Limestone Lad was a truly remarkable horse. Trained by the late James Bowe, who combined farming with training and never had more than a few horses in training at any one time, the son of Aristocracy was an amazingly lucrative performer, winning 35 of his 65 starts. For five memorable years in succession, he won at least five races in each calendar year, with his game front-running style making him a firm favourite with the racing public. Perhaps just as meritorious as his four Grade 1 wins was the fact that he was unbeaten in nine starts in handicap hurdles.
Trainer: James Bowe
Principal Jockeys: Paul Carberry, Shane McGovern
Grade 1 Wins: Hatton's Grace Hurdle (Limestone Lad 2002, 2001, 1999), Champion Stayers' Hurdle (Limestone Lad 2002)
Early Days
Limestone Lad did not look anything too far out of the ordinary in the first 18 months of his career. Indeed, 33% of all the losses in his illustrious career came in his first dozen starts. As it transpired, he won two of his eight starts in bumpers and took five attempts to get off the mark over hurdles. However, once he returned from his summer break in 1998, he began his relentless progress up the ranks.
Climbing The Ladder
While Limestone Lad had been occasionally ridden from the front prior to the 1998/9 campaign, it was during that season that such tactics were adopted on the majority of his starts. It resulted in a remarkably fruitful campaign, with him making a winning seasonal reappearance in a handicap hurdle at Naas off a mark of just 99 and going on to win another six handicap hurdles that term. His only defeats came when he stepped out of handicap company, with his final start of the season seeing him finish third to no less than Istabraq in the Grade 1 Shell Champion Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival.
Competing At The Highest Level
Following such a strong finish to the season, Limestone Lad was always going to have to take on the best in 1999/2000 and he did so with great vigour. He won three of his first five starts of the season, including the Grade 2 Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown. That win set him up for another shot at Istabraq in the Grade 1 Hatton’s Grace Hurdle and under an aggressive Shane McGovern ride, the game seven-year-old saw off one of the all-time greats by 5½ lengths. Four more wins followed in the months that followed, setting him up for a bid for the Stayer’s Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. Sent off at 3/1, he ran his usual game race from the front, but Bacchanal was a length too good for him on the day.
Chasing Beckons
It had long been expected that Limestone Lad would end up over fences and following a defeat the hands of Bannow Bay on his seasonal reappearance in 2000/1, the decision was taken to send him over the larger obstacles. While he didn’t always convince with his jumping, he won his first four starts over fences, including two Grade 3 novice chases. Following a defeat in the Grade 1 Drinmore Novice Chase, it was decided to go back to hurdling and that decision was soon rewarded with two wins, including in the Grade 2 Boyne Hurdle at Navan.
Grade 1 Glory
While Limestone Lad met with defeat in his first two starts in 2001/2, he soon got back on the winning trail, maintaining his unbeaten record in handicap hurdles in a valuable contest at Naas before gaining his second wins in the Morgiana Hurdle and the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle. Bannow Bay again got the better of him at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting, but he wrapped up the season with a typically game win in the Grade 1 Champion Stayers' Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival.
Better Than Ever For One Last Campaign
Now a 10-year-old, many expected Limestone Lad would begin to slow down in the 2002/3 season, but if anything, he proved better than ever during the campaign. Following a pipe opener on the Flat, he went on a five-race winning spree that included his third Morgiana Hurdle and his third Hatton’s Grace Hurdle. One of Limestone Lad’s most memorable races came in defeat in the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown in January, with him engaging in a tremendous battle with Like-A-Butterfly, coming up a head short on the day, but losing nothing in defeat. The following March, Limestone Lad contested what would prove to be his final start, finishing a game third to Baracouda in the Stayer’s Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Unfortunately, a tendon injury ruled Limestone Lad out of the 2003/4 season and when it reoccurred the following season, the decision was taken to retire him. His strike rate of 35 wins from 65 starts was truly remarkable and his front-running style made him a real fan favourite. While Paul Carberry and Shane McGovern were his main partners, in total Limestone Lad was ridden by 19 jockeys, 11 of which won on him. He will long be remembered as one of the most popular and talented Irish-trained hurdlers of recent decades.
Info supplied by Horse Racing Ireland – Updated January 2011
