Michael ‘Mouse’ Morris

Principal Jockeys: Slippers Madden, Martin Ferris

MouseMorrisNotable Wins:

  • Alo Duffin Memorial Galmoy Hurdle (War Of Attrition 2010)
  • "Monksfield" Novice Hurdle (The Hurl 2009)
  • The Star "Best For Racing Coverage" Chase (War Of Attrition 2008)
  • Irish Grand National (Hear The Echo 2008)
  • Woodlands Park 100 Slaney Novice Hurdle (Venalmar 2008)
  • Paddy Fitzpatrick Memorial Novice Chase (Hear The Echo 2007)
  • Normans Grove Chase (Fota Island 2006)
  • Red Rum Handicap Chase (Fota Island 2005)
  • Grand Annual Handicap Chase (Fota Island 2005)
  • Paddy Power Chase (Keepatem 2004)
  • Ericsson Chase James Nicholson Champion Chase (Foxchapel King 2001)
  • Munster National (Foxchapel King 2001)
  • Newlands Chase (His Song 2000)
  • Troytown Handicap Chase (Foxchapel King 1999)
  • Irish Arkle (His Song 1999)
  • Denny Gold Medal Novice Chase (His Song 1998)
  • Champion Novice Hurdle (His Song 1998)
  • Stayers Hurdle (Trapper John 1990)
  • Queen Mother Champion Chase (Buck House 1986)
  • Supreme Novices Hurdle (Buck House 1983)

60 Seconds With Mouse Morris

Q: What has been your most memorable day in racing?

A: Winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup with War Of Attrition.

Q: Do you get the same thrill from training a winner as you used to get from riding a winner?
A: They are two different types of thrills. I suppose training is safer!

Q: If you weren’t a trainer, what would you be?
A: A photographer.

Q: Of the big races you have not yet won, which would you most like to win and why?
A: The Aintree Grand National, but the handicapper doesn’t seem as keen for me to win it as I am!

Q: What is your horse to follow for the coming National Hunt season?
A: An unraced horse called Baily Green that will start off soon.

A Successful Career In The Saddle

Michael ‘Mouse’ Morris has been a prominent figure in Irish National Hunt racing for well over 30 years. Like many future trainers, he first came to prominence as a jockey and he was an amateur rider of considerable talent. In 1974 he helped Edward O’Grady claim his first Cheltenham Festival winner when riding Mr Midland to victory in the National Hunt Chase, but perhaps the highlights of his career in the saddle came when he rode the durable Skymas to back-to-back victories in the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 1976 and 1977.

A Fast Beginning To A New Season

Having taken out his trainers licence in the early 1980’s, Morris was very fortunate to get his all-important breakthrough horse at an early stage of his training career in the shape of Buck House. He gave Morris his first winner at the Cheltenham Festival when prevailing in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in 1983, but it wasn’t until he went over fences that he truly realised his potential. He gained his most famous success in the 1986 Queen Mother Champion Chase under Thomas Carmody in 1986. A month after that win, a match race was arranged at Punchestown between him and the Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning mare, Dawn Run, and he did exceptionally well to finish within two lengths of that hugely-talented mare. However, that would tragically be the last time Buck House would be seen on the racetrack as he succumbed to a bout of colic a month later.

Star Performers

The entrance into the 1990’s saw even more success come the way of the Mouse Morris yard and Trapper John got the decade off to the perfect start when winning the Stayers Hurdle under Charlie Swan at the Cheltenham Festival in 1990.

The consistent Cahervillahow was a great servant for Morris, winning eight races in total. However he is perhaps best known for his unfortunate defeats than his victories. He came within a short-head of winning the 1991 renewal of the Irish Grand National and three weeks later he was controversially disqualified in the Whitbread Gold Cup having finished first past the post. He also had the dubious honour of finishing second in the infamous 1993 Aintree Grand National which was voided following a shambolic start.

Later that decade, the immensely talented His Song was the flag bearer for the Morris yard. He was among the top novice hurdlers of his generation, finishing second to Istabraq in the AIG Champion Hurdle in 1998 on just his fourth racecourse outing before again filling the runner-up berth in the Supreme Novice Hurdle. He gained compensation for that defeat less than six weeks later when winning the Champion Novice Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival. There was understandably quite a bit of expectation surrounding him when he went over fences the following season and he did not let his supporters down, winning the Denny Gold Medal Novice Chase and the Irish Arkle. Unfortunately though, he experienced physical problems after his novice chasing season and never recaptured the same level of form, with his win in the 2000 renewal of the Newlands Chase being his final win.

Foxchapel King ensured that the transition into the new millennium was a smooth one for Morris, winning the 1999 renewal of the Troytown Handicap Chase before finishing in the frame in a number of big handicaps later in the season including the Irish Grand National. It was in late-2001 however that he really made his mark, winning the Munster National, the James Nicholson Champion Chase and the Ericsson Chase in the space of ten weeks.

There are few better examples of the ability of Mouse Morris to get the best from an injury prone horse than the JP McManus-owned Keepatem. He won three times over hurdles between January 2000 and April 2004 and twice finished in the frame in the Martell Cognac Handicap Hurdle at the Aintree Grand National meeting. However, he saved the best performance of his career until he went over the larger obstacles. Under a vintage waiting ride from Conor O’Dwyer, he landed a gamble of epic proportions in the 2004 renewal of the always competitive Paddy Power Chase in Leopardstown on only his fifth start over fences having been shrewdly campaigned in the months leading up to the race. 

Fota Island is another horse that has allowed Morris to exhibit his abundant talent to place his horses to excellent effect. Having won both of his bumper starts, his connections opted to skip a novice hurdle campaign with him and go straight over fences. However he failed to make a serious impact in his three starts over the larger obstacles and his attentions were soon turned to hurdling. It took a while for the penny to drop with him in that sphere, but by the end of the 2003/4 season, he had finished in the frame in three Grade 1 contests. The following season he was sent back over fences and while it again took a while for him to get the hang of things, he came good in spectacular fashion at the 2005 Cheltenham Festival, landing a significant gamble in the Grand Annual Handicap Chase. Three weeks later, he defied a 12lbs rise in the ratings to win the Red Rum Handicap Chase at the Aintree Grand National meeting. The following season, Fota Island continued to improve, winning the Grade 2 Normans Grove Chase at Fairyhouse prior to finishing second in Grade 1 company at the Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown Festivals.

The Era Of War Of Attrition

When discussing the training career of Mouse Morris, pride of place has to go to the immensely-talented War Of Attrition. His career began somewhat inauspiciously at a point-to-point at the Horse And Jockey back in March 2003 where he fell at the last fence with the race at his mercy. The following autumn he began what would prove to be a highly-promising novice hurdling campaign, winning twice before finishing a neck second to the mighty Brave Inca in the Supreme Novices Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. That highly-encouraging performance led many to believe that he would take high rank among the novice chasing brigade the following season.

His novice chase campaign began in promising style, with him narrowly prevailing in a beginners’ chase over 2m 6f at Thurles. However, he injured a splint bone during the race and was absent for three months as a result. He made an impressive return to action in a novice chase over 2m the following February and he went to the Arkle Chase at the Cheltenham Festival as an Irish banker. However, he could never get competitive in a race that was run at a blistering pace and could only finish seventh. He was again sent off as favourite in Aintree, but he could only finish a distant second to Ashley Brook. The Swordlestown Novice Chase at the Punchestown Festival looked to be a red-hot contest and having jumped the second last it looked as though War Of Attrition would again have to fill the runner-up berth, this time behind Watson Lake. However that horse tied up badly on the run-in and Mouse Morris’ charge exhibited stamina in abundance to make up an immense amount of ground to snatch the verdict in the final strides. Following the race, both Morris and Conor O’Dwyer were quick to suggest that he would be a much better horse over three miles the following season and a number of commentators boldly predicted that he could well develop into a Cheltenham Gold Cup contender.

The rising star was set a stiff task on his seasonal reappearance the following October as no less than Kicking King was present in the field. However, he rose to the occasion admirably, running out the cosy three lengths winner. A notable victory over Rathgar Beau in the Clonmel Oil Chase followed, but he disappointed when sent off at 4/5 to win the John Durkan Memorial Chase three weeks later. He bounced back to something near his best 17 days later when finishing second to Beef Or Salmon in the Grade 1 Lexus Chase and Morris opted to put him away until his ultimate target, the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

At the time it was a commonly held view that year’s renewal of the Cheltenham Gold Cup was below standard following the death of Best Mate and the injuries to Kicking King and Trabolgan. The result was that one of the biggest fields in living memory assembled for the race with 22 runners taking their place in the line-up. But, War Of Attrition, the youngest horse in the field, proved to be much the best on the day. He relished the good ground and stamina sapping trip, sealing his victory with two prodigious leaps at the final two obstacles to run out the 2½l winner from Hedgehunter. He wrapped up his season with a triumphant return to Ireland in the Guinness Gold Cup at the Punchestown Festival, making all to beat Beef Or Salmon by 2½l.

For the second year in succession, War Of Attrition made a successful seasonal reappearance in the Daily Star Chase last October, comfortably accounting for his old rival Watson Lake. He met with defeat on his next three starts on unsuitably soft ground and hopes were high that he would hit top form once again when encountering better going at Cheltenham. Unfortunately, it was not to be as injury intervened and as well as missing the remainder of that season, he also missed the entire 2007/8 season.

Filling The Void

For a stable’s star performer to get injured like that is a cruel blow, but Morris could only keep kicking on with the remainder of his team and it wasn’t long before a couple of other star performers began to emerge. Fittingly, just a couple of weeks after War Of Attrition’s final start before injury intervened, the Gigginstown House-owned Hear The Echo stamped himself as a promising chasing prospect by winning the Grade 2 Paddy Fitzpatrick Memorial Novice Chase at Leopardstown. Jumping frailties would hold that horse back for a little while, but he very much delivered on his promise when in March 2008, he won the Irish Grand National. Another talented Morris-trained horse that emerged soon after War Of Attrition’s injury was Venalmar, with the son of Kayf Tara winning the Grade 2 Woodlands Park 100 Slaney Novice Hurdle at Naas in January 2008 before going on to finish a neck second to Fiveforthreee in the Ballymore Properties Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival the following March. However, those horses were only keeping War Of Attrition’s seat warm at the head of the table before the mighty son of Presenting returned to racecourse action in October 2008.

The Return Of War

Having undergone stem cell treatment of his injured tendon, War Of Attrition made his return to the track in the Grade 3 The Star "Best For Racing Coverage" Chase at Punchestown and there was another former Gold Cup winner in opposition, Kicking King. However, it proved to be no contest, as War Of Attrition strolled home for an impressive 19 lengths success. He supplemented that win with another easy success in a conditions chase at Thurles three weeks later and the stage was set for his return to the highest level. Run on unsuitably soft ground, War Of Attrition acquitted himself very well to finish third in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase and then second in the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown. He again missed the Cheltenham Festival and his season ended on a low note with him being pulled up at the Punchestown Festival. However, that did not deter Morris and he was already looking forward to a productive campaign with his stable star in 2009/10.

War Of Attrition started off the new campaign with solid placed performances in a Grade 2 at Gowran Park and the JNwine.com Champion Chase at Down Royal, before disappointing in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury. After that, Morris opted to send his charge back over hurdles and following a pleasing fourth in the woodiesdiy.com Christmas Hurdle at the Christmas meeting at Leopardstown, it was decided to keep him over hurdles for the immediate future. That decision was rewarded in spades when, on his very next start, War Of Attrition returned to winning ways with a very game performance in the Grade 2 Alo Duffin Memorial Galmoy Hurdle at Gowran Park, prompting an emotional reception in the winner’s enclosure. The 11-year-old showed that win was no fluke when producing an even better performance to win the Grade 2 Ladbrokes.com Boyne Hurdle at Navan the following month, with the win again prompting a rapturous reception in the winner’s enclosure.

The plan that Morris had in mind for War Of Attrition was to give him his final racecourse start in the Aintree Grand National, but following what Morris considers unfair treatment by the English handicapper, that plan is now in jeopardy, with the World Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival looking a more likely target. Whatever he elects to do with his stable star, the 11-year-old owes nothing to anybody and has been a fine servant to Morris, Gigginstown House Stud and indeed, Irish racing.

After War Of Attrition is retired, Morris’ search for a new stable star will begin and with the likes of The Hurl, Baily Rock and Elysian Rock all showing abundant promise, it won’t be long before Morris is back winning races at the highest level.

Updated February 2010