Frank Berry secures Gold Cup glory at Cheltenham

The Moment: Frank Berry and Glencaraig Lady win the Cheltenham Gold Cup 

The Year: 1972

The legendary Frank Berry was Irish jump racing champion jockey ten times and the highlight of his career, winning the 1972 Cheltenham Gold Cup, provides us with the second of Longford’s ten most memorable sporting moment of the past fifty years.

Horse racing followers from Granard, Frank Berry’s hometown, and across county Longford were ecstatic as they listened to the epic commentary provided by the voice of horse racing, the late Peter O’Sullivan, forty-five years ago.

Eight year old horse, Glencaraig Lady, at odds of 6/1, strode impressively first past the Prestbury Park finishing post ahead of Royal Toss and The Dikler.

Glencaraig Lady was trained by Francis Flood and owned by Patrick Doyle.

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Paying tribute to the late Francis Flood when he passed away, Berry said, "Winning on Glencaraig Lady was great for me. It was my first ride at Cheltenham as well. It was a huge occasion. We had a lot of good years together. He was a wonderful man to ride for and he was just a nice man."

Frank Berry landed the 1968 Irish St Leger on Giolla Mear as a teenage apprentice not long after leaving home in Granard.
In 1975 he tied for the Irish jockeys championship with Tommy Carberry.

He won the title on his own seven more times and tied twice more. He also enjoyed a famous Arkle success on Bobsline in 1984.

Frank Berry went on to become racing manager for owner JP McManus and his sons Fran and Alan are also accomplished jockeys.

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