MON MOME
Passing Sale (FR) - Etoile Du Lion (FR) (New Target) 10-11-07
Form: 7U36245/U2121121U/422434/P3609/2182781-P3463
Owner: Vida Bingham
Trainer: Venetia Williams
Jockey: Aidan Coleman
Breeder: Alexandre Deschere
Mon Mome caused a John Smith’s Grand National shock when storming to a 100/1 victory at Aintree in 2009. Ridden by National debutant Liam Treadwell, the gelding pulled 12 lengths clear of the previous year’s winner, Comply Or Die, and ensured his place in the race’s tremendous folklore. Mon Mome, whose name means ‘My Kid', had just one run in his native France, finishing second in a Flat race at Pontivy. Bought by Vida Bingham, the horse's first outing in the UK was in a decent novices’ hurdle at Newbury in December, 2004, when he finished seventh of 12.
The horse had six further races in the 2004/05 season, all novices’ or maiden hurdles, without breaking his duck. Mon Mome unseated his rider at the third fence on his chase debut at Cheltenham in October, 2005, but with that aberration behind him, he set about compiling an impressive sequence of results. In his next seven races, Mon Mome registered four wins and three seconds. The wins - at Uttoxeter, Plumpton, Fontwell and Aintree - came on ground that was easy or softer.
The last of those wins was at the 2006 John Smith's Grand National meeting in the John Smith’s Novices' Handicap Chase, under amateur Will Biddick. Mon Mome unseated his jockey in the four mile one furlong Scottish National at Ayr on his final start of that season. Consistency was the name of the game in 2006-2007, with the horse placing in the top four in each of his six races, but without winning. He came close, though, finishing four lengths second to Halcon Genelardais in the Coral Welsh National, and, three weeks later, showed his powers of recovery by finishing the same distance behind Ladalko in the totesport.com Classic Chase at Warwick.
Mon Mome's final outing of the 2006/07 campaign was in the William Hill Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival and again the horse acquitted himself well, finishing fourth, eight lengths behind the winner. In the 2007/08 season he did not reappear until February, when he was pulled up in the Country Gentlemen's Association Chase at Wincanton. Ten days later, he contested a hurdle at Folkestone and, 36lb lower than his chase rating, was made favourite. He was tapped for toe and could only finish third. On the agenda for the second successive year was the William Hill Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival, but he did not match the fourth place of a year earlier, plugging on for sixth, over 20 lengths behind the winner An Accordion. He then headed to Aintree for his first attempt at the John Smith’s Grand National and ran a decent enough race to finish 10th under Aidan Coleman. He ended the campaign at Ayr in the Scottish Grand National, coming home ninth.
The 2008/09 campaign began brightly with a fine second behind Possol at Haydock in November and he built on that promise with his first win in over two years at Cheltenham in December, when he was successful in the lucrative Boylepoker.com Handicap Chase by half a length from Star De Mohaison. That win saw him head the early market for the John Smith’s Grand National but he subsequently failed to reproduce that form after losing his confidence due to a jumping error in the Welsh National at Chepstow, in which he came home eighth.
He was then second in a novices’ hurdle at Towcester, seventh to Rambling Minster in the Blue Square Gold Cup at Haydock and eighth in the John Smith’s Midlands National at Uttoxeter. Having been forgotten by most punters, Mon Mome emphatically returned to form at Aintree in April, relishing the big spruce fences and four and a half mile test.
He returned to action for the 2009/10 season in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury in November but was pulled up four fences from home behind Denman. His next start came in the Grade Two Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle over three miles at Cheltenham on December 12. Sent off a 20/1 shot, he stayed on nicely to take third, just over 10 lengths behind Tell Massini. Both of Mon Mome’s next two outings came at Haydock Park - on January 23 he was a staying on fourth to Our Vic in the Peter Marsh Chase and followed up that effort on February 20 with a sixth place in the valuable Blue Square Handicap Chase.
He warmed up perfectly for a second attempt at the John Smith’s Grand National when staying on to be an excellent third in the Grade One totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup on March 19, coming from way off the pace finish 30 lengths behind Imperial Commander.
Race Record Starts: 39; 1st: 6; 2nd: 8; 3rd: 5; Win & Place Prize Money: £747,825
Vida Bingham :The twin passions of Vida Bingham's life are bridge and Jump racing. A former international bridge player, Bingham represented England in the Lady Milne Home Internationals in 1980 and 1981, alongside her playing partner, the legendary world champion Dimmie Fleming. The pair met at Plumpton Racecourse, where Bingham has been a member for 42 years, and forged a lasting friendship through their common interests. Now 76 and a widow, Bingham first went racing at Towcester with her father just after the Second World War.
She has owned five horses, all with Venetia Williams. Groom’s Gordon, her first, failed to trouble the judge over jumps, while Heron’s Ghyll, named after her home near Uckfield, East Sussex, won three times. Three’s a charm, so they say, and so it proved as her third horse, Mon Mome, has won six races, including the 2009 John Smith’s Grand National, and more than £700,000 in prize money. Wild Heron has not been so fortunate a purchase, while her latest acquisition, a French-bred filly bought with her Grand National winnings, is currently out of action. She makes a point of going to seeing all her horses when they race.
John Smith’s Grand National record: 2008 Mon Mome (10th); 2009 MON MOME (WON)
Venetia Williams: Venetia Williams began training in 1995 and her first part-season produced a respectable seven winners. Things really took off the following campaign when her score went up to 33. In 1997/8 there were 45 winners from her yard at King's Caple in Herefordshire and the following two seasons Williams sent out 74 winners on each occasion with a further 63 successes in 2002/2003, 78 in 2003/04, 80 in 2004/05, 77 in 2005/06, 76 in 2006/07, 69 in 2007/08 and 65 in 2008/09.
Born May 10, 1960, Venetia Williams had a great deal of experience as an assistant trainer and rider before taking out a licence to train at her family's Herefordshire estate. She had 10 winners as an amateur through 1986-88 and rode in the 1988 Grand National on Marcolo, who knocked her unconscious when coming down at Becher's Brook, before she broke her neck in a fall shortly afterwards and was forced to retire on medical advice.
She gained experience around the world to further her knowledge of training, starting off with seven years as assistant to John Edwards at Sellack, only a few miles from where she is now based. She also had spells with Martin Pipe and Barry Hills, John Fulton in the United States and Colin Hayes in Australia. She began with a string of limited size and talent but her success prompted great reaction and new owners flocked in with the result that her yard today stables more than 80 horses.
The popular grey Teeton Mill was her standard-bearer in the late 1990s, winning the 1998 Hennessy Gold Cup and King George VI Chase. Her first venture on the Flat yielded a Group 3 winner when Stretarez won the 1998 Ormonde Stakes at Chester. Her first Cheltenham Festival win came courtesy of Samakaan in the 2000 Grand Annual Challenge Cup, while Idole First won the 2005 Coral Cup and the 2007 Racing Post Plate. In 2009, Williams enjoyed a further two successes at the Cheltenham Festival, courtesy of Kayf Aramis in the Pertemps Final and Something Wells in the Freddie Williams Festival Plate. She has also enjoyed success at Aintree with the likes of Edelweis Du Moulin (1999 totesport Handicap Chase), Montalcino (2001 Citroen C4 Mersey Novices' Hurdle), Spring Margot (2002 John Smith's Novices' Handicap Chase), Limerick Boy (2003 John Smith's Top Novices' Hurdle), His Nibs (2004 John Smith's Extra Cold Handicap Hurdle) and Mon Mome (2006 John Smith's Novices' Chase). The last named provided the trainer with the pinnacle of her career to date when winning the 2009 John Smith’s Grand National.
John Smith’s Grand National Record: 1997 Don't Light Up (Fell 13th), Celtic Abbey (Unseated 15th); 1998 Celtic Abbey (Fell 5th); 1999 General Wolfe (12th); 2000 Kingdom Of Shades (16th); 2001 Inis Cara (Fell 4th), General Wolfe (Brought Down 8th); 2002 Inis Cara (PU Bef 25th); 2003 Bramblehill Duke (Fell 2nd); 2007 Sonevafushi (PU Bef 29th); The Outlier (Unseated 19th); 2008 Mon Mome (10th) ; 2009 MON MOME (WON); Stan (Fell 7th)
Aidan Coleman: Born on August 17, 1988, and brought up in Cork, where his parents are both teachers, Aidan Coleman learned his trade on the Irish pony racing circuit, where he had over 100 winners. "It's brilliant and you learn to deal with the nerves too,” he said, “There was a lot of betting and the owners always wanted them to win. I was 12 or 13 and had one owner who always told me how many grand he had on his horse, but I never let it get to me. I still don’t.”
Although his brother, Kevin, had become a jockey in Ireland and was doing well (so well, in fact that in August, 2007 he won the Galway Plate on Sir Frederick), Aidan opted instead to work in England. Through Irish trainer John Murphy, Coleman got a place at Henrietta Knight's yard, and it was her horse Silverbar that provided the young jockey with his first ride under Rules on December 23, 2006, at Hereford.
At the end of the 2006/07 season, Coleman moved to Venetia Williams’ stable at King’s Caple and his first winner arrived in the shape of Tashkandi, who was successful in a selling hurdle at Uttoxeter on October 17. That victory put him on the fast track to success. Last season he partnered his first Cheltenham Festival winner when Kayf Aramis won the Pertemps Final, while he has also enjoyed notable success on Stan, Chief Yeoman and Mon Mome. Stan also provided Coleman with his first Aintree Festival triumph when winning the 2008 renewal of the Red Rum Handicap Chase.
His first John Smith’s Grand National attempt saw him complete the course in 10th astride Mon Mome in 2008. Last year he had the choice of Venetia Williams’ two runners and opted to ride 50/1 Stan, who fell at seventh, rather than his stablemate Mon Mome who recorded a famous 100/1 triumph. He has partnered Mon Mome on all his five outings this year and will be in the saddle at Aintree.
John Smith’s Grand National Record: 2008 Mon Mome (10th), 2009 Stan (Fell 7th)
