Name: Address: Stepaside, Co. Dublin
Principal Jockeys: Sam Waley-Cohen, Mark Lynch
Notable Wins: Paddy Power Chase (Oscar Time 2009), I.N.H. Novice Hurdle Series (Colonel Yeager 1999)
Martin Lynch has never had the luxury of a large amount of horses to train, but he has produced more than his share of high-class performers during his time as a trainer. Until recent years, Colonel Yeager was his best known runner, but Oscar Time has helped bring Lynch back to the big-race scene and with him being one of the leading Irish fancies for the Aintree Grand National, Lynch has a very exciting few months ahead of him.
Early Days
Martin Lynch first came to public attention as a jump jockey of note. Born in Co. Meath, Lynch was initially associated with trainers Clem Magnier and John Fowler. During his amateur career, he rode the Fowler-trained Royal Dipper to success in the Morgiana Hurdle, but better would be forthcoming after he turned professional. His most notable domestic successes came on the Peter McCreery-trained Seskin Bridge in the Leopardstown Chase and Thyestes Chase in 1985. Lynch then took the decision to move to Britain where he rode for John Webber and John Upson, making a triumphant return to Ireland to win the prestigious Vincent O’Brien Irish Gold Cup (now known as the Hennessy Gold Cup) at Leopardstown on the Upson-trained Nick The Brief in 1990 and enjoying Cheltenham Festival success on the Webber-trained Elfast in the Mildmay Of Flete in 1992.
A New Career Beckons
Following his retirement from the saddle, Lynch returned to Ireland to begin his new career as a trainer. Initially based in Bill Durkan’s yard at Glencairn, Lynch was never one to fish for large numbers of horses to train, preferring quality over quantity and the likes of Party Woman, Head Banger and Caragh Bridge kept him amongst the winners in the early years of his new career. However, having moved to a property on the Middleton Park House estate in Co. Westmeath, which is famous for being the country mansion that Barney Curley audaciously raffled in the mid-80’s, Lynch finally came across the star performer he sought in Colonel Yeager.
Owned by the late Cathal Ryan, Colonel Yeager made an impressive start to his career in 1998, winning bumpers at Thurles and Tipperary by an aggregate of 26 lengths prior to finishing a length second to King’s Road in the Grade 1 bumper at the Punchestown Festival. Hopes were obviously high for his novice hurdling career in 1998/9 and he didn’t disappoint, winning three of his six starts including the Grade 2 I.N.H. Novice Hurdle Series at Punchestown, as well as finishing in the money in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and the Champion Novice Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival. Unfortunately, injury would intervene not long after that last-named race and Colonel Yeager would not run again for another two years.
A Career Break And The Return
By the time Colonel Yeager returned to the track in April 2001, Lynch had handed in his trainer’s license. With two young children and no stable star to look forward to, Lynch had decided to step back from training and get involved in other areas of the racing industry whilst his children grew. Having got involved in various consultancy and bloodstock roles, Lynch returned to the training ranks in 2006 with a renewed sense of vigour.
Once again, Lynch has opted to put quality ahead of quantity, but luckily for him, he didn’t have to wait long to come across a star performer in the shape of Oscar Time. While the son of Oscar took time to mature, the promise of what was to come was clear when he beat the subsequent Cheltenham Festival winner Weapon’s Amnesty in a bumper at Thurles in January 2008. A win over hurdles followed later that season, but it wasn’t until he was sent over fences during the 2008/9 season that he really began to prosper. Having got off the mark in a novice chase at Fairyhouse in February, he looked set to win a Grade 2 novice chase at Limerick in April only to come to grief at the final fence. However, that performance told Lynch that he had a well handicapped horse on his hands and a plan was soon hatched that would come to fruition to the following season.
Paddy Power Glory
Shrewdly kept over hurdles at the beginning of his 2009/10 campaign to preserve his attractive mark over fences, Oscar Time returned to the larger obstacles in the highly-valuable Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting. Backed from 20/1 to 10/1, the eight-year-old positively bolted up under Robbie Power, giving Lynch the biggest win of his training career. Following another run over hurdles, Lynch targeted his stable star at the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse and he only found Bluesea Cracker too good on the day. While it was disappointing to be beaten, that performance marked Oscar Time down as a potential Aintree Grand National contender and before the start of the following season, prominent owner Robert Waley-Cohen had purchased him with a view to winning the Aintree showpiece, crucially leaving him in Lynch’s care.
The Road To Aintree
With Aintree very much being the only target that matters to the new connections of Oscar Time, Lynch again decided to keep him over hurdles for the early part of his campaign. Once the weights for the Aintree Grand National were revealed, Lynch sent him back over fences for the traditional Aintree Grand National trial, the Grade 2 Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse in February and he ran a race full of promise to finish a not-knocked-about third. All roads now lead to Aintree and what will be the biggest day of Lynch’s training career.
Whatever happens at Aintree, Martin Lynch has more than proved his worth as a trainer and it would not surprise to see him being sent the quality of horse that his talents warrant in the near future. As well as that, it will be worth looking out for Martin’s son Mark, who has recently started off his own career as an amateur jockey.
Updated February 2011.
