Paddy Woods

1930 - 2024

Paddy Woods is best remembered as Arkle’s regular work rider for much of that great champion’s career and who also rode him to victory in his final start over hurdles. He was closely associated with Tom Dreaper’s stable during the glory years of Arkle, Flyingbolt, Fortria, Ben Stack and Fort Leney.

Born in Fairyhouse, County Meath, in 1930, Paddy left school after primary education and began working for local trainer Dan Moore. He then spent three years with Charlie Rogers before returning to Moore, and  in 1956 he moved to Dreaper’s Greenogue yard, where he went on to play a key role in Arkle’s brilliant career.

Paddy was granted a licence to ride in 1957. His first ride was at Mullingar on Woodyard. He came second, beaten into first place by Pat Taaffe on Oyster. Tos Taaffe finished third. Paddy's first winner was The Big Hindu, at Navan. In later years, Paddy would train his first winner, Drynamite, also at Navan.

On 24 October 1962, with Dreaper’s stable jockey Pat Taaffe unable to do the 10st 5lb allocated to Arkle in the two-mile H. E. The President’s Handicap Hurdle at Gowran Park, Paddy Woods, who rode Arkle in most of his work and was a good jockey in his own right, took the ride. 

Arkle started 9-2 joint favourite with Ross Sea. Taking advantage of his light weight and despite misjudging the last hurdle, Arkle sprinted clear on the run-in and won by five lengths from the grey Silver Green, which had been a top-class hurdler and was conceding Arkle 12 pounds. It was the only occasion Paddy rode Arkle in a race.  

Interestingly, as pointed out in Sean Magee’s biography “Arkle: The Life and Legacy of ‘Himself’,” the photo of Paddy jumping the last hurdle on Arkle shows him wearing the Duchess of Westminster’s original colours, registered in Ireland as ‘Yellow, black cap with gold tassel’ – colours that had belonged to the Westminster family for generations. The black belt which completed the colours familiar to British racegoers was not formally added to her Irish colours until 1963. 

Paddy won two Irish Grand Nationals for Dreaper, first on the mare Last Link in 1963 and again two years later aboard Splash, with Arkle’s victory in that race sandwiched in between in 1964 and Flyingbolt's coming a year after in 1966. These formed part of a run of seven consecutive Irish Grand National winners trained by Dreaper between 1960 and 1966. 

Among other notable successes, Paddy won the Troytown Chase on Splash in 1964 and also rode him to victory in Navan’s Webster Cup Handicap Chase and Leopardstown’s Christmas Handicap Chase in 1965 and Mullingar’s Phoenix Beer Handicap Chase on 1 June 1966. He won the Troytown Chase for a second time on the Dreaper-trained Baby Snatcher in 1969. 

Tommy retired in 1970 at the age of 40 but continued to be a pivotal part of the Dreaper team until taking up the challenge of setting up his own stables and training mainly for Northern Ireland owners. He achieved his biggest success as a trainer when Kintai won the Troytown in 1978, ridden by Tommy Kinane. 

After relinquishing his trainer’s licence he began a new endeavour involving in the promotion of a particular type of horse feed.

In a Racing Post interview in 2020, he recalled: “I was privileged to work for Mr Dreaper for 15 years during the heady days of Arkle and Flyingbolt and I used to ride Arkle out every day for three years. 

“Flyingbolt was a brilliant horse, but he was no Arkle. Pat Taaffe was one of the best judges there ever was and he had no hesitation in saying he would have ridden Arkle over Flyingbolt if they had ever clashed. He was in no doubt.”

Paddy Woods died on Tuesday 16 April 2024, aged 93. 

His son Francis Woods emulated his father by winning two Irish Grand Nationals in three years aboard Son Of War in 1994 and Feathered Gale in 1996. He also won the Thyestes Chase twice, scoring back to back renewals on Wylde Hide in 1995 and 1996 for trainer Arthur Moore.