Galway Races: A little Mee time could see some big success

While many owners dream of acclaim at Cheltenham or The Curragh, it’s the thought of Summer Festival success 
that keeps Pearse and Annette Mee’s home fires burning

Dermot Weld and Willie Mullins may be the highest profile dominant figures in the history of the jamboree that is the Galway Races Summer Festival but they aren’t the only protagonists that punters latch on to.

Despite operating at a different budgetary level in terms of talent acquisition than many of their rivals, the Mee family have a record that is the envy of all.

Anyone with even a passing interest in horse racing will recognise the colours and know of the calibre and quantity of races won by their representatives, propelled by the riders that wear them.

The Mees themselves prefer to let the animals do the talking for them, wanting only to revel in the atmosphere, emotion and unadulterated pleasure of playing in their Elysian Fields. No occasion supersedes winning at Galway, except when winning at the famed Summer Festival.

Pearse Mee is a native of Tribes County who was successful in the technology and software sphere initially. He developed a tremendous reputation as an entrepreneur in Britain and Ireland but once he had the means, began investing in his passion for horses.

Whereas most owners dream of Cheltenham or The Curragh, for Mee and his wife Annette, it is thoughts of glory at the Galway Races Summer Festival that are to the forefronts of their mind when they are buying horses. That is not just the primary target, it is the only one really.

Pearse’s birthday even falls in August, when the Galway Races tend to have just concluded and you can bet your bottom dollar that the Galwegian and his wife Annette will be well represented once more ahead of celebrating his 81st birthday.

The horses generally run in Annette’s name, while Michael manages the team. Whereas once, it would have been necessary to emphasise where trainers need to work back from, there is no need now, particularly for their regular conditioners such as Shark Hanlon and Emmet Mullins. Willie Mullins, Henry de Bromhead and John Kiely are others to have been entrusted with their equine stars.

In 2022, the emerald green and mauve half silks were carried to victory on four occasions by Rachael Blackmore, Donagh Meyler, Conor Clarke and Derek O’Connor on board the Hanlon-trained Hallowed Star (successful for the second year in a row) and Emmet Mullins-prepped trio of Merlin Giant, Teed Up and This Songisforyou.

They also had three placed horses, all that from a total of just 11 runners. In contrast, multiple champion owner JP McManus had no winner despite throwing 21 darts.

Three years earlier, Pearse and Annette were presented with the Contribution to the Industry Award by the ITBA Western Region and marked the occasion when Diamond Hill won the opening race on Galway Plate Day.

That came 12 months after the Willie Mullins-trained son of Beat Hollow had prevailed on the level at Ballybrit, on a week that Mullins’ nephew Emmet saddled Zero Ten and St Stephens Green – the horse that got the future Grand National-winning handler up and running as a trainer – to score.

Purple Mountain, Minella Beau (both Willie Mullins), Three Wise Men (Henry de Bromhead), Exchange Rate and Truckers Delight (Hanlon) are others to have been led into the famed winner’s enclosure.

Notably, and whether this is by virtue of the type of horse bought or positive affirmation, many of those returned to win in September and October. But then rarely has the saying ‘Horses For Courses’ been more apposite than for Ballybrit. The demands are unique and invariably a Mee-owned horse is able for them.

Perhaps a tad bizarrely, the most talented horse they ever owned, Hidden Cyclone, was unable to win at Galway at all. And this is despite being victorious on 17 occasions and claiming six graded prizes.

Another of their stars trained by Hanlon, Hidden Cyclone was bred by Ronnie O’Neill, father of Hanlon’s partner Rachel. The closest they ever got to Galway success though was when the then 11-year-old was a half-length runner-up to Clondaw Warrior in the Galway Hurdle in 2016.

Another prolific winner, Ancient Sands is another in a similar bracket. He was successful 13 times when under the care of Kiely, who has a wonderful Galway record, but none of those triumphs arrived Corribside.

Of course that pair proved wonderful flagbearers and the Mees had plenty others to do the business on their beloved Galway turf.

Rest assured, they will be well represented again in 2023. And if studying the form and looking for a factor to swing the verdict one way or another, you can do worse than weigh up the Mee record and the fact that Galway’s Summer Festival is their Olympics.