Formerly a top amateur rider, Ted enjoyed plenty of success in the saddle with notable victories on Hilly Way in the 1979 Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham while he also won the Irish Champion Hurdle on Daring Run in 1981 and 1982. Ted is father to Irish Champion Jockey, Ruby, who is well on his way to becoming one of the greatest National Hunt jockeys this country has ever produced, and he is also a well known television personality working for R.T.E. whenever any race meetings are shown live on television. Ted is noted for telling it as he sees it and his direct approach, colourful language and forthright remarks have become part of the racing scene itself.
Ted is also a very fine trainer and although he has never built up a huge string of horses at his base in Kill due to his other commitments, some top class performers have passed through his hands and the stable has won numerous big races both at home and in Great Britain. In the early 1990’s, Alligator Joe won the Irish Lincolnshire Handicap at the Curragh while in 1997, Andy Deferens, named after a character in the film, The Shawshank Redemption, won the listed Eyrefield Stakes at Leopardstown to initiate an excellent double for Ted as he later sent out Commanche Court to win the Leopardstown November Handicap on the same afternoon.
Commanche Court proved to be a wonderful servant for the stable for five to six years and gave Ted his greatest thrill as a trainer when winning the 1997 Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham in the hands of Norman Williamson. Owned by well known businessman, Dermot Desmond, this son of Commanche Run was a tremendously consistent performer winning a total of 12 races and amassing over €400,000 in win prize money alone. At home, he won races like the Lismullen Hurdle, the Barry and Sandra Kelly Memorial Hurdle and the Christmas Hurdle before his attention was switched to steeplechasing in the 1999-2000 season. Pitched in at a high level on his first couple of outings which yielded a couple of decent placed efforts but no victories, Commanche Court lined up for the Powers Gold Label Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse in the year 2000 as a maiden over fences but on the day he proved a clearcut 14/1 winner in the hands of Ruby Walsh. This six week period will never be forgotten by the Walsh family as just two weeks earlier, Papillon landed a monumental nationwide gamble when winning the English Grand National at Aintree having been backed from 33/1 in the morning into 10/1 by off time and, to round things off, Commanche Court followed up his Irish National win with victory in the Heineken Gold Cup at the Punchestown Festival in late April. Two years later, Commanche Court almost landed a Cheltenham Gold Cup but had to give best to the Henrietta Knight trained Best Mate who subsequently went on emulate the mighty Arkle in winning the race on three consecutive occasions.
The previous year, Ted and Ruby enjoyed fine success with Rince Ri, another 12 time winner in a long career whose victories included triumphs in the Ericsson Chase of 1999 and 2000 as well as the 1999 Powers Gold Cup and the 2002 Pillar Property Chase at Cheltenham. In recent seasons, the stable flag has been flown with distinction by the likes of True Blue Victory who also won 12 times while Never Compromise almost gave Ted another Cheltenham winner when finishing runner up to Earthmover in the 2004 Christies Foxhunters Chase. Top Strategy won a Dennys Juvenile Hurdle in 2003 while Bob Justice, Some Buzz, An Modh Direach and Total Success have all added to the stable’s tally with several wins apiece. Ted scored another memorable victory when saddling Jack High to win the 2004 Troytown Handicap Chase at Navan before the same horse finished runner up to Numbersixvalverde in the Irish Grand National in March 2005. While Ted was understandably disappointed not to have won a second Irish Grand National, he was pleased to see his son Ruby ride the winner for his friend, Martin Brassil, and just four weeks later, Ted was again in the limelight when sending out Jack High to gain handsome compensation as he landed the Betfred Gold Cup at Sandown in the hands of Garrett Cotter. Later in 2005, the stable enjoyed another Grade One success when Southern Vic stamped himself as a potential top class staying chaser in the making when recording a wide margin win in the Rohcon/Ascon Novice Chase at Leopardstown over the Christmas period before following up with wins in further good novice races at Naas and Navan. There remain high hopes for this promising sort, who opened up the 2006/2007 season with a convincing win over 2 miles at Naas, and although not subsequently returning to the winner's enclosure, he remains an excellent prospect for the top staying handicap chases.
Info supplied by Horse Racing Ireland – Updated February 2007
