An irrepressible character with a ready wit: Alan Sweetman reflects on the life of Tommy Kinane

Tommy Kinane, who has died aged 90, was a member of one of Ireland's great racing dynasties, which he perpetuated as father of 13-time Irish champion jockey Mick Kinane.

He was 44 years old when achieving the most important win of his career on Monksfield in the 1978 Champion Hurdle, although he later lost the ride on the Des McDonogh-trained entire, who retained the crown under Dessie Hughes the following year.

Born in October 1933 near Cashel, Kinane was one of 14 children. His brothers included two other well-known jump jockeys, who later became trainers – Danny, who trained the 1962 Grand National winner Kilmore before his sale to join Ryan Price, and Christy, whose big-race wins as a rider included Owen's Sedge for Frank Farmer in the inaugural Power Gold Cup in 1960.

At times abrasive, Kinane was an essentially charming and irrepressible character with an endless fund of anecdotes and a ready wit. 

Talking about his upbringing to journalist Jonathan Powell, he once said: "My mother was a great woman, but a contrary one, and a lot of us take after her". His experience of the education system was brief but eventful; "My only good subject in school was fighting, and I had plenty of practice," he said.

His first job in racing was for Grand National-winning jockey Tim Hyde at Camas Park, with whom he spent two years schooling racehorses and showjumpers. He moved to England, based initially near Wantage, and had a few rides on the Flat in 1953 before rising weight got the better of him. After a spell on building sites in the London area, he had his first ride over jumps in a novice hurdle at Wincanton in April 1955.

Tommy Kinane with Audrey O'Dwyer (left) and Avril Perrin at the 2004 Irish Flat awardsCredit: Caroline Norris (racingpost.com/photos)

In London, Tommy met Frances O'Brien, another Tipperary native in exile. They married in December 1956 and returned to Ireland, where his first rides were over hurdles on Kilmore. He rode his first winner on Trade Union at Leopardstown in January 1958.

Kinane's career was played out on a mostly unobtrusive level through the 1960s, although a successful association as head man to Michael Purcell at Farney Park in Tipperary enabled him to buy a 90-acre farm at Killenaule, which became the family home. 

One of his first major wins was in the 1973 Kerry National on Pearl Of Montreal, on whom he also won the Sean Graham Handicap Chase (Paddy Power) for Roscrea trainer Larry Greene. 

In 1974 he won the Kerry National on Irishman for Archie Watson and the Troytown Chase at Navan on Cottage King for Charlie McCartan. In 1978, in his 45th year, he rode Kintai to win the Thyestes Chase for Paddy Woods off the minimum weight of 9st 7lb.

A tough and immensely durable rider, he had already shrugged off a series of injuries when embarking on his career-defining partnership with the four-year-old Monksfield in the Celbridge Handicap Hurdle at Naas towards the end of January 1976, losing out by a head to Tommy Carberry on the Jim Dreaper-trained Straight Row.

Tommy Kinane at his home he shared with his son Mick near PunchestownCredit: Edward Whitaker

In early March, he rode Monksfield to win the Beechmount Handicap Hurdle at Navan. Just 12 days later the pair went close to providing a first Irish win in the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham, going down to the Jonjo O'Neill-ridden Peterhof in an eventful race which culminated in an objection to the winner by Kinane. To his profound disgust, it was overruled.

In the month after Cheltenham, Monksfield ran three more times before going out to summer grass. After his 16-year-old son Mick had ridden him to win an apprentice race at Naas, Kinane was back aboard to win the valuable Huzzar Handicap Hurdle at Fairyhouse. 

A week later he rode Monksfield into third behind Multiple, trained by his brother Christy and ridden by his son Thomas jnr, in the Downshire Handicap Hurdle at Punchestown.

Monksfield ran ten times between September 1976 and March 1977 in the build-up to the 1977 Champion Hurdle, notching a valuable win under Kinane in the Irish Benson & Hedges Handicap Hurdle at Fairyhouse, and another handicap success at Navan. 

Now a battle-hardened five-year-old, Monkfield soon began to make his mark in the strongest hurdling era of all time. In his first Champion Hurdle attempt he suffered an honourable defeat after a costly mistake at the last allowed Night Nurse to maintain the initiative. Dramatist was third, and Sea Pigeon fourth.

However, Kinane did not leave the 1977 festival empty handed, capturing the County Hurdle on Kilcoleman, trained on the beach in County Sligo by Billy Boyers for cattle-dealer Paul Clarke.

A fortnight later Kinane took a fall from Glenvale Prince at the third-last in the Topham Trophy at Aintree. When McDonogh found him stiff and sore the following day he booked Dessie Hughes to ride Monksfield in an eagerly awaited rematch with Night Nurse in the Templegate Hurdle. 

Despite Kinane's insistence on his fitness, McDonogh stuck with his decision, and thus it was Hughes who took the mount for an epic contest, hailed as one of the greatest races in hurdling history, in which Night Nurse and Monksfield dead-heated.

Hughes kept the ride on Monksfield in his early races in the 1977-78 season. However, commitments to Mick O'Toole saw McDonogh turn to Kinane again after Christmas, paving the way for the highlight of his career, namely defeating Sea Pigeon and Night Nurse in the 1978 Champion Hurdle. Ireland's first Champion Hurdle winner since Winning Fair returned to a chaotically exuberant reception, and gave a jubilant Kinane the platform for an uproarious post-race interview with Julian Wilson.

Kinane broke three vertebrae and suffered damage to both lungs in a fall from Kintai in the Irish Grand National five days before the 1978 Templegate. Once again Hughes deputised. The little horse was now in the ascendant, giving Night Nurse 6lb and a two-length beating.

The indomitable Kinane recovered from his serious injuries. However, relations with McDonogh became increasingly strained the following season and the trainer decided to replace him with Hughes for the defence of his crown.

At the same time, McDonogh kept him on Stranfield, his runner in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, the opening race on Champion Hurdle day. "I rode him in a temper," said Kinane later after Stranfield had overtaken the Hughes-partnered Killamonan at the last to win by five lengths at 16-1.

The jockey roared to the crowd as the winner was led in to be unsaddled: "I'm not beat yet. They can't keep a good man down."

Later in the afternoon, Monksfield was at his most brilliant and resolute, digging deep for Hughes to edge out Jonjo O'Neill on Sea Pigeon to win the Champion Hurdle for a second time.

After retiring from the saddle in 1980, Kinane enjoyed an early big-race success as a trainer with Smoke Charger in the PZ Mower Chase at Thurles in 1982, but soon began to struggle to make an impact. 

His career petered out in the late-1990s, by which time his son Mick was firmly established as an international Flat jockey of the highest calibre.