Under The Radar: Gibney making most of Raffles prize

Ask Tom Gibney if he was happy with the performance that Intense Raffles put up in winning his beginners’ chase at Fairyhouse on Saturday, and he nods his head. “Very,” he says.  “For many reasons.” 

The visuals could hardly have been much more impressive than they were.  Intense Raffles got into a nice easy racing rhythm from early on for Daryl Jacob.  Not easily discernible, a grey in the middle of a bank of fog, the Martaline gelding’s jumping was very good.  He led from flag fall and he was still in front as they raced around the home turn. 

He landed first over the second last fence, and Daryl Jacob was still motionless on his back as they ran down to the final fence.  He jumped the final fence as well as he had jumped the previous 14, and he kept on strongly all the way up the run-in to win by four and a half lengths. 

“He’s a lovely solid horse,” says Gibney.  “He catches your eye.  Maybe the fact that he is great is part of that, but he’s such a good mover.  Easy.  Balanced.  It was great that he was able to do that on his first run for us, it was important that he ran well for his owners.” 

His owners are Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.  Think El Fabiolo and Impaire Et Passe and Sceau Royal and Bristol De Mai and L’Ami Serge.  Zambella and Concertista too if you like.  Relief Rally if you want to think Flat. 

You know that Intense Raffles is owned by Munir and Souede because of the colours, double green, green body with dark green sleeves and a quartered cap.  Jacob is a bit of a giveaway too.  So is the name, Intense Raffles.  For an ownership partnership that was hatched in Raffles Hotel in Singapore, every homebred has the Raffles prefix or the Raffles Suffix:  Fusil Raffles, Raffles Sun, Raffles Sainte. 

Intense Raffles is homebred all right, by Martaline out of the high-class racemare Une Artiste, who raced in the double green and won the Fred Winter Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, as well as the Grade Three John & Chich Fowler Mares’ Chase at Fairyhouse.  

Intense Raffles won his first two hurdle races in France - he beat last season’s Martin Pipe Hurdle winner Iroko in the second of them - but he had raced five times over fences in France before Saturday, and he didn’t manage to win.  And until very recently, you never would have connected Gibney with Munir and Souede. 

“I first came into contact with Simon last February,” says Gibney.  “We got on well from the start, but there was never any talk about them having a horse with me back then.  I met him for the first time at Punchestown in April, he came over and introduced himself to me.  That was all.  Then he called me in September.  He told me that he had been keeping an eye on me since he had met me, and that they were going to send me a horse.” 

Intense Raffles arrived at the yard in early October, and Gibney was impressed with him from the beginning.  He did everything easily, and he was ready to start off on Saturday.  With Saturday’s performance now under his belt, the future is exciting. 

“We have no immediate plans for him,” says his trainer.  “We’ve given him an entry in the Leopardstown Handicap Chase at the Dublin Racing Festival, but nothing is set in stone yet.  We’ll see how we go.” 

There are no immediate plans either for Flamborough, who ran out an impressive winner of the rated novices’ hurdle at Cork 12 days ago. 

“We were happy with Flamborough in the end.  He just didn’t travel very well in the early part of the race, but he finished off his race well.  He was a little bit sore after the race, so he’s getting a little break now.” 

A winner over a mile and six furlongs on the Flat in 2022 on his final run for Charlie and Mark Johnston, Flamborough could have another go on the Flat before too long. 

“We have a Flat campaign in the back of our heads for him.  He could return over hurdles at Fairyhouse in the spring before going back on the Flat.  It all depends on how he is.  His owner Seamus Kiernan is getting a good kick out of him.” 

Gibney has been getting a good kick out of racing for a while now.  Based just outside Trim on County Meath, in 2012 he sent Lion Na Bearnai up the road to Navan to win the Grade Two Ten Up Chase and, seven weeks later, he sent him back down the road to Fairyhouse to spring a 33/1 surprise in the Irish Grand National.  

This season, he has ten winners on the board, already he has equalled last season’s total for the season, and he has lots to look forward to for the season that stretches on to Fairyhouse again and beyond.