Mark Boylan
‘Four Days, One Way …. To Get My Heart Racing ……….’ – The Festival !
A few months ago I wrote about a remarkable young lad called Mark Boylan, who is a singer/song-writer from County Offaly in Ireland. Mark is a Youtube star, has penned anthems for the Cheltenham and Breeder’s Cup Festivals, is on first name terms with the great and good of the UK racing fraternity and has turned down Katie Price (!). Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Mark is that he is 14 years old.
I caught up with Mark last week to have a chat about life, the universe and his new song Kauto Star.
It was a bit of a hit and miss affair with various commitments my end and trying to work around Mark’s schedule of school, drama and various promotional activities, but we finally managed to catch up on Skype. Mark was wearing his trademark hat, his trademark grin and chatted away at a million miles an hour in that charming Irish lilt. He’s warm, friendly and entirely bowls you over with that incredible enthusiasm. So much so, that I find myself with huge grin on my face through the entire conversation. Mark just has that effect on you.
About Mark
Mark is from a small town, more or less smack in the middle of Ireland, half way between Dublin and Galway. His mum grew up next door to four-time Breeders’ Cup-winning trainer Aidan O’Brien, and his family have nurtured and supported Mark’s love for horses and racing. He is mad keen on the sport. He is on first name terms with most of his favourite jockeys and he gives me a webcam tour of his bedroom to show off walls that are literally plastered with racing memorabilia, including a fantastic framed pair of breeches signed by a host of Irish riders. Irish ‘Iron Man’ AP McCoy is a particular favourite. Mark says that he desperately wanted to be a jockey, but as he is well on his way to 6ft, he’s had to shelve that idea for the time being. However, Cheltenham stages the St Patrick’s Derby, an annual charity race for Cancer UK and Mark says he might like to have a crack at that when he’s old enough.
Mark’s other great love is music, which comes from his dad’s side of the family and Mark’s very proud dad Dave taught Mark to play the guitar. They say that a good teacher produces students that are better than themselves and Dave is clearly a master instructor as he says that Mark outstripped him ages ago !!
How It All Started
Mark found fame at the age of 12, covering a song that the jump racing fraternity did to raise funds for charity. He recorded a copy and posted it on Youtube where it was spotted by a UK record producer who invited Mark to the 2010 Cheltenham Festival. Inspired by that visit, Mark penned his own tribute to the greatest show on turf which he named ‘The Festival’. It was an immediate Youtube sensation and he was invited to the 2011 Festival to perform it live in front of the Cheltenham crowds. He tells me that Katie Price asked him for a private rendition, but he had to turn her down. He apologized by explaining that he had to save his voice to sing to the jockeys later that afternoon, but said she was very welcome to attend if she’d like.
This sort of attention would be enough to inflate most ego’s, but Mark is pretty matter of fact. He may be a multi-national star, but says that he still has to do his homework and help with the dishes !
When I ask how he is coping with being famous, he explains that UK racing has a rather aging fan base and as one often only gets into it if you have some sort of family connection, he’s really the only kid in his school who is interested in the game. Interesting to see that racing faces similar challenges the world over.
Breeder’s Cup
After conquering Cheltenham, Mark then went on to write an equally popular anthem for the 2011 Breeder’s Cup Festival called Stateside, which he also posted onto Youtube. The organisers loved it and flew Mark and his family to Churchill Downs for Mark to perform his song to an American audience. The Breeder’s Cup crowd loved him and he had a fantastic time, getting to meet all the jockeys and racing personalities and even doing a special rendition of his song to the lovely Chantal Sutherland.
Latest Release
After taking the Breeder’s Cup by storm, the latest gem to spring from Mark’s prodigious talent and slightly battered guitar is Kauto Star, a tribute to that mighty and much loved steeplechaser. He has had it professionally recorded (along with a revised rendition of The Festival) and the newly minted copies were delivered to his doorstep last Thursday. Mark will be promoting and selling these at the Official Cheltenham Store beside the parade ring in Prestbury Park, but for anyone who can’t make it to Cheltenham, you can order a copy from [email protected]
Kauto Star
We may not be mad keen followers of steeple chase racing in South Africa, but there is just something about a good horse that transcends all barriers. Whether you’re a fan of the ‘jumps’ or not, everyone has heard of the likes of Red Rum, Desert Orchid and Arkle and Kauto Star is cut from the same cloth. Kauto Star is a French bred horse by Village Star out of Kauto Relka. He is owned by Clive Smith, conditioned by Paul Nicholls, ridden by Ruby Walsh and adored by thousands. Kauto Star has won just about everything going in National Hunt racing, and this year the 12 YO galloper makes his 7th visit to the Festival, will line-up for the Gold Cup for the 6th time and if he wins, will take the title home for a record 3rd time. It is heady stuff and one of the reasons Mark chose Kauto Star for his song.
It has not been an uneventful trip for Kauto Star. He has just turned 12 and as if his age was not enough fuel for the doubting Thomases, he took a fall during a training session about 2 weeks ago, putting his Gold Cup campaign in doubt. There has been much speculation and press coverage, but the vets have given the all clear and Kauto Star and Ruby Walsh have the green light for Friday. They will be galloping their way for a place in the history books as well as a place in the nation’s hearts.
Mark says Kauto Star has really captured the imagination of the public and he’s become so much more than just a racehorse. Mark has had a huge response to his Youtube song and says that the Facebook and Twitter comments have been amazing, with even non-horsey people writing in to say that they’d been caught up and were following the story.
Jockey Ruby Walsh needs a book all to himself, but has won nearly every major jump race title in the United Kingdom. There have been a fair few falls and broken bones along the way, but Ruby is one of the toughest campaigners out there with the Irish, Welsh, English and Scottish Nationals under his belt as well as 6 Irish jump jockey championships. And he’s only 32 !
As usual, Mark posted a copy of his song on Youtube and put together an accompanying video with some footage of Kauto Star. It met with disapproval from Racing UK, who asked him to take it down, citing copyright infringements. Mark said he was a bit surprised by the action as he had collected footage from other, existing Youtube videos. He says it is a bit disappointing given that one would think anything that generates public interest would be welcomed, but he has accepted the decision with equanimity and simply posted a revised video.
The Festival
Mark Boylan
Life is far too short to sweat the small things and Mark is too excited about the Festival to worry about that. The horses he’ll be keeping an eye on for the big races are Nicky Henderson’s Sprinter Sacre in the Arkle and Ireland’s Hurricane Fly in the St James Champion Hurdle. And of course Kauto Star in the Gold Cup.
But it’s going to be a busy week. Mark will be kicking off his Festival week by ‘givin it a lash’ in O’Neills on Monday. He will be performing in the Guinness Village & Best Mate enclosure, on the podium on World Hurdle Day on Thursday and Gold Cup Friday. He’ll round off the week with an appearance on Channel 4’s The Morning Line on Friday.
His passion and enthusiasm are infectious and it is incredible to see how much interest and media coverage this one boy PR wonder has generated for racing in general and Cheltenham in particular. If only we had 100 Mark Boylans !!
Heroes
These days turf heroes are all too few and far between and they’ve often come and gone before we’ve really learned to appreciate them. But true blue champions somehow transcend such pedestrian difficulties. They reach beyond the boundaries reserved for lesser individuals and capture hearts and imaginations across the board. They generate interest, they excite debate and most importantly, they get people to the track. These are the horses that people talk about in reverential tones, the ones that books and movies are made of. It’s everyone’s ambition to see a ‘big’ one in the flesh just once. I’ve missed out on a lot, but I was there the day Horse Chestnut thundered across the line in the Met. I watched Ebony Flyer win the Fillies Guineas. I saw Val de Ra fight What A Winter for the Cape Flying Championship. I saw Igugu hold off the colts in the 2012 Met. You connect with those horses in a way that a thousand photos or TV re-runs cannot match. I was there.
So for everyone who is a fan of heroes, a fan of racing, or even just interested in seeing what a 14 year old boy can achieve with a big smile, a bit of charm and a guitar, I highly recommend checking out the Cheltenham Festival this year.
Because as Mark’s song goes – They’re talking in the streets, and they’re talking in the bar, but you’ll never see the likes of Ruby Walsh and Kauto Star!
