Robert Hennelly chasing the dream with Moyhenna in final outing at Irish Grand National

Moyhenna and JJ Slevin (farside) clear the last fence on their way to being beaten into second by Agusta Gold and Danny Mullins (nearside) at Fairyhouse in January. Picture: Healy Racing.

Robert Hennelly knows all about the vicissitudes of life. In business, he has flourished and then felt the cold hand of recession.

As a Mayo man, he has watched the county footballers, his son Rob included, push Dublin in a way no other county has managed on a consistent basis, but still fall short of an elusive All-Ireland.

And racing? Well, racing is racing. You relish the good days because they are in the minority, even for the superpowers.

Hennelly is part of the cornerstone of the racing industry, one of the approximately 6,500 breeders in Ireland that own five broodmares or less. That’s 92 per cent of the overall number, it might surprise some to know.

In fact, the septuagenarian has just three at his farm in Breaffy, which is also a passion for his two sons and three daughters when they get home from Dublin. All going well on Monday, that band will increase by one, after Moyhenna has run her final race in the Boylesports Irish Grand National.

It is not beyond the bounds of possibility that the nine-year-old could commence her new career having joined an illustrious roll of honour that includes Arkle, Flyingbolt, Brown Lad, Desert Orchid, Bobbyjo, Commanche Court, Numbersixvalverde, and the most recent victor, Burrows Saint.

Either way, she is already a hot prospect for the breeding barn, having won four times, including at Grade 2 level as a novice. She has also been placed in a further three graded events and just missed out on the Kerry National at Listowel last September by a nose.

What’s more, her mother, Moskova, was a triple Grade 3 winner for Hennelly and trainer Paul Nolan, and has also produced Moskovite, another four-time winner sold recently to Beeches Stud's Bobby McCarthy while in foal to that farm’s stallion Crystal Ocean.

“Moskova has been phenomenal,” says a justly proud Hennelly. “I owned horses for a number of years. Then, in around 2007, I was going fairly well and I said I’d buy a few nice mares and breed them when I retire. 

“Paul Nolan sourced Savitha for me and she won five times before producing two winners. I bought her half-sister then, Wind Over Water, who was a lovely natured mare who never raced herself. She had a King’s Theatre filly Solita, who went on to better things, winning seven times.

“I bought Moskova at the sales for €55,000. She raced with the Nolans for a period. She was a super mare, a Montjeu mare. She had unbelievable talent. She’s the mare that produced the most and is still producing them.

“Interestingly, she seems to put size into her stock and she wasn’t a monster herself. (Moyhenna’s sire) Westerner can throw small ones as well as big ones so it must come from her. They’re lovely animals to do anything with, to handle. They’ve a lovely temperament.” 

Savitha and Moskova are joined on the farm by the latter’s seven-year-old daughter Pontoon, a full sister of Mokovite’s (by Flemensfirth).

“She was just ready to run when she got hurt. Denis Hogan would say she was the best of the three of them he had for me (Moyhenna and Moskovite being the others). She has had one foal and is being covered by Crystal Ocean.

“Savitha is 21 now. She’s in foal to Kingston Hill. And Moskova herself, who is 18, is in foal to Kingston Hill as well. And Moyhenna will be coming in, please God.” 

Like most small-scale owner-breeders, Hennelly sells the colt foals and keeps the fillies to race, with the aim to breed for them if they supplement their pedigree sufficiently with track form. The hard-nosed businessman is not immune to the romanticism of the sport, however, and may be about to change the habit of a lifetime.

“I have a full brother of Moyhenna’s at home, a three-year-old. He’s grey like his mother and he’s 17 hands a bit. He’s going to the sales in June. We sold all the colts so far but this horse has something. I don’t know what it is but it will take a good few pounds to get him off me.

“My son is on to me to sell but I said to him, ‘Walter, in my life’ – and I’m 70 years old – ‘I have learned that when you sell them, you won’t get them again.’ 

“He got a kick off his little sister this morning, a full sister as well. She’s a black filly with two white spots on her legs. And she has the biggest eyes – she’s like a frog! She’s the most gorgeous-looking animal I ever left a hand on. She’s only just coming a year old but she’s gonna be a monster herself.” 

It is the power of the racing dream that has kept Moyhenna active this long, despite her value as a broodmare.

“She’s an incredible attitude. She’s so willing, always gives everything, and has been sound since day one. She produces the goods all the time. As a foal, I knew she was super. She never questioned you, she was happy as long as she knew she was doing the right thing. And that’s the kind of mare she is. She wants to do it right.

“As an owner-breeder, I just want her to come back safe but I do believe she’s such a tough mare and loves racing – she loves racing – and the last day at Cheltenham (when fifth in the Mares’ Chase), she was flying up the hill. Absolutely flying. If we had another two furlongs, we’d be in the thick of it. She needs the trip if she doesn’t have the ground.

“JJ (Slevin) is tied to Joseph O’Brien so Denis got Hugh Morgan, who is claiming five pounds. I don’t know Hugh but I watch the racing a few hours every day and I’m very impressed with him as a person and as a jockey.

“This is the final countdown. I was not going to race her this year but she loves racing. She got a few falls but she recovered from them. She just loves it and why not? All of her breed, every one of them, including her mother, raced until they were nine or ten. They have longevity in racing, which is a great sign in animals.” 

It would be a lovely way to sign off if she could land the €216,000 on offer to the winning connections.

“It would but we’re used to going racing. It’s in the blood and that’s why we’re in it. There is a risk but they could get hurt in the field. We’ll give it a go and hopefully, whatever happens, she’ll be back home with us to join her mother and the rest of the family as broodmares. That’s what I want more than anything, but hopefully she runs well.

“She’ll be trying her best anyway. She always does.”