The horse racing trainer discusses his yard's chances at the Dublin Racing Festival this week, some potential targets for the Cheltenham Festival and which horse from another yard he would love to train.
The Dublin Racing Festival seems to be getting bigger by the year and Horse Racing Ireland have done a pretty good job in developing it and promoting it – what does it mean to you?
It’s one of the main focuses of the National Hunt season in the UK and Ireland. It has huge appeal nationally and also internationally, and it attracts top attendances. Arguably, it has the most stacked and deepest field of top-level national races at any festival all year.
It’s one that we really focus on as a destination and one that we really focus on having runners at – and trying to have winners at – for our ownership groups.
No one skips it, do they?
The races are so competitive. Every year you see horses who win there turning up and winning at the big festivals.
But also, horses that get beaten at the DRF turn up and win at the big spring festivals. That shows the depth and the strength of the competition there. The prize money is also very good, and it compares very well with a lot of the spring festivals.
It would be great if some more UK trainers decided to come over. I believe some have, and there are a few that are likely to come this year. But in a way, some of the races are even more stacked than in some of the later festivals.
How is your team shaping up?
It looks as though we’ll have probably seven or eight runners over the weekend. We have one on Saturday and then a few more on Sunday. We’ll be well enough represented with some live contenders. Some of those contenders are in some of the Grade 1 races, which is obviously what it’s all about. And then we have some contenders on the undercards as well.
Tell us about Talk The Talk, who has been supplemented.
The plan is to run in the Novice Hurdle on the Sunday. He had a lovely run in Leopardstown at Christmas and he’s had a good preparation since then.
We think he’s a horse that is going to be capable of remaining competitive in Grade 1 races this year.
Depending on how he fares in Dublin, what are your thoughts on Cheltenham – the Supreme or the Turners?
Leopardstown is probably going to guide us where we go in the spring, whether that be one of the Cheltenham races or waiting to go to Aintree. I think Leopardstown will guide us towards what the right step is next for him.
Instinctively, as the trainer, what do you think?
My gut feeling would be that he probably would be sticking to two miles for the season.
That would probably be my gut feeling at this stage, but that’s obviously open to change and having a discussion with the ownership, as well.
What about Solness?
He’s entered for the Dublin Chase. He is a tough horse. All the talk is all about Marine Nationale all the time, but he keeps bumping into Solness!
All he can do is go out and do his thing and that’s what he does. He doesn’t fuss too much about it or talk too much about it, but he’s a very tough, solid Grade 1 horse.
He’s particularly good in Leopardstown. Marine Nationale obviously is a great horse too, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think we have a realistic chance to beat him again.
And for Cheltenham, the Queen Mother Champion Chase or the Ryanair?
I’d say the most likely scenario would be that he’d stick to two miles, but his options will be kept open.
You’ve got Puturhandstogether in the Grade 3 at Dublin too?
The plan is for him to run in that. He ran into a bit of traffic in-running last time. He’s won a good race on the Flat in the meantime. He’s a horse that will continue to pop up in those good prize money handicap worlds.
You’ve got a few entered in listed races, Duke Silver, Galileo Dame, Carried with Love and Shoda. What are your thoughts?
They’re all intended runners. Duke Silver is a course and distance winner from Christmas time. Carried with Love, Shoda and Galileo Dame are all going to run in the Mares’ race. I don’t think any of them will be favourites, but I think they all are in there with a shot to try and get a share of what is very good prize money.
Looking a bit further ahead to Cheltenham, you’ve got Zeus Power in the Supreme or the Turners, Home By The Lee for the Stayers’ and Banbridge either in the Ryanair or the Gold Cup. How is Banbridge after that most magnificent race at Kempton, where you must have felt pride as well as disappointment?
We absolutely did, and he’s been very well. All of these options remain on the table for the spring. A lot of the ones you mentioned would have to run somewhere between now and Cheltenham again. At the moment all their Cheltenham options are just entries – they are things that are on the table to be discussed closer to time.
Are you thinking the Gold Cup or the Ryanair for Banbridge?
The ground will probably dictate a lot, and also he could wait for Aintree too because he’s won there in the past and seems to like that track. All of those things will be discussed closer to the time with Ronnie Bartlett, his owner.
And Dignam?
Potentially the Triumph Hurdle, but he has other options as well in the Fred Winter too. The plan would be that he would appear somewhere at Cheltenham, but all to be discussed closer to the time.
How would you regard success at Dublin – all horses coming home unscathed or winning one or two big races?
We always go to those festivals hopefully with two outcomes. One is that we all come home, man and beast, in one piece, and we can win a big race.
We’re going there to compete to win and as you rightly say, the horses and jockeys come home safe. That’s what those big race meetings are all about.
Constitution Hill is running on the all-weather at Southwell in February – what do you make of that?
Nicky Henderson has probably the best record of bringing horses back from what you would call a crossroads in their careers.
He obviously feels that that is what he needs at this stage and I certainly wouldn’t be one to second guess him. I don’t think there’s anyone better in the world at bringing a horse back from a blip in their career. I’m sure some confidence will do the horse good.
Will we ever see the old Constitution Hill back at Cheltenham?
Sure, and wouldn’t it be fantastic for racing, for Michael Buckley, his owner and for Nicky and for all of the team and everyone that are involved in the horse and for racing in general if we did? You just never know what might happen.
How much does a horse’s confidence suffer when it’s two or three falls in a row?
Confidence for men and beasts is important, and I suppose for all athletes. It’s so different for horses.
Harry Cobden has been announced that he’s being retained by JP McManus for both Britain and Ireland. That’s a huge move for Harry, isn’t it?
For sure. Harry’s obviously been riding at the top of his game for a few years and it’s a huge opportunity for him. Obviously JP has got a lovely team of horses at the moment, so it’s a huge job for anyone.
Have you got many in your yard from him?
Sure, we’re very lucky that we have the support of JP with some horses, and the likes of Puturhandstogether going to Leopardstown next weekend.
What do you make of Harry?
He’s a top rider, he’s a young man and it’s a huge opportunity for him. We’ve been very lucky to have had plenty of big winners that Mark Walsh has ridden for JP during his tenure. I’m sure he’ll ride plenty more big winners for him through the rest of the season and who knows what happens from there? Two top men and two top riders.
Just a word about Willie Mullins. Are you looking over your shoulder at him or just focusing on your yard because this is when he puts the foot down on the pedal isn’t it?
No, as always, we just focus on our own horses and doing the best for our horses and for our owners. The rest of it looks after itself.
If you could pick one National Hunt horse from another yard who you would love to train, who would it be?
I suppose, Galopins des Champs! Having gone back to Cheltenham and won a few Gold Cups, to have a horse like that in the National Hunt game – that’s the ultimate performance and that’s the ultimate race.
He’s a special horse for his owners and Willie Mullins.
Finally, who is a dark horse from your yard, who might surprise us over the next few months?
I suppose in so far as the up-and-coming horses, Talk The Talk looks like the obvious one of the novices this generation. Hopefully he’s a horse that can have a good career if he can stay sound and have normal luck in training over the next few years.
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