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Very sad news. He was much loved so I hear. RIP
"this perfect mix of poetry and destruction, this glory of rhythm, power and majesty: the undisputed champion of the world!!!"
Puts things in to perspective. So sad.
We criticise jockeys when they mess up, but we all appreciate the work they do.RIP JT and thanks to you and all jockeys.
Value Is EverythingEchoing all of the above sentiments. Thoughts with his wife and children at this tragic time.
RIP
Condolences to his wife and children.Just came across this article by Alastair Down, which I had not seen before.
Alistair Down’s pieces are terrific.
Two of ours here if you have time to have a quick look.
Jockey JT McNamara dies aged 41: His 4 Cheltenham Festival winners in pictures
OPINION: The two very different sides of Twitter facing jockeys today
Grim reaper Down’s pre-written template-built obits are increasingly creepy and inappropriate.
We shouldn’t let Down overshadow the sad news though. Like many of the top Irish amateurs, McNamara had a homecooked riding technique honed over years of nursing gawky, green and downright scary young horses through point-to-points en route to auctions and private sales. If you look at the early days of many top chasers of the last 15-20 years, you’ll see McNamara often took the reins in that vital first racecourse appearance.
Everyone knows about the Rith Dubh ride, where I think the horse deserves much more credit and the jockey much less, though it might be bad taste for anyone else to stir up that old debate now. I think his famous wins on Teaforthree and Spotthedifference were more impressive feats. The Cross Country course is tricky to ride tactically, with the stop-start pace and tight turns making it tough to stay in an ideal position. Still, JT always delivered old Spotthediffference (who wasn’t the most agile cross-country endboss) to lead at the last. No doubt the racing public never got to see his finest rides though. Imagine all the hair-raising widow-making youngsters he managed to win on between the flags. Think of all the great sits and clever coaxes he must have pulled off.
JT also deserves a great deal of respect for his dignity and strength of will after the accident. He didn’t want publicity and duly asserted with only Down’s feature being allowed. He also wanted to stay involved with racehorses and was on the way to starting his own yard. To stay so steely and positive after losing almost all movement he must have been an incredibly brave man.
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