Monday, April 12th, 1999:24 years later, BRIAN O'CONNORis in Ratoath to witness a special homecoming for the Carberry dynasty

AS HE CLUMPED backwards out of a horsebox in the centre of the Meath village of Ratoath yesterday, the Grand National winner Bobbyjo must have wondered what he was in for next.

Just 24 hours earlier, the nine-year-old had overcome racing’s most fearsome obstacles and 31 opponents to become the first Irish-trained National winner since L’Escargot in 1975.

Now he was faced by almost 400 jubilant locals who cheered his appearance as they would the Irish soccer team. Bobbyjo stuck his head high, ears twitching at the din, and then adapted to his new hero status with all the facility that he showed in taking the world’s most famous race.

Paraded through the village, he then stood quietly in the car park of Rory’s Bar and consented to the hundreds of hands that reached to pat him.

A bevy of cameramen, some standing on the roof of a bus shelter, demanded the presence of Bobbyjo’s trainer, Tommy Carberry, on the horse’s back, and the 57-year-old former champion jockey obliged by clambering aboard and delivering a thumbs up with a flourish that sent his friends and neighbours into further raptures.

Considering Carberry was the man who rode L’Escargot to win Ireland’s last National, he is well used to the limelight, but yesterday’s enthusiastic welcome home clearly thrilled him.

"This is absolutely wonderful," be said after alighting through a car sunroof to receive a bottle of champagne and a verse of The Ode to Bobbyjo, performed by an enterprising local musician.

With a chorus of “Giddy Up, Giddy Up, Here We Go. Well done to Tommy, Paul and Bobbyjo”, it’s unlikely to hit the charts, but it caught some of the obvious pride in having only Ireland’s 10th Grand National winner this century among them.

Of course not all of the joy was purely altruistic. Bobbyjo was available at 22 to 1 on Saturday morning, but such was the weight of money riding on him at Aintree that he ended up just 10 to l.

A queue stretched to Ratoath’s church gates from the door of local bookmaker Joe Molloy on Saturday evening, and another bookmaker in Dunshaughlin took two-and-a-half hours to pay out what he lost on Bobbyjo.

“Everybody in the village had him backed. I think the bookie must have been cleaned out,” said one woman.

Carberry reported that Saturday night was spent celebrating in Liverpool’s Adelphi Hotel. “There was about 100 of us and it nearly ran into the day,” he grinned.

Although Carberry’s son Paul, who rode Bobbyjo and then swung off him via a beam in the Aintree winner’s enclosure, was still in Britain, yesterday emphasised the family connection around Bobbyjo. The horse was led around by Carberry’s other son, Philip, and by Carberry’s wife, Pamela, and the trainer, who has a string of just 15 horses, was keen to emphasise their role immediately after Saturday’s race.

It only contributed to the symmetry surrounding the last Grand National of the century. The first, in 1900, was also an Irish success, with Algy Anthony training (and riding) Ambush to win for the Prince of Wales.

Also, considering there had been such a Grand National drought for the Irish since L’Escargot, it seemed fitting the Carberry connection was the one to bring it back, with son emulating father, L’Escargot’s jockey, to such devastating effect.

Although Grand National history proves that nothing is inevitable, there was a startling poise in the way Bobbyjo and Paul Carberry progressed through the race.

Racing just off the pace, Bobbyjo avoided the melee at Becher’s Brook, where four came down, including the one fatality of the race, Eudipe.

When cut off by the Adrian Maguire-ridden Addington Boy after the Melling Road, Carberry calmly worked his way back, avoided the fall of the other Irish runner, Merry People, at the second-last and then set his horse alight to win easily from 25 to 1 shot Blue Charm and Call It A Day.

“I had a quiet night on Friday but I’ll kick on now,” grinned the 25-year-old rider, who has a reputation as something of a party animal. “That reputation is a bit exaggerated but I do like a bit of fun,” he added.

It’s a reputation that pales alongside his other reputation as one of racing’s greatest natural talents.

Bobbyjo is owned by Bobby Burke from Mountbellew, Galway, who owns a chain of bars in the North London area. He bought his Grand National winner from breeder Liam Skehan, while in a pub in Galway, without even seeing the horse beforehand.

“I bought him while sitting on a stool and at the time I thought he was dear,” he said. The first prize of £182,658 has put paid to that, and Bobbyjo’s earning potential isn’t over yet.

Carberry said: “He’s had only five or six races this season and there is a £50,000 bonus for winning the Whitbread at Sandown. We’ll think about it.”

The celebrations may not yet be over.