A New Door Opens For McNamara

By Emma Berry

In March 2014, amateur rider Robbie McNamara was the toast of the Cheltenham Festival when partnering Silver Concorde (GB) then Spring Heeled (Ire) to victory for Dr Ronan Lambe at jump racing's theatre of dreams.

Thirteen months later, on the eve of lining up in the Grand National for the same owner aboard the former Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Lord Windermere (Ire), McNamara, having by then become a professional jockey, suffered a fall at Wexford. The gravity of the injuries to his spine––not to mention eight broken ribs and a punctured lung––brought an end to his career in the saddle, but by no means an end to his dreams.

To the outside world, the 27-year-old McNamara appears to have coped with his accident and subsequent disability with a stoicism so rarely seen in modern-day life. Only the man himself, or perhaps those closest to him, know of the private hell he has had to endure in the ensuing year.

“I knew straight away I was in trouble,” he said last May while still in Dublin's Mater Hospital, but McNamara's acceptance of his paralysis and his insistence to proceed with his goal of becoming a trainer have been as admirable as they are important in regard to the mental healing which must accompany the physical. Today he says, “I've kept myself busy and that's kept my head right.”

By a quirk of timing, the writing of this piece coincided with the ninth anniversary of the eventing accident which paralysed British rider Claire Lomas from the chest down. A brave and frank Facebook post from Lomas yesterday spoke of the moment of her accident, of knowing instantly that for her “that was it”. She said, “I felt like every door had just been slammed in my face. However, little did I know. Even more doors have opened.”

Whether McNamara has read her words or not, his very activities in recent weeks have echoed the sentiments expressed by Lomas. For the jockey has thrust open a new door in his life and has set out to become as admired in his new pursuit as he was in his last.

Eleven horses with “a couple more on the way” form the core of the nascent string of the newest trainer on Ireland's most famous grounds for preparing racehorses, The Curragh.

“I have a few 2-year-olds––some flat and some jumpers. I'm looking forward to it. I've been wanting to train for a long time and I set my goal of starting at the beginning of May,” says McNamara, that first important milestone achieved in remarkably quick time since his release from hospital in September.

He continues, “My father trained 35 to 40 horses when I was growing up so it was in our blood and the training side has always been what I wanted to do. I could have set up as soon as I left hospital but I'd missed the sales so I decided I would do it properly from May 1.”

Training racehorses is a famously competitive business and he will have a rival even from within his own family in his elder brother Andrew, also a celebrated former jockey, who retired from the saddle in August and sent out his first runner as a trainer in February.

McNamara counters the suggestion of any sibling rivalry, saying, “It's the bigger stables I've set my sights on, I'm not going to try to beat him. We keep ourselves fairly separate but we have a lot of the same views on things and on horses.”

Each brother will certainly be able to count on the other's support as their new careers progress, just as Robbie has been buoyed by offers of help from near and far since his accident.

He says, “The racing community is famous for looking after its own and I've had tremendous support from friends and family, and from people I don't even know. I can't thank them enough for that.”

One who has offered support where a new trainer needs it most is Dr Lambe, whose portfolio of racehorses now includes several incumbents of the new McNamara yard.

“I always got on well with Dr Lambe and rode a lot of winners for him trained by Dermot Weld and Jim Culloty,” the trainer notes. “He said a long time ago that he would have a horse with me when I started training and he's kept his word.”

He has also been able to rely on some practical help from former weighing-room colleagues Bryan Cooper and Mark Enright, who are among a number of jockeys who now ride out for him on a regular basis.

McNamara used the time between leaving hospital and starting training to good effect by completing a stint in the Irish National Stud's nominations department, honing his knowledge of pedigree and conformation.

“I met loads of interesting people and learned plenty. It was really good to see that side of the industry,” he enthuses.

“I've always been into the breeding side and I made sure I always knew the pedigree of any horse I rode. I loved that side of things, and looking at 2-year-olds and 3-year-olds every day. I've always been into conformation and have bought a few horses at the sales every year for the last six or seven years.”

That keen eye will now be used for pinpointing future stars for his own stable, rather than for pinhooking, and he has added a number of new recruits in recent weeks, most notably two––the unraced Super Tedd (Ire) (Stowaway {Ire}) and useful three-time flat winner Chadic (GB) (Echo Of Light {Ire})––from John Ferguson's Bloomfields dispersal at Cheltenham last month. McNamara also purchased a Compton Place (GB) juvenile at last week's Guineas Breeze-up Sale at Tattersalls.

He says, “Hopefully I'll have a few runners by the end of June. I'll back off the horses I've had come from the breeze-ups for a bit. They can get pretty revved up for the sales and I want to get them to relax.”

Though he claims not to be setting himself too many goals at this early stage in his training career, McNamara's first major aim is to have a handful of runners at the Galway Festival in July, where his former mentor Dermot Weld regularly rules the roost.

“I had some really good days there and was leading rider at Galway twice––I was so lucky to ride for Dermot Weld,” he recalls. “I love the place, it's unique and very much a favourite of mine. I want to get off to a good start with my runners and make an impact straight away. My goal is to try to attract a few more owners but I'm not looking too far down the line.”

Small steps––metaphorical though they may be––but important ones when it comes to keeping that door ajar.