Charlie Swan to be inducted into Nenagh Guardian Sport Hall of Fame

 

Nine time Irish champion jockey Charlie Swan will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the fifth annual Nenagh Guardian Sports Awards, in association Lyons of Limerick & Nenagh on Friday 31st January 2020.

Swan rode his first winner as a fifteen-year-old, on his father Donal's Final Assault, in a two-year-old maiden at Naas in March 1983, and, after a successful spell as an apprentice, he later turned his attention to the National Hunt scene.

He won his first Irish jockeys' championship in 1989/90 and retained the title up to and including the 1997/98 season. He was only deposed as champion Irish rider after deciding to concentrate on his training career.

Swan holds the Irish records for the most winners in a season (147 in 1995/96) and the most in a calendar year. In all, Charlie saddled 1,314 winners in a glittering career twenty year career.

Swan's first Cheltenham festival winner was Trapper John in the Stayers Hurdle in 1990. He was twice leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival in 1993 & 1994. He will always be associated with Istabraq, who won at the festival four years in a row including three Champion Hurdles in a row, but other memorable wins were Danoli's Royal & Sun Alliance Hurdle and Viking Flagship's Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Away from Cheltenham, numerous big-race winners have come his way, including Ebony Jane in the Irish Grand National and the Whitbread Gold Cup at Sandown Park on Ushers Island and Life Of A Lord.

He has also made his mark on the Flat as a trainer, winning an Irish Cambridgeshire with Jalmira and an Irish Lincolnshire with Crooked Throw.

Based in Cloughjordan, Charlie took out a trainer's licence in 1998, taking over from his father, Donald. He operated as both jockey and trainer for a few years until having his final ride on Aintree Grand National Day in April 2003.

He managed to notch up nearly 270 winners as a trainer with his biggest win coming in 2007 when One Cool Cookie took the grade one Powers Gold Cup at Fairyhouse.

In 2015, Charlie Swan chosed his training operation at Modreeny, near Cloughjordan turning his attention to the bloodstock business.