SNOWY MORNING
b g Moscow Society (USA) - Miss Perky (IRE) (Creative Plan (USA)) 10-10-13
Form: 121121124-F113332-56F20-61103223
Owner: Quayside Syndicate
Trainer: Willie Mullins IRE
Breeder: Philip Morrissey
A winner of nine of his 29 starts under Rules, Snowy Morning has rarely finished out of the frame. The son of Moscow Society - who also won two of his six starts in point-to-points - was successful on his first racecourse appearance, winning a bumper at Ballinrobe by a shorthead in May, 2006. Following a good second on his first start over hurdles at Navan later that month, Snowy Morning greeted the judge in a competitive maiden hurdle at Punchestown in June, and followed up with an impressive 12-length victory on his chase debut at Navan in December, 2006.
After a good second and another victory in low-key chases at Naas and Gowran Park, Willie Mullins let Snowy Morning take his chance in the Grade Two Ten Up Novice Chase at Navan in February, 2007, when the gelding produced a superb performance to prevail by four lengths, despite blundering at the penultimate fence. He continued to improve, beating all bar the future Gold Cup winner Denman in the Grade One Royal & SunAlliance Chase at the Cheltenham Festival the following month.
Perhaps feeling the effects of a long season, Snowy Morning posted a rare under-par display in the Grade One Champion Novice Chase at the Punchestown Festival in April, 2007, finishing a well-beaten fourth. He returned to England the following season and started his campaign as favourite for the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury in December, but made a terrible error at the seventh fence, giving Tony McCoy no chance of preventing a fall.
Snowy Morning returned to hurdles later that month, winning at Fairyhouse and Punchestown, before producing a solid display of jumping in the Grade One Irish Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Leopardstown on December 31, finishing third, six lengths behind the winner The Listener.
However, concerns over his jumping resurfaced in the Grade Two Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse on February 23, when Snowy Morning made several mistakes and could only finish third behind Afistfullofdollars and stablemate Hedgehunter. His jumping held up at Aintree next time as he ran a fine race to take third in the John Smith’s Grand National and, on his final start before his summer break, Snowy Morning filled the runner-up berth behind Neptune Collonges in the Grade One Punchestown Guinness Gold Cup.
The gelding’s five outings last term were disappointing by his standards, although he once again negotiated his way around Aintree when ninth in the John Smith’s Grand National. This season has been brighter, with victories over fences at Killarney and over hurdles at Limerick. He was unplaced behind Denman in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury but has run with credit on his last four starts, most notably when an eye-catching third to Tranquil Sea in the Grade Two Newlands Chase over just beyond two miles at Leopardstown on the last day of February.
Race Record: Starts: 29; Wins: 9 ; 2nd: 8; 3rd: 5; Win & Place Prize Money: £309,369
Quayside Syndicate The five-strong County Wexford-based Quayside Syndicate, made up of brothers Liam, Michael and Jim Mooney, along with their sister Phyllis Geraghty and nephew Donal O'Gorman, are somewhat lucky to still own John Smith's Grand National hopeful Snowy Morning. After selling him for 10,000 guineas at Doncaster in 2004, the Moscow Society gelding was returned to the syndicate. Donal originally bought Snowy Morning as a three-year-old at the 2003 Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale for 25,000 euros, but the other four soon joined him and the horse won two of his six starts in Irish point-to-points for them. Being from one of the most successful hurling counties in Ireland, the syndicate's colours were selected to match their respective local GAA clubs of Rathnure and Adamstown. Donal previously enjoyed success as an owner, most notably when his Dabiroun landed the 2005 Fred Winter Juvenile Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham for trainer Paul Nolan.
John Smith’s Grand National Record: 2008 Snowy Morning (3rd), 2009 Snowy Morning (9th)
Willie Mullins: Born September 15, 1956, Willie Mullins was six-times amateur champion rider in Ireland and his major successes in the saddle included the 1983 John Smith’s Fox Hunters' Chase at Aintree on Atha Cliath, before taking out a training licence in 1988. He hails from one of Ireland's most famous racing families, being a son of Paddy Mullins, the now retired outstanding all-round trainer, whose most famous star was Dawn Run, winner of the 1984 Champion Hurdle and Cheltenham Gold Cup two years later. Willie Mullins rode and trained Wither Or Which to win the 1996 Weatherbys Champion Bumper, the Cheltenham Festival race in which he has saddled six winners (also Florida Pearl 1997, Alexander Banquet 1998, Joe Cullen 2000, Missed That 2005 and Cousin Vinny 2008). Mullins saddled Rule Supreme to win the Royal & SunAlliance Chase at the 2004 Cheltenham Festival and sent out the same horse to win the Irish Hennessy in 2005.
His best horse to date has been Florida Pearl, who was placed in two Cheltenham Gold Cups, won the 1998 Royal & SunAlliance Chase, the 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2004 Irish Hennessy Cognac Gold Cups in Ireland as well as the 2001 King George VI Chase and the 2002 totesport Bowl at Aintree. Mullins, who began training in 1988, has over 100 horses at his Closutton yard near Bagenalstown in Co Carlow and his first John Smith’s Grand National runner as a trainer, Micko's Dream, fell at the first in 2000, while, as a jockey, his rides included The Ladys Master, who ran out in 1983, and Hazy Dawn, who fell at the sixth the following year.
The loquacious Mullins, a former chairman of the Irish Trainers' Federation, also suffered heartache in 2004 when Hedgehunter departed at the final fence in the John Smith’s Grand National when looking assured of a place. Mullins overcame bad luck in the John Smith’s Grand National the following year when Hedgehunter came home 14 lengths clear of Royal Auclair. Hedgehunter was then second in 2006, ninth in 2007 and 13th on his final start in 2008. Mullins has trained 17 Cheltenham Festival winners.
John Smith’s Grand National Record: 2000 Micko's Dream (Fell 1st); 2002 Alexander Banquet (UR 6th), 2004 Alexander Banquet (Fell 18th); Hedgehunter (Fell 30th), 2005 HEDGEHUNTER (WON), 2006 Hedgehunter (2nd), 2007 Hedgehunter (9th), Homer Wells (PU bef 22nd), Bothar Na (PU bef 29th), Livingstonebramble (UR 6th), 2008 Snowy Morning (3rd), Hedgehunter (13th), 2009 Snowy Morning (9th), Irish Invader (11th)
