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It was only with the rise to fame of young Master Murphy in the riding ranks that I finally learned the correct way to pronounce Oisin. The first Oisin is one I remember fondly, but he was a racehorse and both punters and bookies mangled that name, which was variously pronounced ‘WuzzIn’ or ‘Oyzin’
Oisin the racehorse was trained by Guy Harwood and he was the sort of winning machine that got a much easier ride from the handicapper then than he would now. He was active at the time, the late 70’s, when Harwood was just starting to make the breakthrough to the top level. I’m not going to go through his entire career race by race, because a) I don’t have the necessary form books and b) each season was much the same.
As a 3yo in 1976, he won his first two races, which I suspect were both maidens – back then, the need for entries to be made three to four weeks in advance, meant that a maiden winner could run in another maiden under a penalty in a race for which he’d already been entered. He went on to win a 12F handicap later that year, but he’d only just got going.
In 1977, he ran 13 times and won five of his last nine starts, all those wins in 12F handicaps. Then in 1978, he had what I reckon was his best year, both in terms of the number of wins and in the quality of races he was winning. And as I do own a 1978 form book, that’s the year I’ll concentrate on in more detail.
Following the pattern of the year before, he failed to win any of his first five starts – he was always at his best when the ground was firm and midsummer onwards was his winning time. The first win in 1978 came at Brighton on June 27th in the Operatic Society Challenge Cup – he carried 7-11 under Willie Carson to beat Pollerton (10-0), who’d won a valuable race at Kempton on his previous start. That was followed by a resounding defeat under a penalty on soft ground – he could handle soft, but he certainly wasn’t as good under those conditions.
He returned to action at Kempton on Aug 19th in a good quality 12F handicap, where he carried 7-10 under 3lb claiming apprentice P Bloomfield. Top weight was the high class filly Lucent (9-10), who’d won a £6k to the winner handicap at the Eclipse meeting two starts back and had run well in the Oaks the previous year – she was rated 113 by Timeform in 1978. Favourite was Dutch Treat (9-0) another quality performer rated 100 by Timeform – both of those were trained by Ryan Price.
Oisin set off in front, as he usually did, looked likely to be beaten when Dutch Treat challenged 2F out, but battled on and held him off by 3/4L, the pair 12L clear of Lucent in third. I can describe that race in such detail as I was both present at Kempton that day and a backer of WuzzIn at 9/1. With his horse in form and the ground riding fast everywhere, Harwood kept him busy. Three days after Kempton, he turned out at Brighton in a much lower grade of race, his penalty taking his weight to 10-5, which was reduced by a 7lb claim. I don’t know who rode that day, but I suspect it was Tony Clark, later a useful senior jockey for the stable. Oisin couldn’t handle the weight and came home fourth, although only 3L off the winner.
Undaunted, Harwood sent him to Windsor four days later, where at a Saturday evening meeting, he won the biggest race of the season at Windsor, the Quortina Challenge Cup, worth £3,800 to the winner. He carried 9-8 under Greville Starkey, made all the running and held off the persistent challenge of Windsor specialist Hauser by 3/4L at 8/1. And yes, I was there and I did – you can see why I remember him! Winning this race was particularly appropriate, as Quortina was a very similar character, a mare that won multiple races on the Southern circuit and a Windsor regular.
After that busy and profitable week, he went on to win three more races – a three runner affair at Folkestone on Sept 5th – an apprentice handicap at Ascot under 10-0 on sept 29th – and another small field race at Folkestone, again carrying 10-0, on Oct 19th. There was a second place at Folkestone between the first two of those wins. At the end of the season, he’d run fourteen times, won six of the last nine, second three times and all those races were over 1M 4F.
In Racehorses of 1978, Timeform rated him at 98 and the brief essay included the almost superfluous comments ‘useful handicapper’ and ‘genuine and consistent’. Guy Harwood had his best season up to that point, with 59 winners that included the top class 2yos, Ela-Mana-Mou and Young Generation. They provided around £66k in prize money, but I reckon Oisin did his bit as well – the six wins produced almost £15k and I’d guess the place money took his total to around £16k. Harwood took 11th place in the trainers table with £151,700 and Starkey topped 100 winners for the first time.
Oisin remained in training in 1979 and managed two wins before being sold at the Newmarket Autumn Sales for 9,400 gns to Roger Fisher. He won twice over hurdles that season, at Ayr and Cartmel, but his appearances became less and I suspect his main role for Fisher was to act as lead horse on the gallops for his top class hurdler, Ekbalco. Sadly Oisin suffered a broken leg in a fall at Ayr in April 1982 and had to be put down – a great pity that he never got to enjoy a well earned retirement. But equally, it’s not difficult to imagine that he was only happy when racing, given the zest he showed for the game and his competitive spirit.
Just to add that the race named after Quortina was created by Windsor after she won five consecutive races there at evening meetings in 1970. And she increased her Windsor tally to six by winning the Quortina Challenge Cup in 1972! It must be very rare, if not unique, for any horse to win the race run in its honour. Not even Desert Orchid could manage it, as his only run in the Desert Orchid Challenge Cup at Wincanton saw him finish second to Sabin Du Loir.
Excellent and thoroughly enjoyable post, ap.
I’ve looked up Oisin in my old Timeform annuals. He was unraced at two. At three, he won a maiden at Folkestone in March and handicaps at Newmarket in April and Salisbury in July (the latter by seven lengths). He ended the season rated 86.
At four, he won at Salisbury, Brighton, Ascot, Haydock and Leicester. Rated 88 by our friends in Halifax, Oisin was retained for 10,000 guineas at the Newmarket Autumn Sales.
As a five year old, Oisin was even more successful and racked up six wins: at Brighton, Kempton, Windsor, Folkestone (twice) and Ascot, in a race for apprentice jockeys. As you mentioned, he reached a solid rating of 98 that year.
1979 saw his rating dip slightly to 92 and, after victories at Ascot (apprentices) in September and Brighton the following month, he was sold to Roger Fisher at the Newmarket Autumn Sales for 9,400 guineas.
Fisher sent his new acquisition out eight times in 1979/80 and Oisin landed a novice handicap hurdle at Ayr in April and a novice hurdle at Cartmel the following month, making all to win by twenty lengths. He finished his novice season rated 111 in Chasers & Hurdlers.
1980/81 saw only three appearances, with a second place at Perth in October (to Sea Lad) on the middle one the best of the trio. He ran moderately three weeks later and was not seen again that season, but his rating nevertheless improved to 128.
1981/82 was Oisin’s final season. He ran six times, with his best position being fourth on his fourth start, and was destroyed after breaking a shoulder in a fall at Ayr in April. His rating in the annual was 104.
A thoroughly game and genuine performer, I have no doubt he brought great joy to his connections over the years. Interestingly, his dam was a half-sister to Gyr and won in Italy.
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