Monty's Pass
Encyclopedia
Monty's Pass was the winner of the 2003 Grand National
at Aintree
, Liverpool
when ridden by Barry Geraghty
, trained by Jimmy Mangan and running in the colours of the Dee Racing Syndicate, a group of owners based in Donaghadee
, Northern Ireland
and led by Blackpool
born bingo hall owner, Mike Futter.
Monty's Pass was bred in 1993 by Montelimar in Ireland and began racing in point-to-points before turing to chasing, finishing fifth in the Mildmay of Fleet chase at Cheltenham
and second in the Topham Chase over the Grand National fences in 2002 before landing over £200,000 for his owners when winning the Kerry National.
The horse was lightly raced over hurdles in preparation for the 2003 Grand National in order to protect his handicap and was the subject of a huge gamble by the public on the day of the race, which saw his price tumble from 40/1 to 16/1 at the off. The horse won impressively in what was considered by racing pundits to be one of the strongest Grand National fields of the previous two decades, landing a huge gamble of over £1 million pounds for his owners in the process.
His partner in victory, Barry Geraghty later said of the race "I couldn't believe how easily he did it, he jumped like a cat all the way, it was fantastic!" Trainer, Jimmy Mangan said " That was unbelievable, he did everything right. He travelled well all the way and after he passed me with a round to go I said to myself he could win! The day was perfect and so was his performance and I have always dreamed of having a runner in the great race not to mind having the winner!"
Monty's Pass finished fourth in the defence of his title in 2004
and completed the course again in 2005
before being retired to his trainer's yard at Conna
in County Cork
.
2003 Grand National
The 2003 Grand National was the 156th renewal of the world-famous Grand National steeplechase that took place at Aintree at 3:45pm BST, on 5 April 2003....
at Aintree
Aintree Racecourse
Aintree Racecourse is a racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England.It was served by Aintree Racecourse railway station until the station closed in the 1960s....
, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
when ridden by Barry Geraghty
Barry Geraghty
Barry Geraghty is an Irish jockey.Geraghty rode his first winner in January 1997, three years later he became the Irish Champion jump jockey for the first time. He rode his first Cheltenham winner on the Jessica Harrington trained Moscow Flyer in the 2002 Arkle Chase.He won the Grand National in...
, trained by Jimmy Mangan and running in the colours of the Dee Racing Syndicate, a group of owners based in Donaghadee
Donaghadee
Donaghadee is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the northeast coast of the Ards Peninsula, about east of Belfast and about six miles south east of Bangor. It had a population of 6,470 people in the 2001 Census...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and led by Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
born bingo hall owner, Mike Futter.
Monty's Pass was bred in 1993 by Montelimar in Ireland and began racing in point-to-points before turing to chasing, finishing fifth in the Mildmay of Fleet chase at Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
and second in the Topham Chase over the Grand National fences in 2002 before landing over £200,000 for his owners when winning the Kerry National.
The horse was lightly raced over hurdles in preparation for the 2003 Grand National in order to protect his handicap and was the subject of a huge gamble by the public on the day of the race, which saw his price tumble from 40/1 to 16/1 at the off. The horse won impressively in what was considered by racing pundits to be one of the strongest Grand National fields of the previous two decades, landing a huge gamble of over £1 million pounds for his owners in the process.
His partner in victory, Barry Geraghty later said of the race "I couldn't believe how easily he did it, he jumped like a cat all the way, it was fantastic!" Trainer, Jimmy Mangan said " That was unbelievable, he did everything right. He travelled well all the way and after he passed me with a round to go I said to myself he could win! The day was perfect and so was his performance and I have always dreamed of having a runner in the great race not to mind having the winner!"
Monty's Pass finished fourth in the defence of his title in 2004
2004 Grand National
The 2004 Grand National was the 157th official annual running of the world-famous Grand National steeplechase which took place at Aintree near Liverpool, England, on 3 April 2004 and attracted the maximum permitted field of 40 competitors for total prize money of £600,000 including £348,000 to the...
and completed the course again in 2005
2005 Grand National
The 2005 Grand National was the 158th official annual running of the world-famous Grand National steeplechase which took place at Aintree near Liverpool, England, on 9 April 2005 and attracted the maximum permitted field of forty competitors for total prize money of £700,000 including £406,000 to...
before being retired to his trainer's yard at Conna
Conna
Conna is a village of some 300 inhabitants in East Cork, Province of Munster, Ireland. It is situated on the river Bride, not far from the town of Fermoy. The village contains several pubs, a shop, a post office, a Roman Catholic church and a nearby Church of Ireland chapel...
in County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
.