Address: Ballyne Stables, Ballingarry, Co. Limerick
Principal Jockeys: Davy Russell, Brian Byrnes
Notable Wins: Visit Punchestown.com Juvenile Hurdle (Pittoni 2010), December Festival Hurdle (Solwhit 2009), Dobbins & Madigans at Punchestown Hurdle (Solwhit 2009), Rabobank Champion Hurdle (Solwhit 2009), Aintree Hurdle (Solwhit 2009), Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle (Weapon’s Amnesty 2009), Newlands Chase (Carthalawn 2009), Red Mills Trial Hurdle (Solwhit 2009), Kinloch Brae Chase (Cailin Alainn 2009), Paddy Fitzpatrick Memorial Novice Chase (Merchent Paddy 2009), Leopardstown November Handicap (Solwhit 2008), Toshiba Novice Hurdle (Liskennett 2008), Bank Of Ireland EBF Mares Novice Chase (Laetitia 2007), Powers Whiskey Novice Chase (Cailin Alainn 2006), Drinmore Novice Chase (Cailin Alainn 2006), Irish Stallion Farms EBF (Mares) Novice Hurdle Championship Final (Cailin Alainn 2006), Michael Purcell Memorial Novice Hurdle (Mounthenry 2006), Byrne Group plc Novice Hurdle (Mounthenry 2006), O'Connell Transport Cork Stayers Novice Hurdle (Alpha Royale 2005, Barrow Drive 2001), Scarvagh House Stud Mares Novice Hurdle (Laetitia 2005), Pierse Hurdle (Dromlease Express 2004), Pierse Leopardstown Handicap Chase (Cloudy Bays 2004), Troytown Handicap Chase (Cloudy Bays 2003), 'For Auction' Novice Hurdle (Golden Row 2001), Ballybrit Novice Chase (Sunset Lodge 2000), Munster National Handicap Chase (Super Franky 2000)
Early Days
The Byrnes' family had a background in farming and had always dabbled in horses, before Charles decided to take a more serious involvement in the sport. Having taken out his trainer’s licence in 1994 with just a handful of horses that were all owned by himself, he wasted no time in establishing a reputation of a man whose horses were to be feared when the money was down. Indeed, Superior Risk was very well backed before making a winning debut in a bumper at Limerick in April 1995, giving Byrnes his first winner as a trainer with just his fourth runner. That winner was subsequently sold on to race for Martin Pipe for whom he was Grade 1-placed in novice hurdle company.
The star performer of the early part of Byrnes’ training career was unquestionably Old Abbey, whom he placed to great effect to complete a hat-trick in handicap hurdles in the winter of 1995/6. However, there were four horses that saw Byrnes make the leap from a position where he himself was largely his best customer to where he was training for a multitude of owners. The first was Sunset Lodge who landed a gamble when winning a bumper at Thurles on his racecourse debut in January 1998 and went on to win four of his next six starts in bumpers/hurdles. He went on to make an even bigger impact when sent over fences, winning four times over the larger obstacles in 2000/1 including the Grade 3 Ballybrit Novice Chase at Galway. Super Franky won no less than 10 races during his career, with the highlight coming in the 2000 renewal of the Munster National Handicap Chase at Cork. Beacon Lodge was not as classy as Super Franky, but that didn’t stop him winning eight races in little more than a year in 1999/2000. The last of the four was Golden Row, who won eight races for Byrnes including the Grade 3 ‘For Auction’ Novice Hurdle at Navan in 2001.
Climbing The Ladder
After showing how well he could do when given some more potent ammunition, Byrnes began to receive an even higher class of horse and while his overall number of horses stayed much the same, the prize money his charges earned increased significantly in the 2003/4 season. The main money spinner was Cloudy Bays, who completed a notable double in two of the seasons most competitive handicap chases, the Troytown Chase at Navan and the Pierse Leopardstown Handicap Chase. The latter win formed one half of a double that propelled Byrnes into the national spotlight, as 30 minutes later he saddled Dromlease Express to land a gamble in the ultra-competitive Pierse Hurdle. Cloudy Bays proved to be one of Byrnes’ best ever earners, going on to win another four races, including two listed chases, in subsequent seasons.
The 2005/6 season saw a number of talented young horses emerge from Byrnes’ yard and they were the driving force behind what would prove to be his best-ever season at the stage. Mounthenry was perhaps the star performer of the season, winning a bumper and five races over hurdles, including two Grade 2 novice events. Laetitia also played her part, winning two bumpers as well as a Grade 3 and listed novice hurdle. Another to contribute a vast amount during the calendar year of 2006 was Cailin Alainn, with the progressive mare winning six races on the trot, including a Grade 3 novice hurdle and two Grade 1 novice chases.
The next two seasons were a bit quieter by comparison to 2005/6, but that didn’t stop Byrnes coming close to gaining his first win at the Cheltenham Festival, saddling the Grade 3-winning novice hurdler Powerstation to finish second in the Brit Insurance Novices' Hurdle in 2006 and the listed and Grade 2-winning novice hurdler Liskennett to finish a close second in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle in 2008.
Striding To Another Level
As good as 2006 was for Byrnes, 2009 will be remembered as the year that he broke into the big time. The year began with Merchent Paddy winning the Grade 2 Paddy Fitzpatrick Memorial Novice Chase at Leopardstown and the following month, Cailin Alainn returned to something like her best by winning the Grade 2 Kinloch Brae Chase at Thurles. Less than a month after that, Carthalawn gained a Grade 2 win of his own in the Newlands Chase at Naas. However, without doubt the highlight of the early part of Byrnes’ year came at the Cheltenham Festival. Having saddled two second-place finishers at the Mecca of National Hunt racing, Byrnes was understandably anxious to get off the mark at the Festival and he duly did in 2009 courtesy of the win of Weapon’s Amnesty in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle.
However, it was the aforementioned Solwhit that well and truly led the way in 2009, bouncing back from a surprise defeat in a listed race at Thurles to rack up a remarkable sequence of wins that began with the Red Mills Trial Hurdle at Gowran Park in February. Byrnes opted to skip the Cheltenham Festival with the five-year-old and was richly rewarded, with his stable star registering an impressive win over seasoned hurdlers in the Aintree Hurdle before bettering that effort by getting the better of the Cheltenham Champion Hurdle winner Punjabi by a short-head in the Rabobank Champion Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival. Those wins stamped him as a very serious Champion Hurdle prospect for 2010 and following his summer break, he reinforced that view with further Grade 1 wins in the Dobbins & Madigans at Punchestown Hurdle in November and the December Festival Hurdle at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting, finishing third in an unsuitably-run renewal of the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle in between. Solwhit’s next assignment will come in the Toshiba Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown on Sunday and should he do the business there, all roads will lead to Cheltenham for the Champion Hurdle in March.
To The Future
However, it is anything but a one-horse show in Byrnes yard and indeed, just a few days ago Byrnes unveiled another promising hurdling prospect in the shape of Pittoni, who won a Grade 3 juvenile hurdle at Punchestown in great style and looks to be a contender for the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
All told, Charles Byrnes has most certainly broken into the upper echelons of the Irish training ranks and with the likes of Solwhit along with a strong supporting cast at his disposal, this Limerick-based trainer looks likely to continue his rise up the ranks in the coming months and years.
