Gunners Syndicate celebrate superb big race Seabass run

Dara Bradley

AT about 8pm on Friday last, on the eve of the Aintree Grand National, the six members of the Dunmore syndicate that owns Seabass, were having a pint in a Liverpool pub chatting about their gelding’s chances in the World’s most famous National Hunt race the following day.

One of the group slipped into the bookies’ office next door, William Hill, just to check the odds on the Ted Walsh trained nine-year-old in the most lucrative jump contest in Britain. Amazingly, he was 22/1. Even though the ‘Gunners Syndicate’ had backed Seabass at odds ranging from 20/1 to 14/1 back in Ireland before they left, they couldn’t resist those attractive 22/1 odds and they lumped on the ‘dough’ each-way again.

Less than 24 hours later, just minutes before the off, thousands of punters at the famous racecourse waged a massive gamble on Seabass, with leading Irish amateur jockey Katie Walsh on board, so much so that the bookies slashed the odds down to 8/1 joint favourite. The confidence of the Gunners Syndicate – made up of Pat Glynn, a farmer and builder; Pat Gleeson of Weirs Waste; local publican Robbie Byrne; brothers Donal and Niall Collins (both employees of McHale Farm Equipment, Kilmaine); and Castlerea butcher, John Harte – was rewarded when their pride and joy finished third, just five lengths behind Neptune Colonges, who rallied to just pip Sunnyhillboy on the line in a thrilling photo finish.

Aside from the return on money wagered, the heroics of Seabass in the toughest steeplechase in the World earned the syndicate a cool £102,000, which is around €125,000.

There are just three National Hunt Races in Ireland where the winner would receive more than Seabass earned for his third place finish and it was by far Seabass’s biggest payout in his career to date – the next best was around €60,000 for romping home first in the Leopardstown Handicap Chase in January.

But for a moment in this gruelling marathon – as Seabass was jumping the second last of the 40 fences – it looked for all the World that Katie Walsh was to make history by becoming the first woman jockey to win the historic race, and that he would earn the half a million sterling in prizemoney for the winner.

The Gunners Syndicate had dared to dream. “When he jumped the second last I said: ‘this fella is going to win – he’ll win it’. He usually has a kick and finishes strongly and even going round the elbow after the last, I felt he still had a chance but it wasn’t to be. Only 15 of the 40 horses finished, which is an achievement, so we’re thrilled with third,” said Pat Glynn, of the Gunners Syndicate.

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.