Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Michael Moroney was born into a racing family and there was never any notion that he would do anything else but spend his life with horses.
“Mum's brother Charlie Casey Jnr was a horse trainer and their family farm was a few miles down the road from our farm,” Michael's brother Paul, his successful bloodstock agent, recalled.
“He had a couple of decent horses in Super Fine and Super Time. Then our Uncle by marriage Buzz Leggett rode Smoke Ring to win the 1965 Great Northern Hurdles/Steeplechase double on the Queen’s Birthday weekend.”
“Mike turned seven on the Sunday, and me, five on the Tuesday. We were hooked by then!”
Paul and Michael Moroney | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Michael's grandparents bred a winner of the G1 Melbourne Cup and an historic one at that, Hi Jinx (NZ) (Pride Of Kildare {Ire}) the race's 100th winner when saluting at big odds in 1960.
Her picture adored the wall of his grandparents’ home and her Great Northern Oaks winning dam Lady's Bridge (NZ) (Foxbridge {GB}) came to live on the family farm in 1967.
She lived to the age of 33 and Michael always remembered the part winning the Melbourne Cup played in the family history.
“I remember looking at Hi Jinx's picture all the time,” Michael once recalled, “but never did we imagine that one day we’d win it.”
Hi Jinx (NZ)
Michael's famous silks - the pale blue, black and red colours - were those of his grandparents, although his own Cup victory with Brew (NZ) (Sir Tristram {Ire}) in 2000 wore a different coloured cap.
The stable's other runner Second Coming (NZ) (Oak Ridge {Fr}), who gave a great sight boxing on gamely for third after hitting the lead early, had the red cap on - and Brew's black cap story is part of Michael Moroney legend.
It was in 1996 that Michael awoke to tell his wife that “I just dreamt that I won the Melbourne Cup by two lengths with Brew as number 24 – wearing our colours except with a black cap.”
It was an amazing dream of foresight, all the more so considering that Brew was not a member of the Moroney stable at the time!
The horse was just two at the time, trained by Paul O'Sullivan whose father Dave shaped Michael's career as his first boss.
Brew (NZ) | Image courtesy of Sportpix
At track work one morning Paul mentioned to Michael that Brew had been sold to Singapore but within a few hours he discovered that the sale had fallen through.
“I got straight onto the phone, had him vetted and we bought him the next day,” Michael said, having the son of the great O'Sullivan trained mare Horlicks (NZ) (Three Legs {GB}) gelded straight away.
Michael's dream didn't eventuate immediately, Brew running out of the placings when contesting the 1999 Melbourne Cup but the more mature horse was in great form twelve months down the track, on the Saturday before the Melbourne Cup winning the G2 SAAB Quality on the back of a G2 Moonee Valley Cup second.
The final qualifier into the field, he had the number 24 saddlecloth and with Kerrin McEvoy aboard Brew won by the same margin Michael had dreamed off.
“It was life-changing,” Michael always said off his Cup win which ended up being one of the 55 Group 1 wins trained out of Ballymore Stables.
Paul said Michael was born with a gift with horses, one which Dave O'Sullivan picked up on early.
Paul and Dave O'Sullivan | Image courtesy of NZ Racing Hall of Fame
“He told me that Mike had a natural affinity with horses,” Paul said, adding that “being a good listener with a great work ethic” set his brother on his successful path.
After starting with O'Sullivan at the age of 16, Michael worked his way up to being a trainer partner before taking out his own licence in the 1981/82 season.
He celebrated his first Group 1 winner with Imperial Angel (NZ) (Imperial Seal {GB}) in the 1985 New Zealand 1000 Guineas whilst his first Australian big race winner was the 1989 G1 South Australian Oaks heroine Heavenly Body (NZ) (Grosvenor {NZ}).
The Group 1 winners flowed, the likes of Xcellent (NZ) (Pentire {GB}), Monaco Consul (NZ), Brazilian Pulse (NZ) (Captain Rio {GB}), Shizu (NZ) (Manntari {Ire}), Glass Harmonium (Ire), Happyanunoit (NZ) (Yachtie), Tofane (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}), True Jewels (Brief Truce {USA}), Alabama Express and Roch 'N' Horse (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) keeping their owners happy.
Emissary (GB) (Kingman {GB}) provided Michael with another memorable Melbourne Cup moment finishing second to Gold Trip (Fr) in 2022, and he cheered home his final stakes winner just last weekend with Coeur Volante (NZ) (Proisir) recording a four length victory in last Saturday's G3 Mannerism Stakes at Caulfield.
Coeur Volante (NZ) winning the G3 Mannerism Stakes | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Michael was on course for that win, delighted to see a mare owned by some of the stable's most loyal clients back to her best form.
“The biggest thrills he got was helping others to succeed,” Paul said when asked what he loved most about his brother. “And he provided success for so many.”
Ballymore Stables look forward to contesting Saturday's G1 Australian Guineas with Plymouth (The Autumn Sun), as well as Savaglee (NZ) (Savabeel) from the New Zealand stable, where success would be a great tribute to Michael.
“The biggest thrills he (Michael Moroney) got was helping others to succeed, And he provided success for so many.” - Paul Moroney
As will any winner that comes from the historic Chicquita Lodge, which Michael called home. His co-trainer Glen Thompson and Racing Manager Anthony Feroce plan to keep things rolling along, though there will of course be a huge gap in the lives of his staff, his partner Karen and his family including daughter Aleisha and his grandchildren.
“Michael was just a wonderful bloke, a great human being” said Anthony, who has been part of the Ballymore team since 2001.
“He was always so calm, so relaxed; even when things went wrong.”
“He loved people's company, loved passing on his experiences with his horses and his travels. He was a very proud dad and grandfather and nobody has ever had a bad word to say about him.”
“He (Michael Moroney) loved people's company, loved passing on his experiences with his horses and his travels. He was a very proud dad and grandfather and nobody has ever had a bad word to say about him.” - Anthony Feroce
“He was a loveable big teddy!”
