Gibney hoping for Fairyhouse three-peat
Racing article brought by Fairyhouse and Navan racecourse
DAVID JENNINGS
Tom Gibney has won Ireland's richest jumps race more times than Gordon Elliott. The shrewd trainer, who is based in Capranny Stud on the Kildalkey Road outside Trim, celebrated Irish Grand National glory in 2012 with Lion Na Bearnai and 12 years later he repeated the remarkable feat with Intense Raffles.
Those two huge wins puts him ahead of Elliott on the roll of honour - he has just the sole success to his name with General Principle in 2018 - and puts him up alongside the mighty Willie Mullins who has also won the Easter Monday marathon at Fairyhouse on two occasions.
It was no surprise to anyone when Intense Raffles’ big owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede came knocking on Gibney's door to train for them. His reputation had been soaring for the last decade with horses like Orpheus Valley, Agent Boru and Velvet Elvis putting him on the map.
It was, of course, Lion Na Bearnai who first brought Gibney to our attention. He rocked up to Fairyhouse for the Irish Grand National as a 33-1 outsider under Robinstown native Andrew Thornton, but made a mockery of that starting price with an emphatic victory over Out Now. He had won the Grade 2 Ten Up Novice Chase at Navan on his previous start.
"We were actually quietly confident that he would go close that day, although he didn't really want to say it beforehand," Gibney admitted of that famous first success in the Fairyhouse feature.
That's Gibney style. He always lets his horses do the talking for him. Always has, always will.
A dozen years later Gibney returned to the scene of his biggest triumph, but this time with a very well fancied contender in Intense Raffles, who was backed all the way into 13-2.
The giant grey gelding only gave his trainer one anxious moment when ploughing through the fourth-last fence, but he dusted himself down after that mistake and kept galloping for a one-and-a-half length victory over Any Second Now. JJ Slevin was the man doing the steering.
"I got so many hugs and kisses from people afterwards that it felt like my wedding!" Gibney said of the aftermath where well-wishers appeared from everywhere.
He added: "I'm a Meath man so to win the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse not once but twice is surreal. That win by Intense Raffles was all down to my staff. We have a small outfit with my family, my daughters, my wife and a small local team. They are brilliant and it was great for them. They needed it as much as I needed it and I was absolutely over the moon for them."
Now Gibney is on the lookout for his next Irish Grand National contender and maybe it might be Kinturk Kalanisi, who was a cracking third in the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas and holds an entry in the Bar 1 Betting Leinster National at Naas on Sunday, a race he might well have won last year but for departing at the second-last when travelling best of all.
Gibney said: "Hopefully he has a great chance on Sunday and I do think he definitely would have won had he stayed up in the race last year."
Racing idol: John Francome
Favourite horse: Lion Na Bearnai and Intense Raffles
First winner: Lion Na Bearnai at Punchestown in 2011
Horse to watch out for: Kinturk Kalanisi
*This profile is brought to you by Fairyhouse & Navan Racecourse. Click on the racecourse names to access their websites