Back in 2018, as part of our 'Catching up with' series, we found out where some of the most prolific open point-to-pointers where after their racing careers had come to an end.
The family favourite Send For Paddy is in the spotlight this week, as a horse who ran 61 times between the flags, clocking up a total of 13 wins, 17 runner-up efforts and three thirds from 2005-2015.
We caught up with Send For Paddy’s owner Robert Armstrong, who also bred him to find out a bit more about the family’s star.
“Paddy was always very special to myself and all of my family. He was the first foal out of his dam and the plan was always to race him and see what he was like
“A neighbour of mine called Ian Duncan broke him for me as an three-year-old and he had his first run at Maralin in November 2005 in a four-year-old maiden where he pulled up.
“He only ran twice more that season and then we brought him back to Maralin a year later and he was second. He won his first race for us at Loughanmore later in the spring in May.
“He won two races in 2009 and during the next season he was runner-up on six occasions, one of which was at Down Royal at Christmas in the hunter chase. Paddy was unlucky to have met Top Twig on a good few of his runs that year otherwise he would have won more.
“Paddy won at six tracks in the north and also gave us some great days out down the country as well as he won at Glenbane, Nenagh, the Naul and Tinahely.
“He won his hunters chase at Downpatrick in 2013 and won another two races the following season.
“He was the most genuine performer and loved his racing.
“As I have a gallop and yard at my own house, any of the lads who would have been renting it off me over the years would have trained Paddy. He ran in my own name, William Rankin's, Graham McKeever's and Danny Fitzsimons'.
“When we decided to retire him from racing, a friend of the family, Molly McCory took him to do the retraining with him. He continued to give us some brilliant days out in his showing career and won for us all over the north.
“One of the most memorable days was definitely at the Tattersalls July show when he beat Forpaddytheplaster who went on to win at the RDS.
“Paddy is now in his full retirement and is a companion horse to some of the younger ones I have at home. He thinks he is a four-year-old again if you saw how he shows off out in the field!
“We actually have his half-brother in training called Watyawaiting for and he won for us at our local meeting at Largy in April. If he could go on to do half as much as what his brother did I’d be delighted!”
First published: 12th May 2018
