Blast From The Past: Swinton Handicap Hurdle

Jessica Harrington finished the 2016/17 season over jumps with a flourish, recording a hat-trick of victories at the Cheltenham Festival and winning the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse with Our Duke. The last time Harrington enjoyed such a golden spell was perhaps some 14 years earlier, when Moscow Flyer (Queen Mother Champion Chase), Spirit Leader (County Hurdle) and Intelligent (Midlands Grand National) all struck in the space of four days.

Fast forward the clock some 11 weeks and it was a time for a certain Macs Joy to make his racecourse debut in a bumper at Tralee. The four-year-old showed a tenacious attitude to score by a neck on that occasion, but looked nothing out of the ordinary when switched to hurdles in the autumn and could boast just a maiden success at Downpatrick from his first five starts.

However, Macs Joy made marked improvement once switched to handicaps after the turn of the year, winning twice from four starts and arguably unfortunate not to add to that tally. At Leopardstown in February, a month after finishing second in the Pierse Handicap Hurdle, Macs Joy was clearly the winner on merit when beating Kilbeggan Lad by three lengths, but was demoted to second for causing interference after the last. Back for Fairyhouse later in April, Macs Joy took advantage of his still lenient-looking mark to win the valuable Menolly Homes Handicap Hurdle by a length and a half from Tiger Cry.

He started 7/2 favourite that day in a field of twenty-seven and was an even warmer order when lining up for the Swinton Handicap Hurdle at Haydock. The Swinton looked a rather lop-sided race, with twelve of the nineteen runners out of the handicap due to the presence of the smart Westender, and Macs Joy himself was 4 lb wrong at the weights. That failed to prevent him going off a clear favourite at 4/1, however, ahead of Howle Hill (9/1), the last two winners of the Scottish Champion Hurdle in the shape of In Contrast and Copeland, and the aforementioned Westender, all at 10/1.

Ultimately, Macs Joy never gave his backers a moment's worry and could be called the winner a long way out under Timmy Murphy. He made smooth headway to lead between the final two flights and was well in command at the finish, with two and a half lengths back to runner-up Dancing Bay. The handicapper raised Macs Joy to a mark of 144 on the back of that performance, but Harrington's charge would never run in a handicap again and went on to establish himself at the very highest level in the years that followed. 

Indeed, the 2004/05 season yielded a brace of Grade 1 successes in the December Festival Hurdle and the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle, both at Leopardstown, and Macs Joy deservedly added a third victory at the top level when winning the ACC Bank Champion Hurdle at Punchestown in April 2006. He is best-remembered for his rivalry with Champion Hurdle winners Brave Inca and Hardy Eustace, and was arguably unlucky not to add to his tally in Grade 1 company, having been around in what was a golden spell for two-mile hurdlers.

Macs Joy met with a sad end, breaking his leg in the International Hurdle at Cheltenham in December 2007 and having to be put down. He won £528,853 in prize money during his career and was awarded a Timeform rating of 166 in his prime.