Jaime Wrenn (Cheltmental) - The Fan Base - The Finishing Line Podcast

Hi, Jaime Wrenn is my name got into racing at a very young age I suppose from watching old videos of my favourite horse Desert Orchid. I reckon I was 6 if I can remember that far back. My father always liked horses bringing me to the bookies I begged him by the way my mother used to make a show. My earliest memories were putting a cushion between the legs and watching it on TV on a Saturday driving out the finish. Saturday sort on RTE the intro music was the final countdown and once I heard that was Dad when’s the racing on, I had no interest in the summer racing was always the jumps.

My first love was showjumping would you believe the Irish Championships were in Salthill Co. Galway my mom would go mad when I used to tape over her programs with showjumping. Then out to the back garden used every piece of the back garden pretend your horse make out a course with every pole stick you could find time yourself give yourself 4 faults endless fun, Eddie Macken and Francis Connors were my favourite riders.

My first experience and the person who brought me racing was my godmother and she brought me to Tralee racecourse the week of the Rose of the Tralee festival every year I was hooked, when my parents said your spoilt you have enough and had an old 5 pound note my grandfather used to give me every Sunday I used hop the back wall to get into the racecourse those were the days Tralee is sadly missed what a waste, had the privilege to see horse like Monty’s Pass Grand National winner, Liberman former Cheltenham Bumper winner, Finsceal Beo English 1000 Guineas winner and Vintage Tipple Irish Oaks winner win there.

My First winner bets my Dad used put on for me I told him in 1992 I was 6 shush Party Politics will win the Grand National and he surely did I was hooked then every year trying to pick the winner.

Cheltenham didn’t really come along till late in primary school my teacher used to go through it with me he used bring in portable Tv into the classroom and barely turn so only I could see it where everybody else had no interest good times.

My Top 5 Horses of All Time

Desert Orchid he was the reason I got into horse racing he was unique he was the original peoples champion he will always be the peoples champion he captured the imagination, from winning the gold cup, the old Whitbread off top weight the Irish grand national off top weight you just don’t see horses like that anymore was brilliant. There was so many great commentaries the one that sticks out the most is because my godmother bought me the old BBC video of Desert Orchid The Golden Years, I think was the old Gainsborough Chase at Sandown and Dessie was giving Pegwell Bay I think he was called and Graham Goode saying ‘Desert Orchid from Pegwell Bay, Will the Orchid Bloom Desert goes on…’ that still gives me goosebumps to this day.

Moscow Flyer, to me the greatest 2 mile chaser ever he was some horse and people say to me Sprinter Sacre and Altior but no in my opinion Moscow had too champions behind him in Azertyuiop and Well chief. The 2004 Tingle Creek was and still to this is the greatest race ever hairs on the back of the neck standing up a true champion I loved him. I saw him win his first champion chase in 2003 and the roar when he jumped the last was unbelievable.

Hurricane Fly, istabraq was a brilliant horse what a horse he was but hurricane fly was different gravy he was excellent saw him to win 2 morgianas at Punchestown an Irish Champion hurdle at leopardstown, to go unbeaten at Leopardstown was some achievement I don’t think you will ever see that again for a long time in 2 mile hurdling. I was told about hurricane fly before he came over and a friend of mine who used work in the post office in tralee said mullins has got a very good one and we went into the bookies he opened 6/4 to win his maiden hurdle at Punchestown we had everything we could on him and lets say it was a great night.

Annie Power, I think she was one of the great mares we have ever seen and was just a pity she was around when the so called machine was around because I thought Willie Mullins, Ruby Walsh and Ritch messed around with her trip because to me there’s no horse would ever give her 7 pounds in a champion hurdle she proved it when running the fastest time ever in the champion hurdle she was better than Quevega. The less said about the fall the better though.

Tiger Roll, I never gave up on this horse I just saw something one day when he won the national hunt chase at cheltenham that he will win the grand national and all my racing friends for years laughed at me, they bowed to me when I backed him that October to win his first grand national at 40/1 and a few times after that as well. I can’t remember the rest.

My Top 5 Horse Racing Memories

My first will always be what I remember going with my Dad to Tralee and sitting in the old stand with our flask of tea and sandwiches and my father said I cant decide between 2 horses Pharanear for Aidan O’Brien and Icantelya for Paddy Mullins and he said we will do the straight forecast it was 1995 a maiden hurdle around Tralee they were first and second and the joy was unbelievable.

The bomb scare the 1997 Aintree Grand National the Monday National, I told everybody I knew that Lord Gyllene would win it and he won from start to finish I don’t think you will ever see a better winner P.S my father said he had no chance he listened after that.

2003 my first Cheltenham Festival I bought my father the trip off an old ad in the mirror newspaper, its an experience I will never ever forget, Azertyuiop winning an Arkle, rooster booster hosing up in the champion hurdle, Hardy Eustace winning the now Ballymore, Moscow flyer winning the champion chase, the gamble landed on Xenophon in the coral cup for Tony Martin, Baracouda beating iris’s gift and limestone lad in the stayers and best mate winning his 2nd gold cup the stand shook that day what a performance will always be the greatest staying chaser ever. To cap it off in the pre-parade I saw Desert Orchid to say I didn’t shed a tear to see him in the flesh was a dream come true

2004 Cheltenham bumper Total Enjoyment to say everybody and I mean everybody in Tralee backed this horse was under statement, I backed him in November at 33/1 after Fairyhouse at 16s after Leopardstown at 10s and 7s on the day the cue was out passed the bookies down towards the garda station and what made it better my future wife to be paid me out she didn’t even know who I was

I have a Whatsapp group we call ourselves The Cheltenham Table and a friend of mine in it said we should get involved in horse for the laugh we got the share it was always the dream to have a small toe in a horse. Off Your Rocco he gave us some cherished memories amongst friends and when myself my father went to see him win at Limerick we were the only two of our crowd there, It’s a memory I will never forget it was truly a dream come true.