Half century of dedication and success
Westmeath Examiner Community and Sports Awards
Charlestown Stud, celebrating 50 years in operation, received a Special Recognition Award at the Westmeath Examiner Community and Sports Awards on Thursday in the Mullingar Park Hotel.
Dot Love, a native of Denmark, arrived in Ireland as Dot Nelleman, aged 19, in the middle of the swinging sixties. When she married local farmer Jim Love, horses were already at the heart of her life and Charlestown Stud was purchased in 1976. A licence to train horses was secured in 2001 and that was the moment Charlestown Stud began to establish itself in the sport.
In a noteworthy coincidence, Ciaran Murphy was born on the day Charlestown Stud was purchased. Following a childhood dream, he worked for Dot Love from the age of 13 with his twin brother Joseph and both were talented Event riders. In 2021, Ciaran took up the reins as trainer having served a 20-year apprenticeship as assistant trainer. It’s a journey that led him to the Leading Trainer’s Award at this year’s Kilbeggan Races, a major honour at his local track where he actually rode the very first winner for Charlestown Stud.
Anodandawink, currently in training at Charlestown Stud, completed a hat-trick of victories for the season at Downpatrick for high-profile owner JP McManus on Friday, September 18. It continues a special season for Charlestown Racing and Murphy said he is humbled by the support all owners have placed in him.
“We have enjoyed our best year. The horses have been in great form; we have had a lot of winners and placed horses, which is great. The support we have received has been amazing. We have got tremendous support from owner/breeders in Mullingar and right across the wider community,” he said after receiving the award on Thursday.
JP McManus is just one of the major owners at the yard and while that is undoubtedly a major coup for the operation, Murphy is extremely grateful to all those who have placed their faith in Charlestown Stud.
“We are supported by a lot of local owners and breeders, which is great, and JP has horses with us. He rang me on Monday morning to say we are sending Anodandawink’s half brother down to train after Friday’s victory. That was a big boost for us and a lovely confidence booster,” he said.
Dot Love is modest about her talent as an Event rider, but she came agonisingly close to representing Denmark at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. “There was a clerical error and I didn’t get going,” she recalled.
She competed at top level at Burghley and Badminton in the 1980s. She had started with point-to-pointers, but in 2001, when point-to-points were cancelled because of foot and mouth, Love applied for a trainer’s licence so that she could run horses in hunter chases. It was the beginning of another remarkable chapter.
“The key is the horses and after so many years as an Event rider, I turned to training and I enjoyed it immensely up to 2021. Ciaran has taken over and is enjoying great success with both national hunt and flat horses. He has built up great relationships with the owners and is extremely dedicated,” she said.
Liberty Counsel gave Dot Love her greatest day as a trainer in 2013. She sent the mare to Cheltenham for the Kim Muir that year and her mid-field finish was enough to give the trainer encouragement to let her take her chance in the Irish Grand National the following month.
At 50-1, and carrying the lowest weight ever to win the race, Liberty Counsel produced the performance of her life. Half a length was enough to secure an incredible victory.
Ciaran Murphy said that was a pivotal moment for the Mullingar operation.
“When we won with Liberty Counsel, we got an amazing buzz from that. We had a mare called Shadow Eile at the time and she went to Cheltenham and ran well in the Mares’ Hurdle. She jumped the last upsides of Quevega and finished fourth,” he recalled.
“I felt this could be a career for me at that stage; from then on I was always thinking about it. I said to Dot at the time, ‘When you’re ready to hand over, I would be delighted to take over, but not until then.’
“Dot has been so good to me over the years. I wasn’t stepping in on her territory – I was so happy to help her when she was there. But I was ready to go on my own,” he added.
Charlestown Stud is celebrating a milestone this year and the success of the local yard is truly remarkable.