As the crowds streamed into Leopardstown on St Stephen’s Day, not far way a member of a famous Irish racing family departed this life.
Brother Joseph Osborne SJ breathed his last in St Vincent’s University Hospital, close by yet a world removed from the Foxrock course on which he had performed with distinction as an amateur jockey 60 years previously.
It as hardly surprising that Joe Osborne should have excelled in the saddle, bred to it as he was.
His famous father and namesake, born and raised with seven brothers and seven sisters in Ballyknockan, Co Wicklow, rode his pony to the annual Punchestown Races when aged 14. And was hooked.
Purchasing Craddoxtown House, Naas, in 1920, Joe Osborne sent out his first winner the following year – Beggars End at Gowran Park.
However, it was his lifelong fascination with Punchestown that inspired him to win the Kildare Hunt Cup outright, successful in 1925-2627 on his own homebred mare Alice Whitethorn.
She had been bred from the 1914 Galway Plate heroine, Alice Rockthorn, later the dam of his 1936 Irish Grand National winner Alice Maythorn and likewise Alice Baythorn, successful in the 1944 Maiden Plate, the 1945 Prince of Wales Chase and the Conyngham Cup for her proud owner-trainer.
Joe senior had previously ridden Nell’s Son to win the 1931 Conyngham Cup for Lanespark trainer WP Hanly, successful again when saddling National Lad to take the 1946 renewal under Martin Molony.
Joe Osborne junior was granted his amateur licence in 1946, riding out his claim three years later, coming to the fore alongside Messrs Pat, Toss and Willie Taaffe, with such as PP Hogan, ‘Bunny’ Cox, Cecil Ronaldson, Francis Flood and Paddy Mullins in eager competition.
Having made his name in bumpers, Joe demonstrated his mastery of Punchestown’s unique banks and walls when winning the 1949 Kildare Hunt Cup on Tomsallagh II, trained by his father.
Two years later father and son joined forces to singular effect with Copp, successful in the Joseph O’Reilly Memorial Hunters’ Chase at Fairyhouse, the historic Conyngham Cup at Punchestown and the Tetratema Cup at Gowran Park.
At Punchestown and again at Gowran, Copp was asked to defy 13st 3lbs, doing so by more than a dozen lengths each time.
That was the last year that Joe Osborne junior held a licence, turning instead to a further 60 years of unswerving loyalty to the Jesuit Order.
Despite that remarkable length of service Joe Osborne never took Holy Orders, content instead to remain a Jesuit brother.
Despite spending five years in the Jesuits’ custody your correspondent never learned of the existence of Jesuit brothers, only Jesuit priests.
Joe junior’s call to other, higher colours left the way for younger brother Paddy to take over the trainer’s mantle from their father.
As had his father before him with such as Coneyburrow in 1953, Friendly Boy in 1958 and Grallagh Cnoc in 1961, Paddy Osborne tasted Cheltenham Festival success with his father’s homebred Brown Lad in 1974.
Sold into Jim Dreaper’s stable, Brown Lad went on to become the only triple Irish Grand National winner.
Coincidentally, Joe Osborne senior also bred Jim Dreaper’s 1975 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner – Ten Up.
Nor did Paddy neglect the home scene, taking the 1971 Power Gold Cup with his father’s Glending, a halfbrother to Brown Lad.
Paddy in his turn handed over to his son Robbie, who quickly made his mark as a flat trainer.
His grandfather might have been almost exclusively a National Hunt trainer, but he did run two two-year-olds, both successfully.
Michael Osborne, Paddy’s first cousin, gained further family honours, first as General Manager of the Irish National Stud and then as the man who purchased Kildangan Stud from Roderic More O’Ferrall on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed, turning it into the showpiece that Kildangan is today.
Michael’s legacy is perpetuated to the present by his sons Joe and John, respectively responsible for Kildangan and the Irish National Stud, while Mita Cantillon, their sister, is now a Turf Club Steward.
FOOTNOTE – Joe Osborne senior saddled Height O’ Fashion, to win the 1963 Guinness Chase at Punchestown. She became the yardstick by which the handicapper rated Flyingbolt within 2lb of Arkle.
The latter gave her 30lb in the 1964 Irish National, the former gave her 40lb in the 1966 race, beating her by marginally further.
Height O’ Fashion won the Troytown Chase under 12st., giving her rivals up to 35lb. Kauto Star is an admirable and welcome pretender.