Going - Heavy. Overcast
Jackpot Pool - €25,878.16 Dividend - €6,188.70 Winning Units - 2.94. Placepot Pool - €22,771.88 Dividend - €2.60 Winning Units - 5992.02. Days Aggregate - €178,244.75 Last Year €237,692.70
Syndicate planning an Annus Mirabilis with 'exciting filly'
she had a good run in soft ground last year and we thought that ten furlongs would suit her well. I was very pleased and looking at that you'd have to say she's a smart filly. I suppose the obvious thing now is to go into an Oaks trial of some sort. That's probably where she'll go. She's owned by a great group of lads, the Annus Mirabilis Synidcate, Sean O'Driscoll and Brian McKieran and it's exciting for them to have a real smart filly.
Connections likely to stretch The Equator in Derby trials
The Equator had a lovely run last year and he's a lovely big honest horse. He handles an ease in the ground but will obviously handle ground which is much better as well - he stays well. Wayne (Lordan, winning jockey) was very happy with him and said he went to the line very strong, he did that last year as a two-year-old as well. Definitely going up to 1m2f suited him and going further will probably suit him even better. He could go for a trial at Lingfield or somewhere like that. He'll probably love going 1m4f and I'd say next time that's what we will do.
Rhode-based Rango gives Harney a first winner
that's unbelievable and Shane actually rode my brother Patrick's (former trainer) first winner. I'm just delighted to get it out of the way and hopefully it's onwards and upwards now. I'm based in Rhode in Co. Offaly, not too far from Pat Smullen. We've a farm there and we put in a wood chip gallop that looks to be going well for us. We had Mr Rango ready to run last Saturday and we were disappointed the meeting got cancelled. We weren't sure today whether he was spot on for 1m2f but Shane (Foley) gave him a lovely ride and he stuck at it well. Shane said he'll stay 1m4f and we'll see how it goes ground-wise - if it gets a bit quick in the middle of the year we might give him a bit of a break. We might go hurdling with during the winter. I spent a few years over in England, I was assistant trainer to Declan Carroll. I was four years in Tally Ho and learned a lot there, I learned how to work!. I was with Jim McCartan where I did breeze-ups and my partner Phidelma O'Neill convinced me to get out a license. She had the confidence in me and said I could do it and thankfully I showed her that we can train a winner. We've ten at the moment, five two-year-olds, and they are mostly homebreds. We have a few nice pedigrees there and we're hoping to have a good season.
Havoc lands late Leopardstown gamble
he didn't behave very well at the Curragh last year and when he came back, got castrated which seems to have done the job. We always thought he had ability but he wasn't giving it to us and it was great to get his head in front. I just thought for a moment at the furlong pole, when he got upsides Ryan's horse, that he was going to think about it, but he actually ran out a ready winner in the end and stayed on great. Shane said he actually couldn't go any quicker than he was going and he then quickened up well in the straight and went through the ground very easily. We'll try and find a winners of one for him now and take it from there.
O'Brien strikes Gold with a second impressive winner
she really deserved it as she had been running well with penalties through the end of last season and also on her first run this year. I'm delighted to get her head in front and she's beaten two very good geldings. She gave away a lot of weight on her first run of the year, when she bumped into two smart fillies, and got a little bit tired. She'll probably step back into group company now and she's particularly effective on soft ground - wherever she goes she'll be kept on easier ground. She's a Group 3 and Listed winner and it would be great if we could get her into Group 2s. There is a nice one on Guineas weekend but obviously we'll be guided by conditions.
Desert Haven rewards new owners
Desert Haven was one of Paul Hunt's (previous owner) horses and he let him go at the end of the season so I bought him back myself. We did a little job on his wind which helped and he goes on any ground. It's great because his new owners had Knockmore Prince who nearly broke our hearts last year!. They wanted him to jump (hurdles) and he does actually jump so we'll see how we go during the summer. I don't know whether he'll get that trip or not though but it's great to start with a win for them.
Dandy delivers as the Little Acorn grows
the boys (owners) are very good as we weren't thinking a lot when we got him, so to win three is great. It's great for a little yard like ours to have a horse like him, he's become very consistent for us and hopefully he can win again for the boys during the summer. he loves the ground and I was actually very confident. He probably needed it the last day as he is very hard to get fit. If you look through his runs for the last three seasons with me, it's been his third run that he's done something. As fit as I try to get him at home it seems to take him those couple of runs, he's a big gross horse. He probably should be jumping but last year went so well we decided to keep at this. If the rain keeps coming we'll keep going. It's not that he's ground dependent but he can just handle it better than other horses.
Brassil warms up for Aintree with well-backed flat winner
it's a pleasant surprise as we were just hoping he'd run a nice race. I thought he had grown up a bit mentally over the winter from his previous run in Gowran and was looking forward to seeing how he'd run but I couldn't honestly say I thought he'd win. Fast Companys generally handle that ground and we were banking on that. I told him (Ronan Whelan) to ride him with a bit of patience and to finish well. In that grade they can't keep it up if they go too fast early on.
