up and down the side. We stay away from the road, as much as we can; it’s not safe nowadays anyway, even in a car. What chance have you on foot, with a dog?
: To keep the dogs healthy? All I do to stop infection is put a little TCP back their throats, every night, especially with Boavista. His tonsils were taken out. Brigid didn’t want us doing it, wasn’t happy about it, but what does Jeff (Parneby, works with Brigid) do, fires it back his own throat, to show it was safe. We also do a lot of grooming and rubbing.
: Aside from their early problems, which have been all sorted out, their preparation have gone absolutely perfectly, touch wood. I don’t think there are any excuses now.
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