Joe Ahern

Article by Chris Pitt

Joseph Vincent Ahern, known as Joe, was born in Ireland and began his riding career as an amateur, registering his first success on Ballinagarde, who came with a strong run in the final furlong to land the two-mile Ashbourne Plate by four lengths at Phoenix Park on March 19, 1949. Just five days later, March 24, he rode his first winner over jumps when Red Wolf II landed the Farmers’ Chase at Proudstown Park (known today as Navan).

On March 11, 1950,  Joe rode Furry Glen to beat the great Martin Molony on the favourite Prince Brownthorn by a neck in the Killiney Handicap Chase at Leopardstown. Later that month he landed the Champion Hunters’ Cup Chase on Silver Mitre at the annual Louth Hunt fixture. At the end of April, he recorded two hunter chase victories at the big Punchestown meeting (known officially in those days as ‘Kildare & N.H.’), winning the Courtown Hunters’ Chase on Silver Mitre and the Bishopscourt Cup on Windgates. 

During the summer he won bumpers on Pretty Legend at Proudstown Park in June and Barita at Leopardstown in August. Back over jumps in October, he landed the Dicksboro’ Handicap Chase at Gowran Park on Corry II.

He notched two wins at Fairyhouse’s 1951 Irish Grand National meeting (officially known then as ‘Ward Union Hunt’) on Hard Cash in the Dunboyne Handicap Chase on Easter Monday, and North Littleton in the Ratoath Plate Chase the following day. He also rode a winner at that year’s Punchestown meeting on Hard Cash, who beat 23 rivals to take the Downshire Selling Chase. 

Joe came close to registering a big race success when finishing second on Lonely Boy in the Galway Hurdle in August in August 1951, beaten by the Vincent O’Brien-trained Wye Fly, the mount of Martin Molony. Remarkably, Joe and Lonely Boy were reunited the following day at neighbouring Tuam, where they again finished runner-up in an insignificant £100 handicap hurdle. He gained a small measure of compensation six weeks later when North Littleton won the Athboy Handicap Chase at Navan (the 1951/52 season being the first in which ‘Proudstown Park’ was officially recorded as ‘Navan’ in the form book).

Joe made his first appearance on a British racecourse when winning the Edgehill Handicap Chase for amateur riders at Birmingham on January 14, 1952. Back home in Ireland that year he won the Benburb Cup Hunters’ Chase at Downpatrick in March on Double Gift, and the Kildare Hunt Plate Handicap Chase at Punchestown on Corry II. During the summer he won bumpers on Scotch Link at Dundalk in August and Tantivy Cottage at Phoenix Park in October, both horses trained by Harry Ussher.

His winners during the 1952/53 campaign, during which he turned professional, included Limavaddy, owned and trained by James Ryan, on whom Joe won at Navan in March and also finished sixth behind Overshadow in the 1953 Irish Grand National. 

The Harry Ussher-trained hurdler Rosechatel provided Joe with wins at Naas in October 1954 and at Mullingar in February 1955. He scored on Ussher’s chaser Cillie Dolly at the 1955 Galway Festival and ended that year with victory on Shannon Flame at Leopardstown’s Christmas fixture.

Joe crossed the Irish Sea in 1957 and based himself in Yorkshire, riding mainly for local permit holders. His first winner as a professional on British soil came on Oakdale for Birkin, near Leeds owner-trainer John Hartley in the Wonderland Chase at Haydock on March 7, 1958. Ten days later he won on Hartley’s juvenile hurdler Half Asleep at Doncaster, following up at Perth the next month. 

Half Asleep graduated to fences the following season, winning at Kelso in May 1959, one of three winners Joe rode that term. Twelve months then elapsed before Half Asleep gave Joe his only winner of the 1959/60 season when winning at the corresponding Kelso fixture.

Joe failed to register a single winner in the 1960/61 campaign. However, Half Asleep gave him one final success when winning at the West Norfolk Hunt (now Fakenham) Easter Monday fixture on April 23, 1962. Appropriately, Half Asleep was also Joe’s last ride when finishing fourth at Huntingdon on Whit Monday, June 11, 1962.

Joe Ahern’s British winners as a professional were as follows:

Oakdale, Haydock Park, March 7, 1958

Half Asleep, Doncaster, March 17, 1958

Half Asleep, Perth, April 24, 1958

Dollar Way, Hexham, May 5, 1958

Happy Link, Catterick Bridge, November 29, 1958

Special Edition, Market Rasen, March 30, 1959 

Half Asleep, Kelso, May 7, 1959

Half Asleep, Kelso, May 5, 1960

Half Asleep, West Norfolk Hunt (Fakenham), April 23, 1962