BurkeÕs successful switch from cows to racehorses
Date Published: {J}
Castlegar farmer Gerry Burke once owned one of the best pedigree holstein dairy herds in the country, but the cows have been replaced by a string of successful racehorses. John McIntyre finds out what brought about this major change and why one of those horses, Montero, is fancied for next week’s Galway Plate.
IT has strong shades of millionaire racehorse owner Graham Wylie’s association with trainer Howard Johnson in the North of England, but Gerry Burke has no problems with virtually putting all his eggs in the one basket when it comes to someone handling his expanding string of racehorses.
Castlegar man Burke has struck up a successful relationship with Curragh-based trainer Dessie Hughes over the past three years and the partnership has already come within a whisker of landing the most famous National Hunt race in the world, the Aintree Grand National, at Liverpool.
Black Apalachi is the ‘apple of Burke’s eye’ and the money-spinning 11-year-old came closest to landing the Aintree spectacular on his third attempt last April, finishing just five lengths behind Don’t Push It and Tony McCoy, with a whopping 20 lengths back to the third placed State Of Play.
Though the Burke family, who live in Doughiska on the outskirts of Galway City, believe their pride and joy might even had won had he not clouted the third last, it’s the 2009 Grand National which haunts them more – Black Apalachi was tanking along in front until unseating Denis O’Regan at Beecher’s Brook second time round.
Sent off joint favourite that day having routed his rivals by a distance on heavy ground over the course in the Becher Chase the previous November, Black Apalachi had fallen at the second when making his initial trip to Liverpool for the 2008 Grand National.
But the dream of landing the highlight of the cross-channel jumping calendar still lives and Black Apalachi will be prepared for at least one more crack at the National next April. “I know he is 11, but the horse doesn’t have much mileage on the clock and he lights up when he sees Aintree,” says Gerry.
For more, read this week's Galway City Tribune racing supplement.