Michael "Mouse" Morris, formally the Hon. Michael Morris, (born 4 April 1951) is an Irish

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

trainer and former amateur and professional

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

. As a trainer, he has won the

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap ...

and the

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...

, and has won the

Irish Grand National The Irish Grand National is a National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Fairyhouse over a distance of about 3 miles and 5 furlongs (5,834 ...

twice. In 2016, he won both the Grand National and Irish Grand National double.

Early life

Morris was born in

Spiddal Spiddal ( ga, An Spidéal , meaning 'the hospital') is a village on the shore of Galway Bay in County Galway, Ireland. It is west of Galway city, on the R336 road. It is on the eastern side of the county's Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area) an ...

County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...

, Ireland and is the third son of

Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin, (30 July 1914 – 25 April 1999) was an Irish journalism, journalist, author, sports official, and the sixth President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). He succeeded Martin Henry FitzPatrick Morri ...

, who was president of the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

from 1972 to 1980 and Chairman of

Galway Racecourse Ballybrit Race Track, also known as Galway Racecourse, is a horse race course in County Galway, Ireland. It is located in the townland of Ballybrit, in the environs of Castlegar, County Galway, Castlegar, just north of the N6 road (Ireland), N6 B ...

from 1970 to 1985. His mother, Sheila, was the daughter of Canon Douglas Dunlop,

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

Oughterard Oughterard () is a small town on the banks of the Owenriff River close to the western shore of Lough Corrib in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. The population of the town in 2016 was 1,318. It is located about northwest of Galway on the N5 ...

and the granddaughter of

Henry Dunlop Henry Wallace Doveton Dunlop (1844 – 1930) was a sports promoter, civil servant, engineer and, a former leader of Irish Rugby, founder of Lansdowne Football Club and figure behind the construction of the former Lansdowne Road stadium. An engi ...

who was involved in the construction of

Lansdowne Road Lansdowne Road Stadium ( ga, Bóthar Lansdún, ) was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) that was primarily used for rugby union and association football matches. The stadium was demolished in 2007 to make way for ...

in 1872. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

his mother was a

cryptographer Cryptography, or cryptology (from grc, , translit=kryptós "hidden, secret"; and ''graphein'', "to write", or ''-logia'', "study", respectively), is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of adver ...

Bletchley Park Bletchley Park is an English country house and estate in Bletchley, Milton Keynes ( Buckinghamshire) that became the principal centre of Allied code-breaking during the Second World War. The mansion was constructed during the years following ...

. According to Morris, "she was in Hut 6, but she wouldn't ever talk about it. Neither of them would talk about the war. She was bound by the Official Secrets Act, but whatever she did, she got an MBE for it." Morris's twin brother John "Johnny" became a photographer and married

Thelma Mansfield Thelma Mansfield (born 1949) is an Irish people, Irish television presenter and artist that worked mainly with RTÉ television. She started out at RTÉ in 1965 as a continuity announcer. From 1986–97, she co-hosted the RTÉ 1 afternoon show ' ...

. Their elder brother, George Redmond "Red", followed in the footsteps of their father, Lord Killanin, by becoming a film producer. They also have one sister, Monica Deborah. At aged fifteen his formal education ended following his diagnosis with

dyslexia Dyslexia, also known until the 1960s as word blindness, is a disorder characterized by reading below the expected level for one's age. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, r ...

. Morris then began working at racing stables.

Family

Morris was married to Susanna Felicity Clark. They had two sons, James "Jamie" born in 1983 and Christopher "Tiffer" born in 1985. Tiffer died in June 2015, aged 30, of

carbon monoxide poisoning Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) at excessive levels. Symptoms are often described as "flu-like" and commonly include headache, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Large e ...

while traveling in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Jockey

Initially, Morris came to prominence as an amateur jockey. In 1974 he rode Mr Midland to victory at

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

giving

Edward O'Grady Edward O'Grady is an champion Irish National Hunt racehorse trainer. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, O'Grady was the leading Irish trainer at Cheltenham (after Vincent O'Brien) by number of winners. He was played by Pierce Brosnan in the 1980 ...

his first Festival winner. In 1975 he turned professional. He rode Skymas in his successive victories in 1976 and 1977 the

Queen Mother Champion Chase The Queen Mother Champion Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. As part of a sponsorship agreement with the onl ...

at Cheltenham. He rode Billycan to victory in the 1977 Irish Grand National, a race he was subsequently to win twice as a trainer. His career as a rider was over after a fall in

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

's Colonial Cup.

Trainer

Morris is based in Fethard

Co Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...

. In 1981, he took out a licence and began his

National Hunt In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...

training career. Morris's first major breakthrough came when Buck House won the 1983 Supreme Novice Hurdle, giving him his first winner at Cheltenham. The 1990s started brightly for the Mouse Morris yard when

Trapper John This is a list of characters from the ''M*A*S*H'' franchise, covering the various fictional characters appearing in the novel '' MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors'' and its sequels, the 1970 film adaptation of the novel, and the televisio ...

ridden by jockey Charlie Swan won the

Stayers' Hurdle The Stayers' Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain. It is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles ...

at the 1990 Cheltenham Festival. The following year Cahervillahow was beaten by a short head in the

and merely three weeks later in the

Whitbread Gold Cup Whitbread plc is a multinational British hotel and restaurant company headquartered in Houghton Regis, England. The business was founded as a brewery in 1742, and had become the largest brewery in the world by the 1780s. Its largest division ...

he was controversially judged to have interfered with runner-up

Docklands Express Dockland or Docklands are areas occupied by, or in the neighbourhood of maritime docks, sometimes described as a Sailortown (dockland). The term is more common in Britain and British Commonwealth. Specifically the term may refer to: * Aarhus Doc ...

in the closing stages. As a result, Docklands Express was awarded the race. He finished second in the 1993 Grand National which was voided after a false start. Morris trained His Song who was one of the best novice hurdlers of the period. His Song finished second behind the

J. P. McManus John Patrick McManus (born 10 March 1951) is an Irish businessman and racehorse owner. His career lasted from the 1980s to the 2010s. He was one of the biggest shareholders of Manchester United, until his stake was bought out by Malcolm Glazer ...

owned

Istabraq Istabraq (born 23 May 1992) is a retired Ireland, Irish Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who was most famous for his Hurdling (horse race), hurdling. He won the Champion Hurdle on three occasions. He was trained by Aidan O'Brien and owned b ...

in the 1998 AIG Irish Champion Hurdle on his fourth race outing before again finishing second in the Supreme Novice Hurdle at

Leopardstown Leopardstown () is a suburb of Dublin in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, within the traditional County Dublin, Ireland. Located at the foot of the Dublin Mountains, it is a residential suburb with institutional lands and a large racecourse. It is ...

. One of Morris's most important wins as a trainer came in 2006 when he sent out the seven-year-old

gelding A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, makin ...

War Of Attrition The War of Attrition ( ar, حرب الاستنزاف, Ḥarb al-Istinzāf; he, מלחמת ההתשה, Milhemet haHatashah) involved fighting between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and their allies from ...

to win the

2006 Cheltenham Gold Cup The 2006 Cheltenham Gold Cup was a horse racing, horse race which took place at Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham on Friday 17 March 2006. It was the 78th running of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, and it was won by War of Attrition. The winner was ridden ...

, beating another Irish challenger

Hedgehunter Hedgehunter (born 25 January 1996) is an Irish race horse, who won the 2005 Grand National steeplechase, ridden by Ruby Walsh and trained by Willie Mullins. He had fallen at the final fence the previous year when well placed. He then finished se ...

Saint Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick ( ga, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit=the Day of the Festival of Patrick), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patr ...

. In 2008, he trained Hear The Echo to victory in the Irish Grand National. In 2011, he trained the winner of the Grade 1

Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle The Baring Bingham Novices' Hurdle (known as the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle for sponsorship reasons) is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years ...

at Cheltenham, First Lieutenant, ridden by

Davy Russell Davy Russell (born 27 June 1979) is a retired Irish National Hunt jockey. He was Irish jump racing Champion Jockey three times, and won the Grand National (twice), the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris. Childhood and ama ...

. In 2016, he won the Irish Grand National again this time with Rogue Angel. Also in 2016, he won the

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap ...

for the first time with Rule The World.

Major wins

Ireland *

Arkle Novice Chase The Arkle Novice Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of about 2 miles and 1 furlong (3 ...

-(2) Buck House (1985), His Song (1999) * Christmas Hurdle -(1) What A Question (1996) *

Dr P. J. Moriarty Novice Chase The Dr P. J. Moriarty Novice Chase, currently known for sponsorship purposes as the Ladbrokes Novice Chase, is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older ...

-(1) Cahervillahow (1990) *

Fort Leney Novice Chase The Fort Leney Novice Chase, currently ran as the Neville Hotels Novice Chase, is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland. It is run over a distance of 3 miles (4,828 metres) at Leopardstown and during its runni ...

-(1) Boss Doyle (1997) *

Golden Cygnet Novice Hurdle The Golden Cygnet Novice Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt novice hurdle race in Ireland which is for horses aged five years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of about 2 miles and 6 furlongs (4, ...

-(1) Monifeth Man (2000) *

Greenmount Park Novice Chase The Faugheen Novice Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt race in Ireland. It is run at Limerick Racecourse in December over a distance of about 2 miles and 3½ furlongs (2 miles 3 furlongs and 160 yards, or 3,968 m ...

-(1) Baily Breeze (2005) *

Herald Champion Novice Hurdle The Bective Stud Champion Novice Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 2 miles ½ furlong (2 miles ...

-(1) His Song (1998) *

John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase The John Durkan Memorial Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland. It is run over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs {2 miles 4 furlongs and 40 yards, or 4,060 metres) at Punc ...

-(1) Cahervillahow (1993) *

Ladbrokes Champion Chase The Ladbrokes Champion Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Down Royal over a distance of about 3 miles (4,828 metres), and during its r ...

-(1) Foxchapel King (2001) *

Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle The Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt race in Ireland. It is run at Leopardstown Racecourse at the end of December during the Christmas Festival, over a distance of about 2 mi ...

-(2) His Song (1997), First Lieutenant (2010) *

Punchestown Champion Chase The Punchestown Champion Chase, currently known for sponsorship purposes as the William Hill Champion Chase, is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is r ...

-(1) Buck House (1985) *

Punchestown Gold Cup The Punchestown Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 3 miles and ½ furlong (3 miles and 120 ya ...

-(1) War Of Attrition (2006) *

Racing Post Novice Chase The Racing Post Novice Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt Steeplechase (horse racing), chase in Ireland. The race is run at Leopardstown Racecourse in December, over a distance of 2 miles and 1 furlong ...

-(1) His Song (1998) *

Ryanair Novice Chase The Barberstown Castle Novice Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt Steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 2 miles (3,219 metres), and d ...

-(1) Alcapone (2001) *

Savills Chase The Savills Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of about 3 miles (4,828 metres), and ...

-(2) Cahervillahow (1990), Foxchapel King (2001) *

Slaney Novice Hurdle The Slaney Novice Hurdle, currently known for sponsorship purposes as the Lawlor's of Naas Novice Hurdle, is a Grade One National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland. It is run in January at Naas Racecourse, ove ...

-(2) Venalmar (2008), Rule The World (2013) ----

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

* Betway Bowl -(1) First Lieutenant (2013) *

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...

-(1) War of Attrition (2006) *

Mildmay Novices' Chase The Mildmay Novices' Chase is a Grade One National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Mildmay course at Aintree over a distance of about 3 m ...

-(1) Boss Doyle (1998) *

-(1) Trapper John (1990) * Supreme Novices' Hurdle -(1) Buck House (1983) *

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap ...

-(1) Rule the World (2016)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Mouse Living people 1951 births Irish jockeys Irish racehorse trainers Sportspeople from County Galway Sportspeople from County Tipperary Younger sons of barons People educated at St Conleth's College