Bobbyjo
(1990 – 2001) was an Irish bred
racehorse
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...
by Bustineto and Markup, best remembered as the winner of the
1999 Grand National
The 1999 Grand National (known as the Martell Grand National for sponsorship reasons) was the 152nd official renewal of the world-famous Grand National steeplechase that took place at Aintree near Liverpool, England, on 10 April 1999.
The ra ...
steeplechase
Steeplechase may refer to:
* Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles
* Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...
at
Aintree. Bobbyjo was owned by Bobby Burke Mullaghmore, Co. Galway.
Humble Beginnings
In 1991, Bobby Burke and his brother Eugene, who was breeding horses himself, met in Galway with businessman and auctioneer Liam Mulryan. They bought six horses from Liam. One was named Bobbyjo and spent the next few years at Eugene's farm in Mullaghmore before being sent for training with Tommy Carberry in July 1995. Bobbyjo was an Irish bred racehorse by Bustineto and Markup. The name Bobbyjo was created by joining Bobby's name with that of his wife Jo.
Grand National Success
Bobbyjo arrived at Aintree in 1999 having won the
Irish Grand National in 1998, however this was not regarded at the time as a good pointer to Grand National success as Irish trained runners had failed to win the race for twenty-four years. On the day Bobbyjo was the subject of a huge gamble that saw him sent off at the short odds of 10/1 with
Paul Carberry, the son of the trainer
Tommy
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in the saddle. As coincidence had it, Tommy had been the rider twenty-four years earlier, the last time an Irish trained runner had won the race.
The victory signalled an upturn in fortunes for Irish trained runners in the decade that followed, though he himself completed the course well beaten when defending his crown in
2000
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.
Death of Bobbyjo
Bobbyjo broke a knee at
Fairyhouse Racecourse in February 2001 and had to be put down one month later due to his incurable injuries. In memorial of the horse, a new steeplechase first run at Fairyhouse Racecourse in February 2003 has been named after him.
Pedigree
See also
*
Bobbyjo Chase
The Bobbyjo Chase is a Grade 3 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland. It is run at Fairyhouse Racecourse in February, over a distance of about 3 miles and 1 furlong (5,029 metres) and during the race there are twenty ...
External links
Bobbyjo Horse Pedigree
References
1990 racehorse births
2001 racehorse deaths
Racehorses bred in Ireland
Racehorses trained in Ireland
Grand National winners
Thoroughbred family 2-g
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