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Irish-bred Eremon was one of the top chasers of his era, trained by Tom Coulthwaite, who also schooled Grakle (1931) and Jenkinstown (1910), and a number of other high-class jumpers. In Eremon's Grand National, the third of four races he was to win in a row within a span of 24 days, his jockey, Alf Newey, broke a stirrup leather on the second fence. Despite this, and having to contend with a riderless horse that trailed the team during the first circuit of the course, Eremon won the race by six lengths in a very fast time, a tribute to the rider's skill and the horse's courage. A few days later they won the Lancashire Chase at Manchester with equal ease (but no broken leather). Eremon's sire, Thurles, was a winner of the Irish Grand National, and Thurles' dam was a half-sister to Eglantine, the dam of 1898 National winner Drogheda. Eremon's sire line traced back to Uncas, a leading sire of jumpers in the second half of the nineteenth century, as well as of winners on the flat, who was out of a female line of Irish mares tracing back to Wire, imported from England. Although bred in England, Uncas, who was a good two year old, but ruined at three, stood at stud in Ireland, where he got four winners of the Irish Derby, in addition to his jumping progeny; a half-brother, Lurgan, was another good steeplechase sire, and a half-sister, Hilarity also jumped. Eremon's dam, the Irish-bred Daisy, was also the dam of Christmas Daisy, who won the Cambridgeshire Stakes twice. |
