Jim Dreaper still going strong at 70 with more winners on the cards

For proud Meath man Jim Dreaper this week is significant as he will celebrate his 70th birthday and reflect on almost half-a-century since he took over the reins at Greenogue from his late father, the legendary Tom Dreaper.

There will, no doubt, be a family celebration and the 'birthday boy' will probably endure more than enjoy whatever surprises his wife Patricia has organised.

He may as well start preparing now for the couple's golden wedding anniversary, a fine achievement, that will be celebrated in 2024, but for this week, at least, he will have the limelight to himself.

More a man for getting on with whatever the current task is, he also understands that there are times when you have 'to go with the flow' and this week, as he clocks up 70, is one of those times.

Mention the name Dreaper to any man or woman with even only a minor knowledge of horseracing and it's likely that the name of either Tom Dreaper or Arkle will be mentioned.

For Jim, some 55 years after the great Arkle ran his last race, he can still look out a window of the family home at the famous stable where Arkle lived.

"Arkle was in box number seven, it's still there, we call it the front yard, it looks out on to the road going to Swords, we have a Dublin postal address, but all the land is in Meath and I'm definitely a Meath man," he told the Meath Chronicle.

"The local post office used to be Kilsallaghan, but it's not there anymore, there was talk of a jail in the pipeline around here at one stage in recent years, but it didn't go ahead.

"Once the post office closed it meant that the post now comes from Swords, but the farm, every acre of it, is in Meath.

"I’ve always supported Meath, it's my county although I never had much opportunity to play Gaelic football.

"My earliest memories of the Meath team go back to the Quinn brothers from Kilbride, Jack, Gerry and Martin.

“There was a man who worked here at that time from Kilbride, John Sullivan, he probably influenced me a bit with all the stories about the great Kilbride team from that era.

"Then there was the Sean Boylan era, a fantastic time for Meath supporters everywhere, winning Leinster and All-Ireland titles," he added before he was reined in and the talk turned to what it was really supposed to be about - Jim Dreaper, the man who stepped into the shoes of a legend.

Jim Dreaper took over officially from his father Tom on 1st January 1972, but he was always going to be involved in riding and training horses.

"My memories of Arkle would have been a bit clouded by the fact that at that time, the 1960s, I was away in boarding school at Headfort in Kells for nine months of every year," he said.

"In that era it was a case of 'children were to be seen and not heard' at least not until they could contribute to the cause.

"I would have been home in the summer months, but after all this time I find it difficult to tell what I actually remember compared to what I was actually told.

"We had a great outlet to the outside world when I was in Headfort, the headmaster was an Englishman and I suppose I could say he had a low enough appreciation of people in the horse industry.

"But, the history and geography teacher was a man named Jack Sweetman and he had a different demeanour, he kept us in the loop, incidentally his son Alan went on to work for the Racing Post.

"This was the period from about 1958 to 1964, no mobile phones then, hardly even a phone in a lot of places, another chap there also was one Arthur Moore, son of another horseracing legend, Dan Moore, but Jack Sweetman used to keep us up to date.

"Then there was a local man from near Moynalty, Cyril Bryce-Smith and another man from Kilskyre, Jimmy Wilson, we used to get out to Moynalty and Kilskyre the odd time as a kind of a break.

"Cyril and Jean Bryce-Smith, they had children John and Helen, now Helen McDonogh, the mother of Declan who was the champion flat jockey in 2007 I think it was.

"Helen was making a big impact on the point-to-point circuit in an era when women were generally frowned upon in what was a male-dominated sport.

"That's a long-winded version of my memories of Arkle, but I can tell you he was a very ordinary horse when he started off.

"The fact that he progressed into the great horse that everyone loved had more to do with my father's patient approach.

"My father had great patience with a horse that he felt needed time, it's not like that now in most places.

"I can understand that totally as present-day owners want to see their horse run as soon as possible due to the costs involved.

"There was also the fact back in the 1950s that some of the owners my father had were in a position where they could afford to wait.

“They were seriously wealthy people and that was in the 1950s when there weren't too many millionaires around.

"Wealthy or not, they would hardly dare ask my father what was happening?

"He would tell them what they needed to know and that their horse would run when ready, that could be in a year or maybe two years.

"Arkle was a real pet around the yard, a real gentle horse, I may have sat up on him once or twice, but that was about all.

"Three horses arrived here around that time, all named after mountains in Scotland, Foinavon, Arkle and Ben Stack.

"Initially Foinavon was the most promising and Arkle wasn't really that great at the start.

"Foinavon won a few races of a lower grade before he departed, he wasn't that interested in running too fast too often and even managed to test my father's patience.

"He fell one day at Baldoyle with Pat Taaffe, Foinavon didn't even bother getting up, he just lay there and started eating grass, he ran a few more times, but was soon on his way,” recalled Jim.

Once the education was completed it was down to the basics of the day-to-day routine of a top racing stable.

There was the emerging talent of a young amateur jockey - Mr JTR Dreaper - who had his first outing on the racetrack at the decidely flat-orientated Phoenix Park in 1967.

The Park was one of two Dublin tracks that closed for housing development, the Park closed in 1990 while the other was the seaside track at Baldoyle which closed in 1972.

"I rode in my first race in a Phoenix Park bumper, I finished fourth or fifth and the whole experience was a blur really from start to finish," he said.

"The excitement of the whole day, getting legged up in the parade ring and then the race and then it was over.

"My first outing at Aintree was in the 1971 Grand National and it was a really exciting day.

"I finished second on Black Secret and probably could have won, but there was a mare on the rail at the elbow, Sandy Sprite, and she hung out and left a gap for Specify to come up on her inside for a narrow win.

"In fact it was the famous Foinavon fence (the 23rd) that cost me the race that day, there was a gap in the fence on the second circuit and my horse and the one beside me both went for it.

"We collided and nearly fell, but I recovered and managed to get back into the race and claim second place.

"It's not as demanding a race now as it was back then, but it's still a hard race and you have to have a fully fit horse to have any chance of winning it," he added.

The transition to trainer, following in the footsteps of a legendary figure like TW Dreaper, was almost seamless and Jim put that down to the excellent staff that his late father had.

"I took over the training licence for 1972 and everything was ready, it was up to me to keep the show on the road," he said.

"I had a winner with my first runner, Straight Fort at Sandown, I wasn't there but he would have travelled over by air from Dublin, we had some staff at that time who just wouldn't fly, it would be the ferry or nothing.

"The ferry is much simpler, you load the horse and he doesn't get out of the box until you arrive at the racecourse, it just takes longer by boat," he added.

The young trainer enjoyed another big day when he made the short journey to Skerries in 1974 for his wedding - wife Patricia has been a pivotal figure since.

The success continued and an Irish Grand National was won in 1974 with Colebridge before the three in four years with Brown Lad.

"The Irish National can be just as demanding as Aintree, the fences are more straightforward, but if the runners are going flat out for the last two-and-a-half miles then you have to have a horse that can handle that," he stated.

"Brown Lad was about six or seven before he started off and we got him, Tommy Carberry put in a lot of effort to get him jumping, he won two Irish Nationals on him in 1975 and 1976, that made it three-in-a-row for myself as I won my first National in 1974 with Colebridge.

"Brown Lad missed 1977 with leg trouble, but we got him back again in 1978 and to win as a 12-year-old with top weight was a great achievement for Gerry Dowd from Dunshaughlin.

"Winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup with Ten Up was also great occasion, but I'll say it again, a lot of the success is down to the staff.

“We also had owners who were able to keep a good horse in Ireland," he added..

Looking to the future, there is still plenty of enthusiasm and now, with son Thomas playing a major role, it looks like the Dreaper dynasty will continue with the patient approach still very much to the fore.

“Thomas spent a number of years in England as a professional jockey, he had a year with Robert Alner as an amateur initially, but then he tried it as a professional.

“Despite his height he spent four or five years with Ferdy Murphy in Yorkshire, he learned plenty there and now he's back home.

"We work well together with the horses and the farm, it's what we do and we will continue doing it.

"We'd have very few horses in training during the summer months, but it can overlap a little.

"We generally have around 30 horses, but we lost very good owners, the late Alan and Ann Potts, they owned all the Sizing horses.

"Thomas has good contacts and is very good at moving horses on to England after we start them in the point-to-points and that's very important," he added.

Training now in comparison to 50 years ago is broadly similar according to Jim Dreaper who got 2021 off to a good start.

"We had a winner at Fairyhouse a few weeks ago, but the real issue for the past 12 months has been this Covid-19," he said.

"It has had a big impact on ownership in racing, a lot of people who would normally have a horse or two in training have had to assess things and have possibly cut back on that type of expenditure for the moment anyway.

"The dream of having a winner is still a big attraction, even if it's a lower grade race, hopefully that will return when we get through this.

"Since I started out at this I can say that one of the things I am most pleased about is that the conditions for staff and jockeys have generally improved.

"We are blessed to be able to carry on racing at the moment, the owners can't go, but at least they can watch it on television.

"Horse Racing Ireland deserve great credit for the way they have handled the pandemic.

"From a training perspective the finances are very much determined by labour costs and you can't always get staff willing to do the job.

"I can fully understand that many parents do not want their son or daughter going into racing, it's a tough job.

"I'm sort of looking forward to blowing the candles out on the cake this weekend and then it will be time to feed the horses so I probably won't be able to stay for the party," he concluded.

TAKE FIVE WITH JIM DREAPER

1. FAVOURITE HORSE

Has to be Brown Lad for the three Irish Grand Nationals wins, twice for the late Tommy Carberry and once with Gerry Dowd, both fine Meath men.

Brown Lad won in 1975 and 1976, but he missed 1977 due to leg trouble.

We got him back for 1978 and with top weight it was a fine achievement to win it three times.

2. MOST MEMORABLE RACING MOMENT

Cheltenham in 1975 and winning the Gold Cup with Ten Up, the late Tommy Carberry was on board.

In that era Cheltenham wasn't as hyped-up as it is now, but it was huge for everyone involved in racing.

We had three winners that year at Cheltenham, Ten Up winning the Gold Cup and we also won the Champion Chase with Lough Inagh and the Stayers' Hurdle with Brown Lad.

3. WEDDING DAY

A great day for myself and Patricia, it was memorable for many reasons, but particularly in the church.

I was up there at the altar in Skerries, kneeling with my soon-to-be wife and of course there was the new shoes.

The price was on the soles for everyone to see as the priest was telling us what to do and all that used to go along with a wedding ceremony back in 1974.

Since then I've always done what I have been told and it's a great recipe for a successful marriage."

4. TRAINING THAT FIRST WINNER

When the training licence was changed into my name for 1st January 1972 it brought a new type of pressure, but Straight Fort won the next day at Sandown.

So a winner on day one was a great introduction. I wasn't at Sandown, but it was memorable as the horse travelled by air from Dublin.

I think it was a rickety old Dakota complete with propellers and they had stalls for the horses to stand in.

They could take three abreast and then they would have to set up the next three, it was slow process.

One thing I do remember was how cold it always was at airports waiting to load horses.

It was simpler by ferry, but that took much longer. I suppose travelling horses by air to the races in the 1960s and 1970s was something new and innovative.

5. GOING CLOSE AT AINTREE - BLACK SECRET second to Specify in 1971

Black Secret in the 1971 Aintree Grand National, that was something else.

We were just beaten by a neck by Specify, but it was, start to finish, an absolute thrill.

Pat Taaffe was the jockey here at the time, a real quiet man, but he gave me some good advice, he told me to just jump each fence, take it one at a time, dont worry about what you might do later in the race.

In the weighroom that day there were some great jockeys, Stan Mellor, Terry Biddlecombe, David Mould, Ron Barry, Tommy Carberry, Bobby Coonan, my classmate from Headfort School Arthur Moore was riding that day also.

When the head steward came in, it was Lord Derby complete with bowler hat, there was silence as he delivered the customary pre-race speech.

Take your time, it's four-and-a-half miles, everyone doesn't have to be first to the first fence was the advice and it's a tradition I suppose that still goes on today.

1967 AINTREE GRAND NATIONAL FOINAVON

Foinavon won the 1967 Aintree Grand National at 100/1 after a pile up at the 23rd fence.

Foinavon was so far behind at that stage he was able to avoid all the fallers and jump clear by the time he got to the fence.