Emmet McNamara was the Irish apprentice find of 2008, impressing many with his stylish riding and tactical racing brain.
Principal Trainers: Ralph Beckett
Notable Wins:
- Hurry Harriet Stakes (Duchess Of Foxland 2010)
- Sunbury Stakes (Dohasa 2009)
- Star Appeal Stakes (Mister Tee 2009)
- Irish Cambridgeshire (Tis Mighty 2008)
McNamara has strong racing credentials, being a son of Eric McNamara, a talented National Hunt trainer. In common with so many top Irish jockeys, Emmet cut his teeth on the pony racing circuit. He stamped himself as a tremendous prospect in that sphere, becoming champion pony rider for two years on the trot and beating Norman Williamson’s long-standing record for individual winners in a season by riding 65 winners in his final campaign. In total, he rode over 145 winners on the pony racing scene.
Early Days
It was his father that provided him with his first ride in public, with him beating just one home on Soranna in a maiden at Limerick on June 22nd 2007. His reputation on the pony circuit evidently preceded him, as he was kept very busy from the outset and he gained his first win on the Tom Hogan-trained Prince Livius in a handicap at Tipperary on August 30th 2007. He went on to add two more wins to his tally that season, which was a more than satisfactory first campaign for him.
Becoming A Champion
However, things really took off for McNamara in 2008, as he became apprenticed to Ger Lyons and was given plenty opportunities from the Co. Meath trainer from the outset, helping his make a very fast start to the season. He formed notable partnerships with the Lyons-trained pair of Pasar Silbano and Fiery Lad, winning two races apiece on each, as well as gaining two wins on the Noel Meade-trained Queen Althea, all in the first few months of the season. He continued that momentum through the summer months and in late-August, McNamara gained by far the biggest win of his career in the Irish Cambridgeshire at the Curragh. Riding the Paddy Prendergast-trained Tis Mighty, he displayed a cool head to hold onto his mount, who was clearly travelling very well, until leading inside the final 1f to prevail by a length. In the weeks following that win, he further added to his tally by gaining another win on Fiery Lad at Dundalk and booting home the Lyons-trained Kinetic Quest to win a nursery at the same venue. With a number of his apprentice championship rivals hitting flat spots, McNamara continued his momentum in impressive fashion, gradually drawing clear of those rivals in the race for the much sought-after title. McNamara finished the season in the best possible fashion, riding Romeo’s On Fire to win a 6f handicap on the final card of the season at Dundalk. Following the running of the final race on that card, McNamara was crowned as Champion Apprentice, having finished six winners in front of his nearest pursuer.
Another Successful Campaign
2009 was another successful campaign for McNamara. While Ger Lyons was again the main contributor to his tally of winners, 2009 was notable for McNamara enjoying success for many more outside trainers. In terms of big-race winners, McNamara enjoyed two Listed wins on Lyons-trained horses during the campaign, riding Mister Tee to success in the Star Appeal Stakes at Dundalk in October and on Dohasa in the Sunbury Stakes at Kempton in December. Remarkably, despite riding one more winner than he had in the Championship-winning campaign the previous season, that tally was only good enough to finish fourth in the 2009 campaign.
With his claim now down to 3 lb, McNamara found the going a bit tougher in 2010. He didn’t get nearly as many rides as he had in the previous two seasons and unsurprisingly, the number of winners he rode dropped significantly too. His most notable partner during the campaign was the Mark Fagan-trained Duchess Of Foxland, with him riding the three-year-old to win the Listed Hurry Harriet Stakes at Gowran Park in August. That win was McNamara’s last success of the campaign in Ireland, as later that month he made the move to Britain to work for Classic-winning trainer Ralph Beckett. He wasted no time in getting off the mark for his new employer, winning a race at Bath before the end of the month.
Emmet McNamara’s talent in not in question and while opportunities dried up on him somewhat in Ireland, he could well prove to be yet another successful Irish apprentice that makes a telling impact in Britain.
Info supplied by Horse Racing Ireland - Updated January 2011
