Lusk based trainer Adrian (Ado) McGuinness enjoyed a fantastic year in 2006 with twenty three winners in the bag, an excellent total considering he has less than twenty horses in training. Adrian has only held a licence for a little over six years and his first winner was Keltech Grey in a bumper at Kilbeggan in August 2000. The same horse followed up over hurdles at Roscommon the following month before Adrian took charge of the horse that really made his name.
That horse was called Jack’s Estate and having won several races for trainer Declan Gillespie, he became one of the most consistent horses in training under Adrian’s care over the next couple of seasons. Effective from five furlongs to seven furlongs, he campaigned in many of the top sprints and was particularly effective on soft ground. In total, Jacks Estate won five races for Adrian and was placed on a further twenty one occasions, amassing over €270,000 in his 87 race career. Two of his more notable successes came in the 2003 Joe McGrath European Breeders Fund Handicap and the 2004 Land Rover Handicap, both races held at the Curragh which was where he ran some of his best races. Jacks Estate also finished second to the very useful Osterhase in the 2004 Rockingham Handicap while he also finished third in the Woodlands Stakes (listed race) at Naas in 2005.
Adrian has shown great skill in managing to keep his horses running consistently well for a long period of time and his ability to place his charges to great effect has been a feature of his training career. Victram was just a run of the mill performer in 2003 but the following season he struck a rich vein of form winning at Leopardstown, Roscommon and Navan while he also won over the Lartigue Hurdle at the Listowel Festival before scoring again at Naas in March 2005. Produced in top condition in the Irish Lincolnshire Handicap at the Curragh, Victram gave his trainer a notable flat success in one of the oldest races in the Irish Racing Calendar.
The horse was then given a break and returned to winning ways when taking another handicap at Navan in October 2005 before lining up in the William Hill Handicap Hurdle at Sandown the following month. Having travelled strongly for much of the journey, he struck the front over the second last hurdle and looked set to score but the stiff uphill finish found him out and he had to settle for third place. This performance saw him start favourite for the Pierse Hurdle at Leopardstown in January 2006 but the very heavy ground on that occasion was the main reason he performed well below par and was eventually pulled up. However, his shrewd trainer brought him back to Sandown in mid-March to take his chance in the Imperial Cup Handicap Hurdle, one of the most fiercely competitive events of the entire National Hunt season and this time struck gold as his charge battled on courageously to win by a neck from Dusky Warbler under a fine ride by Andrew Lynch.
This big race victory set the tone for the 2006 Flat Season and one of his stable stars was Miracle Ridge. A useful performer in his younger years when trained on the Curragh by Jim Gorman, this eleven year old had gone three years without a win and began the season off a mark of 40. Under Horse Racing Ireland guidelines, this meant that Miracle Ridge had to finish in the first five on either of his next three outings or he would not be allowed to race in flat races in Ireland again. However, under Adrian’s expert guidance, the horse re-discovered his old form with a vengeance and enjoyed a fantastic year winning six races all told and reaching the frame on several more occasions. His rating ended up at 76, an improvement of well over two and a half stone which is quite remarkable when one considers that he has raced on no fewer than 107 times in his long career.
Adrian also did well with the likes of Breaker Morant whom he placed to win on four consecutive occasions in the summer months while La Motta (3 victories), Distant Piper (2 wins) and Erra Go On (2 wins) have all paid their way for their connections. Adrian has also formed a fine partnership with champion jockey elect, Declan McDonogh, who partnered fifteen winners for the stable during the year and there is no doubt that Ado McGuinness is a name we will be hearing a lot more about in the coming years.
Info supplied by Horse Racing Ireland – Updated February 2007
