THE SUCCESS ARRIVED on St Stephenโs Day at Limerick.
The celebrations travelled further afield to Las Vegas.
When Paddy Corkery became a Grade 1 winning racing trainer, it was with Master McShee. His wife Deirdre is the named owner, itโs a sporting pursuit that is a natural focus at home in Villierstown in West Waterford, but it wasnโt the only landmark day for their household in December.
A week before, his son John got married in Doolin in Clare. Honeymoon plans meant he was Stateside when word filtered through of his fatherโs winner in the โฌ100k steeplechase that was the feature as the Limerick Christmas Festival commenced.
โHe had landed in Vegas when he got the result,โ says Paddy.
โIt was a pity he missed it but look he was there for a couple of wins in 2020, like at Christmas in Leopardstown.
โHe had a few quid on as well so itโll pay for a bit of his honeymoon!
โA great end to the year. To go to a Grade 1 and to go with a positive attitude and then to win it, you couldnโt ask for much better.โ
๐ Ian Power, Paddy Corkery & Master Mcshee - Grade One winners at @LimerickRaces this afternoon @BoyleSports pic.twitter.com/QUVYMySwpD
โ Racing TV (@RacingTV) December 26, 2021
Drill a bit deeper and unearth the detail that illuminates this achievement.
Paddy Corkery had a dairy farm for many years, which John has now taken over the running of, and he combined that with work as a tractor mechanic, counting Davy Russell amongst his customers.
Master McShee is the first horse that he has officially trained and the primary focus of his racing operation now. Victory at Limerick arrived in a photo finish over Gordon Elliottโs favourite Farouk DโAlene. This particular race has been carved up by the training juggernauts of Elliott and Willie Mullins over the past five years. Reel off the list of recent winners โ Colreevy, Faugheen, Hardline, Dounikos and Bellshill.
The break up of that hegemony was caused by an unexpected source.
What a moment for Paddy Corkery!
โ Horse Racing Ireland (@HRIRacing) December 26, 2021
Master McShee takes the trainer into the Grade 1 winners club with a thrilling Faugheen Novice Chase win at @LimerickRaces ๐pic.twitter.com/IhfI7zIx7e
โThis is more of a hobby than something full-time,โ says Corkery.
โI just always like to have one or two in training. At the moment I have Master McShee in training and then three more horses that are not named yet.
โI suppose everything gets neglected bar training Master McShee. But then again I was going to England for years, buying and selling tractors. Iโd be always kind of busy and doing something.
โTraining the horse is what I love. Itโs very easy to do something that you like doing. Itโs a lot easier to get up in the morning and do something thatโs a passion.โ
Corkery hails from Donoughmore in Cork but Waterford has been his base for almost four decades.
โI got married in โ81, went to Australia for a year and a half, came back and Iโve been living in Waterford since.
โI always had a great interest in sport. I played hurling and football in Cork, with Donoughmore and Muskerry, then trained underage teams down here with St Oliverโs.
โI used to play a bit of golf but gave that up when I started at the horses.โ
Before the emergence of his current prized asset, there were a few forays into the racing world.
โAny horse I had really, Mrs MacVeale (a seven-time winner for trainers Robert Murphy and Gavin Dower) was a typical example, she ran under someone elseโs name. I did all the work myself, I rode them out and then ran them under other peopleโs names as such.
โI had a horse called Stiloโs Ace and a mare called Off The Hoof, won point-to-points with them. Then Iโd a horse called Chance It, he was placed three or four times, but heโd nearly rather be in the pub than running that fella, heโd no interest in racing!
โI always found it was like buying a set of golf clubs and giving to someone else to play with them. I like to be hands on in any kind of sport. Thatโs what I really enjoy about it. Itโs a great old buzz there to get a horse and to get them fit, to see them build muscle and build fitness.
โThe biggest aspect then is how good or how bad they are.โ
Master McShee was bought by Corkeryโs two friends Tom McCarthy and John Sheehan as a foal, subsequently named after that partnership.
Sheehan has form in successful horses passing through his hands, like 2006 Gold Cup winner War Of Attrition and 2003 Grand National winner Montyโs Pass.
That paved the way for Corkery to take ownership of plotting Master McSheeโs route.
His first race was in March 2020, a modest placing of sixth after preparations were hindered in the build-up. Ten days after that run at Leopardstown, Ireland was locked down and Covid-19 threw more problems into the mix for a small trainer.
Corkery kept the faith and that November provided some vindication at Cork racecourse, second in a maiden hurdle behind Appreciate It, the Supreme Novicesโ Hurdle winner last March.
โWe knew what we were taking on that day, but I was so hungry for a run at that stage, we didnโt mind what we took on.
โOnce we saw what he did against Appreciate It, we knew the calibre of horse we had. My job then is to try and get that out of him again and get over any problems we have. Do the best we can and do whatโs best for the horse.โ
A return to the Mallow track a couple weeks later yielded the breakthrough of a win and 2020 was capped off by success in a handicap hurdle at Leopardstown.
๐ฃ๏ธ "You never know - it's Christmas time!" ๐คฃ
โ Horse Racing Ireland (@HRIRacing) December 27, 2020
Paddy Corkery upbeat about the future after Master McShee soars to Handicap Hurdle glory! ๐ฝ๏ธ @LeopardstownRC ๐pic.twitter.com/mrndipucPA
Last year saw a climb to higher altitude with a Grade 1 appearance at the Dublin Racing Festival and the dip in form there, along with later appearances at Punchestown and Fairyhouse, was subsequently explained.
โI had the horse wound up for it as it was Grade 1 company and I suppose he was a little bit eager and he burst a blood vessel. Thatโs a serious thing when a horse does that, they canโt continue to run.
โThe fact that a horse will burst a blood vessel, it could happen again, itโs just an unknown factor.
โSo we came back then after the summer, I changed his feed and I changed him from training indoors to outdoors. I built a shed and put him out in the field full time and put three rugs on him. Whether thatโs a factor or not, we donโt know.
A chasing debut in November resulted in third behind Bob Olinger, another entrant to the winnersโ enclosure at Cheltenham last spring, Corkery leaving Gowran Park that day pleased with his jumping and convinced Limerick was the right target.
That provided the standout moment to date of the partnership with Ian Power, the 40-year-old Dungarvan jockey who added to the novelty by tasting top-level success for the first time.
โThatโs a two-way street. Itโs good for Ian, heโs doing the proper job, and itโs good for me. From the first day he rode him against Appreciate It, every day heโs ridden him, heโs been perfect on the horse.
โI walked Limerick from the third last fence home and I just said to keep him on the bridle as long as you can. I donโt give Ian instructions, we discuss the race beforehand and then he rides his own race the way it unfolds.
โThe one thing we were very conscious of, if Ian went 30 seconds sooner, he was gone too early and 30 seconds later, he was gone too late.โ
Confirmation that Master McShee's head was down on the line in order to nab the big one at @LimerickRaces pic.twitter.com/zBbMMfHQzG
โ Racing TV (@RacingTV) December 26, 2021
Success sparks interest and admirers. For Corkery the goal is not about moving Master McShee on at an attractive price.
โA lot of people there have horses, the horse will do well, next thing theyโre offered money and they take it.
โMoney wonโt buy the enjoyment that we got out of Limerick, this is a passion for us.
โโThereโs a lot of hype about it and a lot of people are on about how good it was. I love to see the locals in Waterford that have interest and that watched it and that got good enjoyment out of it. Iโd be delighted for their sakes as well.
โItโs a family affair supporting this horse. The colours, I picked them out a good while back, being from Cork theyโre red and white.
โAll of my family are from Waterford. Iโm here so long now, I just didnโt get any bit of blue into him, maybe I should have,โ he laughs.
2022 stretches open in front of him, brimming with potential. There is no definite position on heading to Cheltenham yet and the Grade 1 two mile five beginnersโ chase on the Sunday at Leopardstown in early February is being considered.
For now he can take the plaudits and profile.
And in adjusting to the spike in interest, he has found the coastal spots of West Waterford such as Whiting Bay and the Cunnigar, helpful in returning to a familiar routine since that moment of magic on St Stephenโs Day.
โThe beach, I just find itโs great to bring a horse back down to earth. Every day since heโs ran at Limerick, Iโve taken him to the beach.
โI ride him myself and both myself and the horse are coming back down to earth now and weโll start building him up again.
โThe horse game, thereโs a lot of highs and a lot of lows. We went to Dublin Racing Festival last year on a high and we came home on a low.
โI think you must be prepared for that if youโre in horses. Youโre only one gallop away from a disaster and maybe one gallop away from a Grade One. You have to take both as it comes.โ
Buy The42โs new book, Behind The Lines, here:
GUTTER NEWSPAPER. ALWAYS WAS
@Michael cunnane:
Thatโs no way to talk about the Journal, Michael.
Completely agree.. delighted Liverpool have done this, this so-called โnewspaperโ was always a comic at bestโฆmind ya, it was more interesting reading the beano !!
They should have been banned the day after the story was run, not 28 years later. McKenzie is nothing but a shite editor and the lowest kind of a human being. Hopefully the fans sue this rag and clean them out for millions.
@Michael J: read the story. The guy that usually reported at Liverpool offered to resign. Liverpool respected him, not the rag.
Unfortunately, their northern cousins were more than happy to trust the Sun on Brexit.
Good.
All other football clubs should do the same..
Why did it take 28 yrs ??
I would imagine they couldnโt ban them legally till they were proved to have lied .
โTheyโ are dead or long retired. Who are they punishing here?
@Alex Olsen: Though the people may be gone, I rag still acts the same way, and the editor is still aroundโฆ all clubs should follow suitโฆ
Especially Everton Iโd say. Fair enough if the editor is still there I suppose.
@Alex Olsen: Everton, Liverpool, splits families in twoโฆ.
But the city uniting for Thai?
*this
Completely agreeโฆdidnโt think I would ever agree with youโฆseriously though a gutter press comic at bestโฆ
@Alex Olsen: thai food is not bad. But yes, Liverpool, Everton, very close knit, both deep rooted in same community.
Proper order.
Good news. I wouldnโt even wipe my arse with the Sun, let alone read it.
I think all clubs & fans of football should show their support for Liverpool in this action. The Sun should be banned from every club until close season. It might be the beginning of some real truthful reporting from what is a trash publication
And other sporting organizations should join them in the ban.
Brilliant news . Well done Liverpool .
The shite they wrote that day was pathetic and the fact they never even said sorry made it ten times worse. One paper I can say I never ever bought.
Didnโt they say sorry? Maybe check thatโฆ
They reported fake news and their reputation is in tatters. Let that be a lesson to other publications.
Thatโs the ticket.
Pathetic.
Bet youd think different if you knew somebody affected.
Would be annoyed it took this long.
Still taking millions in Murdoch money from sky
should they withdraw from the league?
Why what was printed on Murdochs money that caused offence?
This is a campaign against the sun not any individual or corporation
Going by your thinking they should boycott any product advertised in the sun
You should check out if that is the case . Liverpool get their money from the premier league not sky .
Great news.
The Sun were initially told they can come back โwhen hell freezes overโ, but since then Liverpools owners have changed that to โwhen we win the leagueโ which is less likely to ever happen.
@martina: i wonder what will happen first . United win the European cup again or Liverpool win the league
2 more times and united catch Liverpool
@bmul: your good at mathsโฆ
And youโre good at spelling
Like thatโs going to happen, ha ha
Ahahahaahhhahahahahah
JF96
It always was toilet paper with words on it. Wouldnโt wipe my ar5e with it tho.
Why now?
Wouldnโt be anything to do with The Sunโs headline after liverpools defeat to hull?
Tigers 2-0 Pussies.
@Thommo show some class . Even try
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/sn-liverpool-took-28-years-12587844.amp
This is a good explainer.
Marcus,
Iโm not defending them in any way. Theyโre a disgusting paper. Always have been. Just wondering about the timing.
@Thommoโs Big Nose:
This action seems to have been taken after meetings with families. When the verdict was released stating that fan were unlawfully killed and were blameless the sun and times didnโt publish it as a headline but rather tucked away somewhere. That probably would have been a time for them to dedicate the front page to the verdict along with an apology.
Big nose, I think the timing could be to do with the fact that the owners are under pressure for their investment in the team and hope this gets them back onside with the fans
Fair points lads. Itโs a strange one though in my opinion. Should have been done decades ago.
Iโm surprised this rag didnโt go the same way as the news of the worldโฆ
Next, The Express and The Mail.
ah, leave next magazine out of it.
The Mail has been judged too makey-uppy to use as a source by Wikipedia. Think about that.
Gutter paper. Anyone who buys it has the IQ of a nut anyway. Apologies to the pool fans but I will be keeping my sky though. As much as it drives me mad too
@Teddyzigzagbigbag: you need to do your research on Kodi and IPtVโฆ.
Why?
@Teddyzigzagbigbag: all the free footie you could imagineโฆ.
@Teddyzigzagbigbag: set kodi up properly you will get everything actuallyโฆ.
Firstrowir.eu works for me
Great news dirty rag never have never buy the S*n
Brilliant piece of media manipulation โฆ. divert attention away from bad results โฆ however The Sun is a vile newspaper and the lies they printed about Liverpool supporters after Hillsborough was a disgrace and disgusting
That headline was the only and only time โThe Truthโ has ever appeared in that rag of a newspaper, and even that was a lie.
The Sun, the only paper where the more you wipe your a**e with it, the less s**t is on the paperโฆ
@Alan Roddy: something to which Paul Dunne mocks openly here. โThetruthโ . Man Utd fans should know better, they have suffered terrible tragedy too.
#jtf39
What negative effects does this have for Liverpool? Like is there anything actually stopping all the other clubs doing the same?
Good question. If The Sun loses access to other clubs, it would have to reprint gossip as opposed to inside information. Without club sources, our guess as to whatโs going on are as good as theirs. So they would lose the people who buy The Sun for the sport i.e. everyone. Then itโs goodbye Sun
Disgusting wa@#ker
@Cb2010: as you said, justice was served and swiftly. So what the fck is your point? Has anyone served time over Hillsborough? You total fckn idiot.
Should of been banned years ago along with members of LFC staff who still to this day claim it was 96 Liverpool fans that died that day, when in fact it wasnโt..should work both ways
We say Justice For The 96, not Justice For The 95 Who Died That Day Plus The One Who Suffered Irreversible Brain Damage And Had His Life Support Machine Switched Off A Few Years Later, because thatโs too long
You f@cking low life c@nt