In recent seasons, Andrew McNamara has risen to the very top end of the Irish National Hunt riding ranks. McNamara comes from a well-established racing family, with his father and namesake being a regular visitor to the winner’s enclosure as a trainer over the last number of decades, while his bother Robbie is a very successful amateur rider. Having proven his skill and determination at all levels, Andrew McNamara Junior is now a regular participant in all of the top races in Ireland and has enjoyed some great successes in Britain too, including at the festivals at Cheltenham and Aintree.
Principal Trainers: Edward O’Grady, Andrew McNamara
Notable Wins:
Michael Purcell Memorial Novice Hurdle (Hidden Cyclone 2011, Mounthenry 2006), Synergy Security Solutions Novice Hurdle (Hidden Cyclone 2011), Bord na Mona Fire Magic Juvenile Hurdle (Sailors Warn 2010), Tara Hurdle (Rigour Back Bob 2010), John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase (Tranquil Sea 2010, Hi Cloy 2005), Clonmel Oil Chase (Tranquil Sea 2010), For Auction Novice Hurdle (Hidden Cyclone 2010), Ryan's Cleaning Events Specialists Hurdle (Luska Lad 2010), Irish Grand National (Bluesea Cracker 2010), Newlands Chase (Tranquil Sea 2010), Winning Fair Juvenile Hurdle (Alaivan 2010), Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle (Luska Lad 2010), Christmas Hurdle (Powerstation 2009, Catch Me 2008), Paddy Power Gold Cup Chase (Tranquil Sea 2009), James Nicholson Wine Merchant Champion Chase (The Listener 2009, Beef Or Salmon 2006), Galway Plate (Ballyholland 2009), Grimes Hurdle (Jumbo Rio 2009, Red Square Lady 2006), Ballymore Champion Four Year Old Hurdle (Jumbo Rio 2009), Paddy Power "National Hunt" Novices' Handicap Hurdle Final (Big Eared Fran 2009), Spring Juvenile Hurdle (Jumbo Rio 2009), Boyne Hurdle (Catch Me 2009), Hatton's Grace Hurdle (Catch Me 2008), Lismullen Hurdle (Catch Me 2008), Land Rover Champion Novice Hurdle (Tranquil Sea 2008), Red Mills Trial Hurdle (Catch Me 2008, Newmill 2007), AIG Champion Hurdle (Sizing Europe 2008), Durkan New Homes Novice Chase (Sky’s The Limit 2007), Ballymore Properties Drinmore Novice Chase (Sky’s The Limit 2007), Ladbrokes.com Munster National Handicap Chase (Mossbank 2007), Bank Of Ireland Mares Novices’ Chase (Laetitia 2007), Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup (Beef Or Salmon 2007), James Nicholson Wine Merchant Champion Chase (The Listener 2009, Beef Or Salmon 2006), Ballybrit Novice Chase (Vic Venturi 2006, Arteea 2005), John Smith's Melling Chase (Hi Cloy 2006), Kerrygold Champion Chase (Newmill 2006), Queen Mother Champion Chase (Newmill 2006), Nas Na Riogh Novice Chase (Lordofourown 2006), Byrne Group Novice Hurdle (Mounthenry 2006), Ten Up Novice Chase (Church Island 2006), Paddy Power Dial-a-Bet Chase (Hi Cloy 2005), Wilf Dooly Chase (Cloudy Bays 2005)
In recent seasons, Andrew McNamara has risen to the very top end of the Irish National Hunt riding ranks. McNamara comes from a well-established racing family, with his father and namesake being a regular visitor to the winner’s enclosure as a trainer over the last number of decades, while his bother Robbie is a very successful amateur rider. Having proven his skill and determination at all levels, Andrew McNamara Junior is now a regular participant in all of the top races in Ireland and has enjoyed some great successes in Britain too, including at the festivals at Cheltenham and Aintree.
Early Days
Having ridden his first winner on his fathers La Captive in a bumper at Wexford in July 2002, McNamara wasted little time in making his presence felt. Despite somewhat restricted opportunities, he quickly showed his capabilities by notching up eleven winners in that 2003/4 season. Sufficiently encouraged by this tally, Andrew took the brave step of turning professional at the beginning of the 2004/5 season and he has not looked back since. An early double at Kilbeggan in June 2004 helped him to reduce his 7lb claim to 5lb and he was soon riding winners for many different trainers.
Climbing The Ladder
On New Years Day 2005, Andrew recorded a fine double at Tramore including a victory on the Charles Byrnes-trained Cloudy Bays in the Listed Wilf Dooly Chase and then rode the same horse to an all-the-way win in the Pertemps Handicap Hurdle Qualifier at Leopardstown just eight days later. Willie Mullins availed of his talents when he saddled Joueur D’Estruval to score at Clonmel in March 2005, while he also partnered the smart dual-purpose performer Victram to win at Naas soon afterwards. Andrew again teamed up with Charles Byrnes to ride Gortinard to victory in the Lemongrass Restaurants Handicap Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival in late-April, while just 24 hours later he partnered the Thomond O’Mara-trained Vintage Port to win the Martinstown Opportunity Series Handicap Hurdle Final to round off an excellent first season as a professional rider with a total of 23 winners.
During the 2005/6 campaign, McNamara feared that with his claim now reduced to 3 lb, opportunities would dry up, but a quick double at Tralee in early-June was a perfect start to his second season and the winners soon began to flow. Having scored on the Michael Hourigan-trained novice chaser, Arteea, in the Grade 3 Ballybrit Chase at Galway in late-October, Andrew gave the Hourigan-trained Hi Cloy a superb ride to gain his first win in Grade 1 company in the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown in early-December. Just over a fortnight later, he doubled his Grade 1 tally on the same horse in the Paddy Power Dial-a-Bet Chase at Leopardstown. That race that will undoubtedly be remembered by most as the race in which Roger Loughran mistook the winning post on Central House, but that shouldn’t take anything away from Hi Cloy or McNamara. In mid-February, he partnered the Michael Hourigan-trained Church Island to a smooth victory in the Grade 2 Ladbrokes.com Ten Up Novice Chase at Navan before the Shane Donohoe-trained Lordofourown gave him another notable triumph in the Grade 2 Anglo Irish Bank Nas Na Riogh Novice Chase at Naas. That season was also notable for the partnership McNamara struck up with the Charles Byrnes-trained Mounthenry as the pair combined to win five races in total, including the Grade 2 Byrne Group plc Novice Hurdle at Punchestown in February and the Michael Purcell Memorial Novice Hurdle at Thurles in March.
Newmill Takes Centre Stage
Having been called up to ride the John Joseph Murphy-trained Newmill in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham in place of the injured Robert Power, Andrew enjoyed one of the biggest successes of his career to date when making all on Murphy’s charge to win in tremendous style on only his second-ever ride at the Cheltenham Festival. If that wasn’t good enough, he went on to wrap up what was a hugely-successful season by riding Hi Cloy to a memorable success in the Grade 1 Melling Chase at the Aintree Grand National Meeting in April and partnering Newmill to a comprehensive 15 lengths victory in the Grade 1 Kerrygold Champion Chase at the Punchestown Festival.
Consolidating Success
The 2006/7 season was one of consolidation for Andrew as he finished sixth in the Irish National Hunt Jockeys Championship. While he enjoyed a notable success on the Michael Phillips-trained Red Square Lady in the Grade 3 Kevin McManus Bookmakers Grimes Hurdle at Tipperary in July, it was the hugely popular Beef Or Salmon who gave him his two biggest victories. The admirable 11-year-old landed both the Grade 1James Nicholson Wine Merchant Champion Chase at Down Royal in early-November and the Grade 1 Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Leopardstown in February, with McNamara excelling on him in the latter contest. In between these efforts he finished second to Kauto Star in the Betfair Chase at Haydock while he also finished runner-up on the same horse in the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown’s Christmas Meeting.
O’Grady Comes Calling
Perhaps the most significant aspect of the 2007/8 season for Andrew McNamara was his blossoming partnership with the Edward O’Grady yard, the beginning of a relationship that is stronger than ever today. Having made a solid start to the season during the summer months, McNamara gained his first big-race win when riding the Michael Hourigan-trained Mossbank to success in the Munster National at Limerick. He then began what would prove to be a highly-profitable partnership with the Edward O’Grady-trained Sky’s The Limit, winning a novice chase at Cork before registering a notable Grade 1 double in the Ballymore Properties Novice Chase at Fairyhouse and the Durkan New Homes Novice Chase at Leopardstown, both in December. Back in 2006, McNamara was extremely lucky to come in for a spare ride on Newmill that led to two Grade 1 wins and he came in for another lucrative piece of good luck in the build-up to the AIG Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown in 2008 as he picked up the spare ride on the Henry de Bromhead-trained Sizing Europe, who went on to run out the hugely-impressive eight lengths winner. He wrapped up that season with a Grade 1 win for Edward O’Grady on Tranquil Sea in the Land Rover Champion Novice Hurdle.
More Grade 1 Glory
2008/9 was another highly-successful term for McNamara, with the Edward O’Grady-trained pair of Catch Me and Jumbo Rio undoubtedly being the stars of the show. Catch Me won three times at Grade 2 level and got off the mark in Grade 1 company in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse in November by getting the better of the legendary pair of Brave Inca and Hardy Eustace. Jumbo Rio proved to be one of Ireland’s top juvenile hurdlers, winning a Grade 2 event at Leopardstown in February before wrapping up McNamara’s season with a Grade 1 win in the Ballymore Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival. 2009/10 was yet another lucrative campaign for McNamara, who was now well established as one of the top riders in the country. He started the season as he intended to continue by giving the Colin McBratney-trained Ballyholland a positive ride to win the prestigious William Hill Galway Plate at the Galway Festival. Amazingly, the latter win was McNamara’s first-ever success at the hugely-popular Festival. His first Grade 1 win of the season came in the James Nicholson Wine Merchant Champion Chase at Down Royal in November, with him riding the Nick Mitchell-trained The Listener to a wide-margin success and a week later, he gained a notable success in the Paddy Power Gold Cup Chase at Cheltenham on the Edward O’Grady-trained Tranquil Sea. While he failed to add to his Grade 1 tally in the remainder of the season, he did continue to ride big-race winners, the highlight of which was his lucrative success on the James Motherway-trained Bluesea Cracker in the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse. At the conclusion of the campaign, McNamara had once again registered career-best tallies of winners and prize money, finishing third in the race for the title of Champion Jockey.
Another Lucrative Campaign
Thus far, 2010/11 has been McNamara’s best season yet in terms of work-rate and winners ridden, with him already having beaten his previous season-best tallies. He had a number of lucrative partners during the campaign, with the aforementioned Tranquil Sea winning the Grade 2 Clonmel Oil Chase at Clonmel and the Grade 1 John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase at Punchestown. Perhaps his most notable partner was the Shark Hanlon-trained Hidden Cyclone, with McNamara riding the promising son of Stowaway to no less than five wins in novice hurdles, including two Grade 2 contests and one Grade 3 contest. As the end of the season approaches, Andrew lies in a close fourth in the race for the title of Champion Jockey and while he is unlikely to take that prestigious title this year, he has time on his side and it would take a brave man to say that he won’t claim that title at some stage in the years ahead.
Info supplied by Horse Racing Ireland - Updated May 2011
