Galway syndicate have winning feeling thanks to feats of mare
PICTURE the scene. A group of four racing enthusiasts are sitting around a kitchen table trying to come up with a suitable name for a horse that they had just invested in.
The Lostwelton Syndicate from Monivea were in Sean Murphy’s house in Ryehill, but their efforts to christen the three-year-old mare were being constantly frustrated by an ‘outside’ influence.
First cousins Iarlaith and Darren Collins, who also bred the horse, Alan Burke and Diarmuid Gavin thought they had come up with the perfect name in Aquaphobia as she was a little spooked by water, only to hear a voice from the other side of the kitchen; “youcantcallherthat.”
All subsequent names they came up were met with similar disapproval from Peggy Murphy, mother of Sean, the owner of Ryehill Stables and an uncle to the Collins cousins.
“We were filling up the registration forms and coming up with various names, but Peggy kept saying youcantcallherthat, so eventually we kind of gave up and as her saying was ringing in our ears, we just went with that,” reflects syndicate agent Alan Burke.
Whatever about the unusual circumstances behind her naming, Youcantcallherthat has gone on to prove a terrific money-spinner for the North Galway syndicate, winning five times on her debut season over fences.
Yet, the Syndicate had done their best to sell on the horse after two promising Point-to-Point runs. “She finished second to Ms Pafois first time out and then won in Quackertown. We knew she was fairly decent and decided to bring her to the sales in Cheltenham.
“She failed her wind, however, and probably picked up a cold on the boat over. We got no bid for her, although an agent offered us €18,000 outside the ring. We thought she was worth around €30,000, especially as Ms Parfois had been sold for €50,000,” recalls Alan.
Ms Parfois, which had three lengths to spare over Youcantcallherthat in their Point-to-Point clash, ended up with Anthony Honeyball in England and has since won five times, including big races at Cheltenham and Warwick.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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