Flier, Valet, Jockey - the extraordinary Sean Flanagan will arrive in style, be turned out in style, and aim to pilot Marine Nationale to a Leopardstown win
National Hunt jockey, just like Tom Brady, Phil Mickelson, Victor Costello, Ipswich Town's Leif Davis, Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickenson, Angelina Jolie and Harrison Ford, is a qualified pilot - and he can ride on the wind too.
Sean Flanagan is a jump-jockey who, just like Rachael Blackmore, Patrick Mullins, Danny Mullins and Jack Kennedy, can ride like the wind.
Who, just like Tom Brady, Phil Mickelson, Victor Costello, Ipswich Town's Leif Davis, Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickenson, Angelina Jolie and Harrison Ford is a qualified pilot and can ride on the wind.
And who, like all the great wranglers in cowboy epics from Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) in Yellowstone to Woodrow F Call (Tommy Lee Jones) in Lonesome Dove, is the man, via his jockey's valeting service, to look after your 'rig'.
Flanagan will be front and centre at Leopardstown today on the Barry Connell-trained Marine Nationale in the Paddy's Rewards Club Chase (1.10pm) having made the short trip up in his Cessna 310.
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While many of the jockeys across the meeting will have had their custom-made saddles, such brands as John Woolley, Old Mill and Zilco, polished, prepared and laid out by Flanagan's valeting service.
The Connell-Flanagan trainer-jockey combination have high hopes for Marine Nationale in the 10-runner race for which Paddy Mullins' Gaelic Warrior will likely start favourite.
Marine Nationale is a straight Novice Hurdler where, to date, he has been all about speed and will most likely take in the Champion Chase at Cheltenham.
"He's a hugely talented horse and this is the beginning of his time," says Flanagan of having taken over the ride recently from Michael O'Sullivan
"He was like a superstar of a novice hurdler, won the Spring Novices which is the pinnacle of a novice hurdler's career and while he had a bit of a setback last year he still won his beginners and went and ran in the Arkle.
"He was a little bit disappointing on the day but he's had a very good prep run this season and all roads lead to Christmas with him.
"I actually rode him a bit previous to his bumper career, I rode him a couple of bits of work and schooled him around Punchestown one of Sundays after racing so I wouldn't be completely strange to him, I'm massively looking forward to it."
The idea of flying, becoming a pilot, worked on two levels for Flanagan, he had always liked the idea and, almost by accident, gained access to learning how.
"I suppose the demands of racing can be very, very mentally strenuous, and it was always a thing that that I had, I didn't want to get completely bogged down and be racing, racing and racing and nothing else.
"I suppose some people play golf, some people go motoring, some people do other things and I got a present of a flying voucher and I fell in love with it and I was very lucky that a friend who was actually a sponsor I had at the time, had a small plane.
"That opened the door for me to go flying training and then, quickly, when I was enjoying it I fell in love with it and I realised 'hang on, if I'm racing in Kerry it is four hour drive and it's a 45 minute flight'. It just makes sense.
"I suppose it is a semi-adrenalin driven thing as well, so I would imagine there are other jockeys who are pilots as well."
The aviation/racetrack is a well established minds-eye picture these days, that group of planes or helicopters in the infield at tracks.
Those who have seen the 'choppers come out of the mist and the mountains at Killarney have witnessed a rare sight (like the opening credits of M*A*S*H actually...) albeit that track doesn't take planes.
"Yes, Paddy O'Hanlon is a qualified pilot as well and that's definitely in Ireland anyway. I don't know about UK-based ones but obviously Philip Carberry is a helicopter pilot.
"My plane is a twin-engine six-seater Cessna 310 that is recognised as a single-pilot, light twin and I have two licences, an Irish/European one and, as the UK left the EU and Brexit came and you can't fly non-UK registered over there, I got a multi-engine UK license, an MEP.
"You have to land in Farranfore for Kerry but I have landed on the race track in Gowran and Cork. The sprint track in Cork is as good as any runway but where I take off from at home is a grass strip anyway so it's what I'm used to."
The valeting business developed, he says, as jockeys need to know their rigs are in permanent racing condition and, given top jockeys could own a dozen or more saddles, the need for safety is paramount among considerations.
While, let's be fair, a good craftsman is always one who looks after their tools.
"A lot of riders are very possessive of their gear, it'd be like a racing driver and his seat, and there is a very, very wide range of saddles out there despite, I suppose, the market being probably quite small enough because there's not millions of jockeys in the world.
"The most-used brand here is probably a Northern-based company Old Mill and they make kind of to-measure whatever you want, weight-wise and that, and they are very accommodating.
"Then you have John Woolley and it is an old enough established brand, UK based, but very, very good. They've evolved with new materials and big-looking but lighter saddles.
"If you go to the flat of things there are some Australian-made saddles, there's loads of them but Zilco is one of the biggest brands. As the year goes on and the jumping side of things, there is American saddles."
Rachael Blackmore, for instance, uses primarily John Woolley.
"All of Rachael's saddles are John Woolley bar, I think, she's got one Zilco saddle but a lot of riders would have more than one saddle, if you go to other riders, they could have an Old Mill and Zilco or John Woolley.
"Flat lads would have 6-8 saddles, Jump lads would have four-to-five saddles, and it's all weight-based and us, as valets, we carry all the saddles.
"We've big vans and you kind of only carry saddles for the rider on the day, each day. So if we have probably 160 riders in total between jump and flat, then you do up your list and you would have just the gear for the riders who were riding on the day.
"I suppose that's where it gets a little bit technical. You need these riders for today and then if the van is not coming home, you need these riders for tomorrow..."
The key has being gaining the trust of the jockeys in a business that is not without its dangers.
"My wife Lauren runs it with me, she is involved in what's going on as well so I'm not solely running it but I do work at it.
"On a day's racing we have the lads, they work for us, they are a great team of lads and they come over and set up and if I'm finished after the third race say, I wouldn't jet off out the door and leave and finish up. I give my hand if I can."
"The lads will be checking girths, guards, buckles, straps and all the tack, it's the simple things because you can have all the control in the world but if your saddle slips you're in trouble.
"So it's kind of a cushion barrier for you as a rider, that you trust your valet and can trust your gear.
"But turning up on the day, the valet would have it all, hopefully, produced in pristine condition."
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