Michael "Mouse" Morris, formally the Hon. Michael Morris, (born 4 April 1951) is an Irish
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 ...
trainer and former amateur and professional
jockey. As a trainer, he has won the
Grand National
The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handica ...
and the
Cheltenham Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ...
, and has won the
Irish Grand National twice. In 2016, he won both the Grand National and Irish Grand National double.
Early life
Morris was born in
Spiddal
Spiddal ( ga, An Spidéal , meaning 'the hospital') is a village on the shore of Galway Bay in County Galway, Ireland. It is west of Galway city, on the R336 road. It is on the eastern side of the county's Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area) ...
,
County Galway
"Righteousness and Justice"
, anthem = ()
, image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg
, map_caption = Location in Ireland
, area_footnotes =
, area_total_km2 = ...
, Ireland and is the third son of
Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin, who was president of the
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swis ...
from 1972 to 1980 and Chairman of
Galway Racecourse
Ballybrit Race Track, also known as Galway Racecourse, is a horse race course in County Galway, Ireland. It is located in the townland of Ballybrit, in the environs of Castlegar, just north of the N6 Bóthar na dTreabh, c.6 km northeast ...
from 1970 to 1985. His mother, Sheila, was the daughter of Canon Douglas Dunlop,
Rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of
Oughterard
Oughterard () is a small town on the banks of the Owenriff River close to the western shore of Lough Corrib in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. The population of the town in 2016 was 1,318. It is located about northwest of Galway on the N5 ...
and the granddaughter of
Henry Dunlop who was involved in the construction of
Lansdowne Road
Lansdowne Road Stadium ( ga, Bóthar Lansdún, ) was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) that was primarily used for rugby union and association football matches. The stadium was demolished in 2007 to make way for ...
in 1872. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
his mother was a
cryptographer
Cryptography, or cryptology (from grc, , translit=kryptós "hidden, secret"; and ''graphein'', "to write", or '' -logia'', "study", respectively), is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of adv ...
at
Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park is an English country house and estate in Bletchley, Milton Keynes (Buckinghamshire) that became the principal centre of Allied code-breaking during the Second World War. The mansion was constructed during the years following ...
.
According to Morris, "she was in Hut 6, but she wouldn't ever talk about it. Neither of them would talk about the war. She was bound by the Official Secrets Act, but whatever she did, she got an MBE for it."
Morris's twin brother John "Johnny" became a photographer and married
Thelma Mansfield. Their elder brother,
George Redmond "Red", followed in the footsteps of their father, Lord Killanin, by becoming a film producer. They also have one sister, Monica Deborah.
At aged fifteen his formal education ended following his diagnosis with
dyslexia
Dyslexia, also known until the 1960s as word blindness, is a disorder characterized by reading below the expected level for one's age. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, r ...
. Morris then began working at racing stables.
Family
Morris was married to Susanna Felicity Clark. They had two sons, James "Jamie" born in 1983 and Christopher "Tiffer" born in 1985. Tiffer died in June 2015, aged 30, of
carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) at excessive levels. Symptoms are often described as " flu-like" and commonly include headache, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Larg ...
while traveling in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...
.
[
]
Jockey
Initially, Morris came to prominence as an amateur jockey. In 1974 he rode Mr Midland
''Mister'', usually written in its contracted form ''Mr.'' or ''Mr'', is a commonly used English honorific for men without a higher honorific, or professional title, or any of various designations of office. The title 'Mr' derived from earlier ...
to victory at Cheltenham giving Edward O'Grady his first Festival winner.South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = "Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = G ...
's Colonial Cup.
Trainer
Morris is based in Fethard Co Tipperary. In 1981, he took out a licence and began his National Hunt
In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...
training career.Buck House Buck House may refer to:
in Sri Lanka
*Buck House, a house of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia
in the United Kingdom
*Buckingham Palace, formerly known as Buckingham House
* Buck House Merton Bank, Douglas, Isle of Man, one of Isle of Man's Regis ...
won the 1983 Supreme Novice Hurdle, giving him his first winner at Cheltenham.gelding
A gelding is a castration, castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven horse behavior, behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer a ...
War Of Attrition
The War of Attrition ( ar, حرب الاستنزاف, Ḥarb al-Istinzāf; he, מלחמת ההתשה, Milhemet haHatashah) involved fighting between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and their allies from ...
to win the 2006 Cheltenham Gold Cup, beating another Irish challenger Hedgehunter on Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick ( ga, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit=the Day of the Festival of Patrick), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patr ...
. In 2008, he trained Hear The Echo
Hear The Echo (2001 – 4 April 2009) was an Irish-bred National Hunt racing horse trained by Mouse Morris and ridden by jockey Davy Russell.
In 23 starts Hear The Echo won four races, finished second once and third once, with career earnings w ...
to victory in the Irish Grand National. In 2011, he trained the winner of the Grade 1 Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham, First Lieutenant, ridden by Davy Russell
Davy Russell (born 27 June 1979) is a retired Irish National Hunt jockey. He was Irish jump racing Champion Jockey three times, and won the Grand National (twice), the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris.
Childhood and a ...
. In 2016, he won the Irish Grand National again this time with Rogue Angel. Also in 2016, he won the Grand National
The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handica ...
for the first time with Rule The World.
Major wins
Ireland
* Arkle Novice Chase -(2) Buck House (1985), His Song (1999)
* Christmas Hurdle
The Christmas Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Kempton Park over a distance of about 2 miles (3,219 metres ...
-(1) What A Question (1996)
* Dr P. J. Moriarty Novice Chase -(1) Cahervillahow (1990)
* Fort Leney Novice Chase -(1) Boss Doyle (1997)
* Golden Cygnet Novice Hurdle -(1) Monifeth Man (2000)
* Greenmount Park Novice Chase -(1) Baily Breeze (2005)
* Herald Champion Novice Hurdle -(1) His Song (1998)
* John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase -(1) Cahervillahow (1993)
* Ladbrokes Champion Chase
The Ladbrokes Champion Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Down Royal over a distance of about 3 miles (4,828 metres), and during its ...
-(1) Foxchapel King (2001)
* Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle -(2) His Song (1997), First Lieutenant (2010)
* Punchestown Champion Chase -(1) Buck House (1985)
* Punchestown Gold Cup -(1) War Of Attrition (2006)
* Racing Post Novice Chase -(1) His Song (1998)
* Ryanair Novice Chase -(1) Alcapone (2001)
* Savills Chase -(2) Cahervillahow (1990), Foxchapel King (2001)
* Slaney Novice Hurdle
The Slaney Novice Hurdle, currently known for sponsorship purposes as the Lawlor's of Naas Novice Hurdle, is a Grade One National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland. It is run in January at Naas Racecourse, ov ...
-(2) Venalmar (2008), Rule The World (2013)
----
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
* Betway Bowl
The Betway Bowl is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Aintree over a distance of about 3 miles and 1 furlong (3 mile ...
-(1) First Lieutenant (2013)
* Cheltenham Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ...
-(1) War of Attrition (2006)
* Mildmay Novices' Chase -(1) Boss Doyle (1998)
* Stayers' Hurdle -(1) Trapper John (1990)
* Supreme Novices' Hurdle
The Supreme Novices' Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of a ...
-(1) Buck House (1983)
* Grand National
The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handica ...
-(1) Rule the World (2016)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Mouse
Living people
1951 births
Irish jockeys
Irish racehorse trainers
Sportspeople from County Galway
Sportspeople from County Tipperary
Younger sons of barons
People educated at St Conleth's College