War horse back on the path with another Dundalk win

Meath could very well have a candidate to rival Steven Spielberg 'War Horse' following the successful return to the track of a seven-year-old gelding named Billyford which won for the second time in three weeks at Dundalk last Friday. That December victory was also achieved at Dundalk and marked a return to the winners' enclosure after an enforced three-year absence from the track due to injury and some court wrangling over ownership. Happy owner Sally Roche, originally from Cornwall, but now involved in the training of Billyford with her husband, Liam, at Brownstown oustside Navan takes up the story. "Billy is a lovely horse and has now won six times, but apart from dealing with that injury after a race at Royal Ascot there was also some legal wrangling that was eventually resolved," commented the enthusiastic owner. "Unfortunately, between the injury, initially, and then the courts, Billyford was unable to run, even after he had fully recovered from the injury. "I'm writing a book about Billyford, it's nearly finished, it's about all the ups and downs that he experienced, he is a real family horse. "Billyford is actually named after my brother, who passed away some time ago. "The horse was injured when he ran in the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2008 and was then off the track until September last year, that's a long time for a racehorse," she added. That 2008 Royal Ascot race was won by Aqlaam which went on to win a group one race at Longchamp and also finished fourth in the 2009 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Royal Ascot behind Rip Van Winkle. From running in that type of top class company, and with a rating of 106 in 2008, Billyford returned to the track for his first run in 39 months at Dundalk last September in a 70 - 100 handicap over 10 furlongs. He duly trailed in at the rear of the field. For many of the partons at Dundalk that night it was just another horse making up the numbers, but for his owner, and trainer it represented a small victory on a road that could still lead to some more big race successes in the future. Liam Roche is a nephew of the former champion flat jockey and now successful Kildare-based trainer Christy Roche and he currently has more than 20 horses in training at Brownstown since he set up there last year after returning from a brief stint in England. "We don't know how good Billyford is at this stage as he has lost three years - no matter how good he is you can't get those years back," remarked Sally Roche. "We trained on the Curragh for about 15 years and then we moved to England with all the horses, but we came back to Ireland after about a year and now we are based near Navan. "I didn't want to go back to the Curragh, I really wanted to go to somewhere in Meath and when we found a base we brought back 22 horses from England. "We are in Brownstown now about a year and have settled in really well at this stage. It was great to get Johnny Murtagh to ride the horse in his last two races. "We may go back to Dundalk for another race before trying for something a bit more ambitious when the flat season starts on the turf. "In the meantime, we are just delighted that Billyford is getting back to the type of form he showed in 2008 prior to the injury," she concluded. Murtagh's victory on Billyford last Friday night completed a double for the Bohermeen man who won the opening race with a facile victory for Dunshaughlin-based trainer Eddie Lynam with the well-named Muck'N'Brass.