Joe Crowley: an unassuming man whose legacy is not reflected in bare statistics

Joe Crowley exerted a profound influence on Irish racing history in a fashion not adequately reflected by bare statistics.

A numerical perspective on his training career provides only the merest hint of his significance. Many of his important wins were achieved at a late stage in the years between 2003 and 2009.

By that stage he had already established a magnificent legacy, a key figure in the rise to prominence of his daughters, Annemarie, the only woman to win an Irish trainers' championship when capturing the jumps title in the 1992-93 season, and Frances, the first woman to become champion amateur in Ireland and a Classic-winning trainer on the Flat who also handled top-class jumpers.

Crowley was associated with the early days of Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Bregawn, bred Spindrifter, one of the most prolific juvenile winners in British racing history, and was co-breeder along with Annemarie and her husband Aidan O'Brien of Rock Of Gibraltar, winner of seven consecutive Group 1 events in his son-in-law's charge.

His reputation rests to some extent on the intangible. However, by common consent, he was instrumental, along with Jim Bolger, in laying the foundations for the most spectacular career in Irish racing history.

O'Brien started out under his watchful eye when taking over the licence from Annemarie in 1993. Around two decades later, Aidan and Annemarie's elder son Joseph took up the baton at the County Kilkenny yard, quickly making the transition from champion Flat jockey to become a powerful force on the training scene, attracting international attention with the victory of Rekindling in the 2017 Melbourne Cup.

It was far from the international stage that Crowley first set out a modest stall in the 1970s. His primary interest was in agriculture. Horses were essentially a hobby in the early days, only gradually becoming the dominant theme on the farm at Tullahought.

Spindrifter was a 1978 foal by Sandford Lad out of Late Spring, a Silly Season mare previously owned by Eileen, Countess of Mount Charles, breeder of the 1985 Grand National winner Last Suspect.

Trained by Sir Mark Prescott, Spindrifter mopped up races in the north of England in 1980. When recording his fourth course victory in the Otley Stakes at Catterick in October he equalled Nagwa's 20th century record of 13 wins in a two-year-old season. He raced only twice at three, winning his 14th race on his second outing of the campaign at Hamilton before being put down following an off-fore fracture inflicted by a kick from another horse.

Bregawn, a 1974-foaled gelding by Saint Denys, spent a formative period with Crowley before going into training with Christy Kinane, for whom he won a bumper and a maiden hurdle before joining the Dickinsons at Harewood. His big-race wins included the 1982 Hennessy, the Peter Marsh Chase (twice) and the Great Yorkshire Chase before his most famous triumph, leading-home Michael Dickinson's famous five in the 1983 Gold Cup.

Famous Five: Michael Dickinson (front) with the horses that filled the first five places in the 1983 Chelteham Gold Cup, (left to right) Bregawn, Captain John, Wayward Lad, Silver Buck and Ashley HouseCredit: Gerry Cranham

After failing to sell a number of fillies, Crowley started training at a modest level. His first major success was with the five-year-old Raga Navarro mare Ravaro, who was ridden to a 20-1 victory by Gabriel Curran in the 1985 Irish Cesarewitch. Tough and versatile, Ravaro won 15 races in all, nine on the Flat and six over hurdles. She captured the Saval Beg Stakes at Leopardstown and several good handicap hurdle prizes, as well as finishing second in the Stayers' Hurdle and in the Queen Alexandra Stakes.

She became an influential broodmare for Cheveley Park Stud, producing seven winners including Character, winner of the Grade 2 Cinema Handicap at Hollywood Park, and Aries Girl, winner of eight races for Pat Flynn and second in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham and in the Irish Champion Hurdle.

In the first half of the 1990s Crowley's colours were carried to two major victories. Bayrouge trained by Annemarie and ridden by Richard Dunwoody, won a Grade 1 novice hurdle at the 1993 Punchestown festival, and Glenstal Flagship, trained by O'Brien and ridden by Charlie Swan, won the Champion Four Year Old Hurdle at the same fixture in 1994.

The homebred Gorytus mare Bayrouge won 13 of her 21 starts over jumps, including nine races during her novice hurdle campaign. At Leopardstown's Christmas fixture in 1992, Kieran Gaule rode her to defeat Montelado, a brilliant winner of the Supreme Novices' Hurdle the following March.

Aidan O'Brien, who won the first of five consecutive jumps titles in 1993-94, established his early reputation in the Crowley yard with horses such as Life Of A Lord, a dual Galway Plate winner who also landed the Kerry National and the Whitbread, and Urubande, winner of the Sun Alliance Novices' Hurdle and Martell Aintree Hurdle.

When O'Brien ended his transitional spell to move to Ballydoyle, Frances took over the licence, sending out 41 winners over jumps in her first full season, the highlight provided by a quick Grade 1 breakthrough courtesy of Promalee in the Drinmore Novice Chase at Fairyhouse.

Crowley returned to wider prominence again in the period between 2003 and 2008, sending out around 150 winners, notably Hairy Molly who caused a 33-1 shock in the Champion Bumper under Paul Carberry at the 2006 Cheltenham Festival.

Joe Crowley with AP McCoy and JP McManus after the success Firth Of Forth at Leopardstown in 2005

While the bulk of his wins during this period were achieved under jumps rules, he also achieved notable success on the Flat. He saddled Blue Corrig to defeat the favourite Handel, trained by O'Brien, in the Challenge Stakes at Leopardstown in 2003. The same horse recorded another Listed win at Galway in 2005.

Golden Storm was a typical example of the tough, robust type with whom Crowley excelled. He won 11 of his 72 races under rules, starting off with a two-year-old success under a youthful Colm O'Donoghue at the 1999 Listowel festival. He provided Crowley's daughter Angela with victory in an international lady riders' contest at Tralee the following year, when he also won twice within the space of four days at Listowel, taking a juvenile hurdle under Ruby Walsh and a Flat handicap for Pat Smullen. He also won a valuable handicap chase at Galway ridden by Johnny Allen, now a top Flat rider in Australia.

Crowley recorded his final Graded success over jumps with the Davy Russell-ridden Paco Jack in a juvenile hurdle at Fairyhouse in 2008. The following year the same horse gave him his last winner when following up victory in the Galway Blazers Handicap Chase at the festival meeting by taking the Guinness Handicap Chase at the same venue in late August.

John Geraghty, owner of Annemarie's 1992 Dennys Juvenile Hurdle winner Autumn Gorse, enjoyed telling a story about one of Crowley's dogs, whom he had trained to bring two-year-olds out of the field. Geraghty insisted Crowley had taught the dog to separate the juveniles from the older horses.

The anecdote illustrates the rapport that Crowley enjoyed with animals. He was an unassuming and unobtrusive character, who adopted a no-frills approach to training, his regime based on an instinctive relationship between human and horse. His immense legacy lives on in the career of grandsons Joseph and Donnacha.

Factfile

Name Joseph Crowley

Born March 2, 1929

Wife Sarah (nee Ryan)

Children Annemarie, Breda, Teresa, Frances, Angela & Monika

Training base Owning Hill, Piltown, County Kilkenny

Notable horses produced or bred Spindrifter (record-equalling 13-time winner as two-year-old in 1983), Bregawn (1983 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner), Rock Of Gibraltar (2002 European Horse of the Year)

Cheltenham Festival winner Hairy Molly, 2006 Champion Bumper

Irish Cesarewitch winner Ravaro (1985)

Notable black type winners Ravaro (Saval Beg Stakes), Kalamalka (1988 Grade 3 Dan Moore Handicap Chase), Koshear (1988 Grade 3 Hackett Bookmakers Dunshaughlin Handicap Hurdle), Blue Corrig (2003 Challenge Stakes, 2003 Ulster Derby and 2005 Oyster Stakes), Golden Storm (2002 Limerick Ladies Day Novice Chase and 2004 Smirnoff Handicap Chase), Paco Jack (2008 Grade 3 Weatherbys Ireland GSB Hurdle)

Major National Hunt victories as owner Bayrouge, 1993 Champion Novice Hurdle (Punchestown) and Glenstal Flagship, 1994 Champion Four Year Old Hurdle (Punchestown)

First winner after returning as licensed trainer Mossland, Clonmel, June 19, 2003

Number of National Hunt winners trained from 2003 to 2009 121

Number of Flat winners trained from 2003 to 2009 38

Last winner Paco Jack, Galway, August 30, 2009

Final runner Seamies Dream, Limerick, October 11, 2009