Pat Guiry

Pat Guiry

Article by Alan Trout

Patrick Vincent Guiry, known as Pat, rode three winners under National Hunt rules in Britain during the 1950s.

Before crossing the Irish Sea, Pat had ridden successfully in his native Ireland, riding out his claim when guiding T.H. to win the Slievenamon Handicap Hurdle at Powerstown Park (known now as Clonmel) on July 17, 1952, following up at Mallow three weeks later. 

Thus, he arrived in England soon after without a claim, being obliged to take on the top northern jockeys on level terms. Nonetheless, he had over 30 rides during the 1952/53 season and one win, when Castle Donnington, trained at Ripon by Bobby Renton, won the Four-Year-Old Hurdle (Division 1) at Catterick Bridge on February 27, 1953, by a comfortable 15 lengths. 

Pat had ridden the horse, owned by Jim Joel, on his three previous outings. The best they had managed was one fourth place, and the colt had stood still at the start of his most recent run at Haydock earlier in February. Pat retained the ride but two unplaced efforts followed, including when finishing twelfth in the Lancashire Hurdle on Grand National day, having led to halfway. 

It would be well over two years before Pat won another race, the drought finally ending at Sedgefield on September 17, 1955, when making all to win the Aldborough Novices’ Chase on Double Room. He retained the ride for all but one of Double Room’s eight subsequent starts but one third-place finish was all they could manage – and that was in a three-runner race. 

Another long gap ensued before Pat’s final win came at Worcester on January 19, 1957. Having taken the lead two out, Pat and the five-year-old Golden Arrow kept on well to take the Bromsgrove Handicap Hurdle by a length and a half. Trained near Rhyl by Solly Parker, Golden Arrow ran twice more that season, ridden by Pat on both occasions, including when finishing tenth of 19 runners in the Liverpool Hurdle on March 30. 

Pat Guiry rode for one more season, 1957/58, before relinquishing his licence.