'I hadn't prepared for coming up against the quizzing equivalent of Constitution Hill'

I’d like to think the list of things I take too seriously in life is relatively short. Writing about breeding, racing and sales would be one (don’t laugh!) and the life and times of Leeds Rugby League Football Club is another. But other than food and coffee there really isn’t much else. Apart from quizzes. 

Now, when your sphere of knowledge extends only as far as food, rugby league and writing sales reports, not every quiz will play to your strengths. Many an evening has been spent playing along with Mastermind only to come away feeling like I need to get out more. 

Thankfully there is the annual Mark O’Hanlon memorial racing and breeding quiz. This event ranks as one of the highlights of the year as far as I’m concerned, so on Wednesday morning I packed my bag and headed for the Lord Bagenal Inn in County Carlow. 

There were a couple of reasons to feel a bit of added pressure heading over for this year’s renewal. 

First of all, and I don’t like to go on about it, but I was actually part of the winning team the last time this quiz was held in 2020. Technically that means we’ve been reigning champions for three years. But as I said, I don’t like to go on about it. Needless to say, I really, really, really wanted to retain the title. 

Second, and arguably more pressingly, as I’m sure I’ve bored everyone with ad nauseam already, my wife and I had our first child 14 months ago. Having a young son who doesn’t always consent to sleeping when he’s supposed to means negotiating nights away from home isn’t as easy as it once was. 

Ryan McElligott, Mouse O’Ryan, Charles O’Neill, Bobby O’Ryan and Ger Connolly at the Mark O’Hanlon memorial racing and breeding quizCredit: James Thomas

Thankfully my other half grasped the significance of defending the Mark O’Hanlon Memorial title, but as I was pleading my case for abdicating my parental duties for the evening she did rather up the stakes by saying: “Okay, but you better win this bloody quiz!” 

The tedium of Stansted Airport on a Wednesday morning was momentarily broken by the sight of the world’s best jockey, Ryan Moore, boarding my flight. It turns out he’s as tactically aware in a Ryanair queue as he is a Group 1, as he gave the other passengers the slip the moment the plane doors opened, both on departure and arrival. 

I arrived at the Lord Bagenal and caught up with my Racing Post team-mates Miriam Doran, Tyrone Molloy and Martin Stevens. 

During our pre-quiz dinner there was a sign our luck might have turned as when Martin tried to season his food the top fell off the dispenser, leaving his salad buried under a mound of salt. At least it was just the salad. 

Ryan McElligott, chief executive of the IRTA and part of a formidable quiz team (far side)Credit: Peter Mooney

The sense of dread grew when I realised we were sat behind Ryan McElligott, Aidan ‘Mouse’ O’Ryan and his father Bobby, and Ger Connolly, prolific winners of this particular event. I’d expected stiff competition but I hadn’t quite prepared for coming up against the quizzing equivalent of Constitution Hill. 

There was a record turnout and barely enough tables to accommodate all the contestants. Once we were seated though, I felt we were in a comfortable position, literally and figuratively, as questions about the first British racecourse to open to the public after Covid (Doncaster) and the jockey whose final Group winner came aboard Now Or Never in the Derrinstown Stud 1,000 Guineas Trial (Kieren Fallon) were readily dispatched. 

I was so firmly on the bridle at this point that Martin admonished me for shouting out the answers with too much enthusiasm. If he was worried about rival teams copying our answers, he needn’t have. 

I can only hope I’m never interviewed for a job by head setters Joe Foley and Joey Cullen as their creative selection of questions ranged from head-scratching to mind-bogglingly infuriating. 

Things started to go awry when we guessed wrong on a few 50/50 answers. A particular source of frustration was the question about how many winners Richard Fahey trained during his most fruitful season. 

A question about trainer Richard Fahey proved a source of frustrationCredit: Edward Whitaker

Given my brother has worked at Richard’s for more than ten years I felt like this was something I really ought to know, and I knew at least one other table would be on the money as Richard was among those in attendance. 

Martin thought it was 235, which I reckoned sounded like an awful lot, so I scribbled down 195 instead. A short while later after our answers had been collected I bumped into Richard at the bar and asked him for the answer. “Two three five,” he said with a broad grin. Damn. That’ll teach me to underestimate Richard Fahey. 

At least I wasn’t alone in getting something wrong that I should have known as the Irish National Stud students answered Cathal Beale, the chief executive of their own operation, when asked for the name of the head of the BHA. I hope Cathal saw the funny side, otherwise it could be detentions all round. 

The event wasn’t without controversy too. There was a question about the number of all-age Group 1s run over five and six furlongs in the British Isles. There was a lengthy stewards’ inquiry over the wording of the question, but as we got it wrong regardless of the semantics I zoned out before the conclusion was reached.  

When we were updated on the scores in running it became clear we were in mid-division and going nowhere fast. Ten out of ten in the picture round, which featured a fantastic shot of David Redvers in full-on hippy fancy dress, helped us stage a bit of a late rally, but in the end it was to no avail. 

Nunthorpe: all-aged Group 1 sprint among another source of frustration at the quiz eveningCredit: Edward Whitaker

Ultimately the Connolly-McElligott-O’Ryan-O’Ryan axis proved an unstoppable force, but there’s no shame in losing out to a team of legitimate racing and breeding polymaths. “What can I say, class is permanent,” said Bobby O’Ryan as he sauntered out of the room with the coveted trophy swinging by his side. 

When the winners were made public Eddie O’Leary took to Twitter to suggest there should be a handicap system, which sounds like a fine idea to me. Especially as we should sneak in off a nice low weight after such an indifferent performance.  

We retired to the bar to drown our sorrows with the other also-rans, where the likes of Mick Kinane, Tony Mullins and Fahey were holding court into the small hours. I rather lost track of time but am reliably informed it was 3am by the time we pulled up, although I’m sure it was the quiz, rather than the Guinness, that was responsible for my head spinning the following morning. 

Those who knew Mark O’Hanlon clearly held him in the highest esteem, and if the turnout for his quiz is any reflection then he was not only extremely popular but also much missed. 

Unfortunately I didn’t have a chance to meet Mark before his untimely passing in 2015, but anyone who has such a thoroughly enjoyable and fiendishly difficult quiz set up in their memory must have been a man after my own heart.  

Read more

'It’s a pleasure to be offering them' - talented British and Irish point-to-pointers among ThoroughBid Spring Sale catalogue 

'We were inundated after Constitution Hill' - the inside story of the most unlikely sire sensation