THURSDAY, 5 MARCH 2019 ADMIRED TRAINER/ BREEDER MORE FRENCH MEETINGS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS JOE CROWLEY DIES AT 91 In a bid to combat the spread of coronavirus, another three race meetings in France will be run without any spectators under orders from the local authorities in the Oise region, which includes Chantilly. Tuesday's meeting at Chantilly was staged behind closed doors this week along with two at nearby Compiegne, and that has now been extended to next week when the racing at Chantilly on Monday, Tuesday and Friday will be run without members of the public being admitted. A statement released by France Galop on Wednesday read: "At the request of the Prefecture of Oise and the Town Hall of Chantilly, the next meetings at Chantilly racecourse, Monday 9, Tuesday 10 and Friday 13 Mar. 2020, will again be held behind closed doors as part of the measures regarding public gatherings in the Department of Oise. The racetrack will not open to the public, but the racing programme will be maintained." Cont. p3 The highly respected breeder/trainer Joe Crowley pictured at home in 2010 | Racing Post By John Berry Joe Crowley, one of the most popular and respected as well as one of the most significant figures in Irish racing in recent decades, has passed away at the age of 91. He enjoyed notable success as both trainer and breeder, while further glory has been brought to his farm at Owning Hill near Piltown in Co. Kilkenny at various times by his daughters Annemarie and Frances, by his son-in-law Aidan O=Brien and, currently, by his grandson Joseph O=Brien. Joe Crowley began life as a farmer but his love of horses and racing meant that he would inevitably be drawn ever deeper into the sport. His first forays were as a breeder, with his first notable achievement being as breeder of Spindrifter (Ire) Racing at Chantilly | Horsephotos (Sandford Lad {Ire}) who, trained by Sir Mark Prescott, secured his place in the history of the turf by winning 13 races in England as a 2-year-old in 1980, thus equalling the 20th century British record for wins by a juvenile. Another horse to advertise IN TDN AMERICA TODAY Crowley=s eye for a horse at that time was Bregawn (Ire) (Saint Denys {Ire}) who passed through his hands before beginning his GERRY DILGER PASSES AWAY racing career, the highlight of which came when he led home Breeder, consignor and Dromoland Farm owner Gerry Dilger passed away very early Wednesday morning. He was 61. Christie Michael Dickinson=s >Famous Five= in the 1983 Cheltenham Gold DeBernardis has the details. Click or tap here to go straight to Cup, having won the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury earlier in TDN America. the season. Cont. p2 TDN EUROPE • PAGE 2 OF 9 • THETDN.COM THURSDAY • 5 MARCH 2019 Joe Crowley Passes Cont. from p1 Ballydoyle, initially he maintained his National Hunt string, Encouraged, no doubt, by the success enjoyed by his equine which included the triple G1 Champion Hurdle winner Istabraq proteges, Crowley took out a training licence. His first (Ire) (Sadler=s Wells), at Owning Hill. However, as the operation flag-bearer was Ravaro (Ire), an inexpensively-produced at Ballydoyle expanded in tandem with its success, the decision daughter of Raga Navarro (Ity) who displayed all the toughness was taken that that would be O=Brien=s sole focus. The Piltown which has become the stable, therefore, was taken hallmark of Owning Hill-trained over by Joe Crowley=s second horses, winning 15 races (nine daughter Frances, whose name on the Flat and six over was already in the hurdles) including both the record-books for having Saval Beg S. at Leopardstown become the first female rider and the Irish Cesarewitch H. at to win Ireland=s amateurs= the Curragh in 1985. She also championship in 1995 (before registered notable minor sharing the title with Willie placings in England when Mullins the following year). runner-up in the G1 Stayers= High-class winners continued Hurdle at the Cheltenham to come out of Owning Hill Festival and in the Queen including 1998 G1 Chiquita Alexandra S. at Royal Ascot. Drinmore Novice Chase winner Never a man to chase the Promalee (Ire) (Homo Sapien limelight, Crowley handed over Joe Crowley on his 90th birthday with his family, including 15 jockeys and {Ire}); Sackville (Ire) (Satco the licence at Owning Hill to seven trainers. | Frances Crowley {Fr}), a Grade 1 winner over his eldest daughter Annemarie hurdles at Aintree and over once she was ready to take over. The stable continued to go fences at Fairyhouse twice; and the 1999 G2 Galway Plate hero from strength to strength under her stewardship and in the Moscow Express (Ire) (Moscow Society). 1992/=93 season she became the first (and, to date, only) Frances, married to champion Flat jockey Pat Smullen, woman to win the country=s National Hunt trainers= subsequently relocated to Clifton Lodge at The Curragh, from championship. One of her stars of that season was the which stable she carved her name even more deeply into the redoubtable mare Bayrouge (Ire) history-books by becoming the (Gorytus) who won nine races first woman to train an Irish that term including the G1 Classic winner when sending out Country Pride Champion Novice Saoire (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) to win Hurdle at Punchestown with her the G1 Boylesports Irish 1000 father as the proud Guineas in 1995. owner/breeder. Once Frances had moved The following season saw away, Joe Crowley resumed his another name-change on the former position as the trainer at stable=s training licence: Owning Hill. He had recently Annemarie=s husband Aidan become a Classic-winning O=Brien stepped into the role, breeder (in partnership with winning the first of his five Aidan and Annemarie O=Brien) consecutive National Hunt courtesy of the seven-time trainers= championships in his Group 1 winner Rock Of first season. Again Joe Crowley Crowley was co-breeder of dual Guineas hero Rock of Gibraltar Gibraltar (Ire) (Danehill) who was the owner of one of the Coolmore won the 2000 Guineas in both stable=s stars: Glenstal Flagship (Ire) (Glenstal) carried his England and Ireland in 2002. In his second incarnation as a colours to victory in the G1 Murphy=s Irish Stout Champion trainer, he sent out approximately 150 winners between 2003 Four-Year-Old Hurdle at Punchestown in April 1994. and 2009, when he finally retired at the age of 80. When Aidan O=Brien was recruited by John Magnier to train at Cont. p3 TDN EUROPE • PAGE 3 OF 9 • THETDN.COM THURSDAY • 5 MARCH 2019 Joe Crowley Passes Cont. The highlight during this period was arguably the victory of Hairy Molly (Ire) (Shernazar {GB}) in the G1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival in 2006, while black-type success was also achieved with the likes of Blue Corrig (Ire) (Darnay {Ire}) on the Flat, Paco Jack (Ire) (Soviet Star) over hurdles and Golden Storm (Ire) (Magical Wonder) over Senior Vice President Gary King fences. The latter was a proper trouper, winning four times on Twitter: @garykingTDN the Flat, twice over hurdles and five times in steeplechases. A [email protected] victory which must have given his trainer particular pleasure + 1.732.320.0975 came when Golden Storm won an amateurs= race at Tralee in August 2004, ridden by his daughter Angela, who is married to International Editor Kevin O=Ryan. Kelsey Riley The trainer at Piltown is now Joe Crowley=s grandson Joseph Twitter: @kelseynrileyTDN O=Brien, who has already written further glorious chapters into [email protected] the family=s success story not only as a champion jockey but also European Editor as a Classic-winning, Breeders= Cup-winning and Melbourne Emma Berry Cup-winning trainer. It surely won=t be long before Joseph=s Twitter: @collingsberry younger brother Donnacha, Ireland=s champion Flat jockey of [email protected] both 2018 and =19, becomes the latest top-class trainer to emerge from the family. Associate International Editor Joe Crowley is survived by his wife Sarah and his daughters Heather Anderson Annemarie, Frances, Breda (who is married to former jockey Twitter: @HLAndersonTDN Trevor Horgan), Angela and Monika. He leaves them, his Marketing Manager sons-in-law and his grandchildren a great legacy of racing Alayna Cullen success and the TDN offers them our sincere condolences. Twitter: @AlaynaCullen [email protected] Contributing Editor Alan Carasso Twitter: @EquinealTDN Cafe Racing Sean Cronin Tom Frary French Meetings Cont. from p1 [email protected] As of Wednesday, there were 257 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in France, where four people are reported to have died after Irish Correspondent contracting the virus. In Italy, which has the highest number of Daithi Harvey cases of the virus in Europe with 107 fatalities, the government has announced the closure of all schools and universities until Regular Columnists Chris McGrath | John Berry Mar. 15. John Boyce | Amy Lynam The number of cases in Britain rose to 85 on Wednesday but Melissa Steele the racing programme remains unaffected at this stage. Whether or not the Cheltenham Festival will go ahead remains a topic of debate for officials and fans alike, and it has been IN TDN AUS/NZ TODAY announced that there will be an increase in the number of TAKING PRIDE AT THE HALFWAY STAGE lavatories and hand-washing facilities for the four-day highlight Pride of Dubai (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) leads in the Australian of the National Hunt season, which begins on Tuesday, though first-season sires’ race with four winners.