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We start the year back at Dundalk and that’ll be the run of things for the next few months. If we run 3 or 4 before the turf begins it will be the outside of it.   It’s laughable to be attempting to consider how your horse will run without access to video form of his r ivals. It really is a joke of a situation and regardless of who is actually responsible for the debacle, I’m astonished Brian Kavanagh can’t step in and bash some heads together and make sure this resource continues to be available to us all.   May Remain is drawn 8 of 11 and it appears to be a competitive race. I was optimistic this lad would be an addition to the team prior to running him. I was a little less convinced afterwards. Maybe he was less fit than I thought or maybe slotting in from his draw (my idea) left him poorly positioned but I’d have preferred to see him hit the line a little stronger. He’s an easy going sort that may take plenty of running and graft to tune him in but he’ll have to show a little more tomorrow to persist with the Dundalk option for him. Given his pedigree it may be that soft turf is his bag. I have been wrong plenty but I’m more than hopeful  this lad has a job.

We have had our last runner for 2018 and it seemed as good a time as any to review the year. Bianca Minola acquitted herself adequately on Tuesday. If she progressed and got slicker and fitter we could be on to something.

We had 16 winners (14 Irish flat, 1 UK, 1 NH). This time last year I think I’d have taken that. The concern from ’17 was we had 4 horses win 11 races and that wasn’t going to happen again. I would have hated to have taken a step backwards.

The entire year has been challenging but from mid September onwards especially so. The stalwarts that were winning to July end didn’t keep doing so. Sales, ground, busy campaigns and the handicapper responsible to different degrees. We had 3 different new horses beaten a combined neck in August and then we were heavy with unraced 2 year olds. No mysteries with hindsight but when you’re going through it, it’s challenging. We ran a few 2 year olds that we can be optimistic about for 2019 and thankfully had a 2 year old winner late in the day.

Over 700k worth of horses have been sold from the yard this year. That has been a bit of a surprise and an important angle to focus on going forward. Lots of money flying around but I’m still breaking stones!

We are heading into our 3rd year and this has to start making sense financially sooner rather than later. That’s not a comment on the industry or the climate or programme just the difficulty of trying to get a burgeoning business to find it’s feet. The investment that goes into developing your own private facility would make you question the wisdom of setting up outside the big training centres. Pros and cons I suppose but that move from public to private a la JSB seems eminently sensible.

The horses are the stars and the day to day focus. They need to be sound of wind and limb, resolute and well handicapped. It’s as simple as that.

The good trainer/bad trainer narrative perpetuated by the racing media and now on social media is a bit overstated. Sourcing horses with an angle is a massive part of being succesful and one not to lose sight of. I have loved getting to know owners, their families, their friends and sharing the ride with them. You meet some wonderful people that you instantly click with and of course you come in contact with those that are hardwork from the get go. Thankfully they are few and far between. Compatibility is key.

Getting, affording and keeping good staff has been the toughest side of the last 2 years. I’m failing in this regard. You get used to a system that’s entirely dependent on yourself and upscaling is a challenge as a result. I’m focused on getting this right as we speak.

Starting 2019 with the team of horses we have and the team of people we’re building makes for exciting times. Aim for next year: progress. More winners, 2 year old winners and a blacktype horse would be nice. To go racing well dressed and rested and to enjoy the day would be a minor triumph. Here’s hoping….

An unusual one for us tomorrow. Bianca Minola has her first run over hurdles and she’s only our 2nd NH runner this year. She had an underwhelming finish to the flat season. The ground never really turned for her but she wasn’t just blowing me away at any rate. She appears to have come around in recent weeks and this was the only avenue for her. It appears to make sense, she’s a solid 10f/12f filly that handles soft ground. She hit a high of 82 for me this year. Those fillies can be very effective over hurdles and it’s worth a try. She has schooled fine. Not spectacular at all, just efficient. She can be a bit green over the first couple and that could prove her undoing tomorrow. It’s not a race with a load of depth, it appears a match between 2 solid types. They’re likely to be having their own private battle. Our lady will be ridden as if she can compete with them and then see thereafter. Knowing what will transfer their ability or improve for going the hurdle route is tricky. If she takes to it and enjoys herself then we could have immense fun over the coming months.

A flying visit to Dundalk tomorrow, we have 2 in the first race, the 5f handicap. It’s a competitive race with a full field and we have crap draws for both ours. Excellently Poised had a good first run for us but he only repeated it on his 2nd run. An argument could be made he stepped back if anything. He didn’t feel like a horse that wanted grafting between his races and I may have been over cautious between his first 2 runs. He’s done a little more this time and hopefully it helps with his finishing effort. May Remain has his first run for us. He appears to be a terrific buy, one I’d love to take credit for. I am down as having bought him, the reality is a bit different. Friends of mine were at the sales and asked me to look at him. I thought he appeared sound and drifted off doing my own thing. When I came back the lads had bought him for the princely sum of £1500. A 2 time winning, Group 3 fifth 2 year old, he’s only 3 and I can’t find anything wrong with him. He’s lazy and may need soft turf but he’s grand and should give the lads a bit of craic. He’s drawn 14 and it’s his first run for us, a bit of promise would be nice. Our last horse together was beaten 2 necks in a Rockingham, no pressure.

We run 2 tomorrow and they’re a little different than our recent runners. They’re works in progress, having had 2 runs each. Hopefully both can continue their development tomorrow. Cartron is first. I was a bit disappointed with him the first day but he was probably just a bit shocked over 5 furlongs and never found a rhythm. He was much better the last day and 7th of 20 in an Irish maiden is not to be sneezed at. He’s going up a furlong and is well drawn. Whether he’ll handle the surface would be my doubt. Hopefully he does. Oisin has ridden for us a bit and we’ve had some good runs together without hitting the target. He’s been riding well for a good while but has really impressed lately. Thebeastfortheeast is immediately after. He’s well and in reality I’ll be a bit despondent if he’s beat. He was good the last day and after his debut antics it was really like a first run. He looked like he’d go to sleep for Billy for a 100 yards and then strode on a bit stronger than ideal. He should have learned plenty. He has to conserve. He should but it’s up to him. Preparing a horse, sending him or her to the races is like some constant, repeated, public examining/scrutinising of yourself. Squirming in oral exams in college, certain there’s never been an imbecile like you, is the closest I can think of. Over time, if numbers grow, does it get less personal, less excoriating, less uplifting? I wonder. Recently I advertised for staff. I’d love to start 2019 with a solid sustainable team. We’ve been on the back foot constantly in that regard and hopefully we can put in place a better structure so the good days can mean more. Fingers crossed we get enquiries.

My last update on runners was downbeat and this will be no less so. Emerald Eye runs tomorrow. I’ve trained her a couple of times this year and she showed very little the first time. She went home for a break and we tried her again this Autumn. She did one ok piece of work before her last race and it was felt she was entitled to a run on the back of it. She showed nothing in the race itself and we’re giving her one more go tomorrow just in case. Resilience and persistence are requirements of this job. We’re being tested at the moment but when things turn and the nicer ones come on stream we’ll appreciate it all the more.

We run 2 tomorrow in the one race. The mile claimer. That Is The Spirit first and it’s interesting to see he’s fancied. Whether he’s fanciable is in question in my opinion. His run the last day should have had more of an impact. He felt like he was going through the motions prior to that run and I had hoped it would kick him in to life. There’s no evidence of that having happened but he’s fit and well and should run. I’m anxious to keep him running. He could click into gear at any stage and he’ll be fit and handicapped to capitalise when he does. A win tomorrow would be a surprise to me but it would be one that I’d be happy to get. Alcatraz next and he was deplorable again the last night. I hadn’t intended to run him here but he’s given the last 3 days galloping around the field and being a general nuisance. He’s talked himself into a trip north and maybe he’d spark in to life. Not holding my breath for either, they have jobs still, it’s just getting everything in place for them and it’s not going to happen at home.

It’s been a while since we’ve had runners and even then we weren’t having many. I’m not sure it’s by design but we haven’t really focused on Dundalk and as a result this was inevitable. We have gathered together a few more names for next year between yearlings and older horses. There will be a big rush on January 2nd when they’ll all be getting in shape for the new season.     We’ll poke away with the few we have. Tomorrow we have Excellently Poised in the 5f 85 handicap. It’s a tight contest, they nearly all have legitimate chances. Our lad’s first run was quite good and Kevin Manning was quite optimistic about him immediately after. He has the opportunity to springboard from that run to this and hopefully he steps forward. He has to handle the surface aswell.He was bought with these races in mind and tomorrow will tell a lot.     Alcatraz runs in the 7f Rated race. These are basically limited handicaps for horses rated within 10lbs of 85 in this instance. When they throw up 8 runners and I have one in there I love them but I’m not sure what their advantage is over a standard 85 handicap. They appear to just limit field size. Alcatraz appears to be in good form, none of his recent efforts would be good enough but he’s well handicapped and more than capable if he turned up.

We have 5 running tomorrow and as has been the case for the last few weeks there has been an element of shoehorning our runners in to the available races. Each of ours tomorrow need ease. There’s not much around and no prospect of it. Gowran at yielding and drying is about as testing as there is. We have T For Tango at Newcastle. He was good the last day appearing to relish the conditions. He has a date at the sales on Thursday and it’ll be mixed feelings if he wins. He’s a horse I’d really look forward to in some of those early soft ground sprint handicaps next year. Will he win? Apparently his pedigree suggests he’ll enjoy Tapeta, I thought he looked to relish the horrible ground the last day and he’d be a fair horse to be just as good on an artificial surface. He’ll need to be. Dean Street Doll debuts tomorrow. She’s a filly we’re looking forward to but primarily for next year. She has a good pedigree and once she strengthens she could be nice. She can gallop and has plenty done fitness wise. The strength will just have to come in its own time. Deputy Sherriff is similar; good pedigree, nice horse but raw. He’s quite tall and has taken a bit of time to get this far. He gallops and finds and fingers crossed he can run nicely before having a well earned break. Whether it translates or not but both of these 2 are quite quick out of stalls. Ours are generally on the slow side of tardy out of the gates on debut. These 2 are more alert. Saying that they’ll probably fall out…. Maymine is next and she is the main victim of the shoehorn. Her last 3 runs have been write offs. 2 over 5f on quickish ground and 1 over 6 with a horror draw again on quickish ground. If she stays she’ll run well. Of course it’s a big if but she might and if she does she will run well. I feel like a madman baying that she hasn’t lost her form. She just hasn’t had the right set of circumstances to shine. We’ll see what tomorrow looks like. Bianca Minola runs in the fillies handicap over just short of 10f. It’s her first run after a break and I expect her to need it. She’s not showing what she showed early doors this season. Hopefully it’s there and tomorrow sparks her in to life. Again one with few options remaining. The possibility of hurdling may need to be considered. A lady like her could be a lot of fun in that sphere.  

We send 2 to Dundalk this evening. Both can be marked down as contributors this year but both have been somewhat unpredictable aswell. Alcatraz ran no race the last day. He didn’t go a yard. We’ve dropped him down in grade to see if we can get him back winning. He’ll still make life awkward for Rory, jumping slowly and it can be very hard if you get 10 or 15 lengths behind the leader going down the back. The winner seems to come from the front end over this trip. If he was able to creep closer through the race and be vaguely on the premises turning in then you’d never know. That Is The Spirit has ran 4 times for us winning once. Being honest I had half a fancy for him each time he has ran and his 3 complete no shows with 1 win suggests I haven’t much insight with this guy. Everyone tells me he needs to dominate small fields and last home on fumes. I don’t understand why this is but it’s hard to argue with the evidence. He’ll get it hard to dominate this crowd so he’s likely on the back foot before he starts. He had a little break before being prepared for this. His 1st in a while, he should be nice and fresh tonight and that might help. It might mean he calves at the 2 pole! Full of optimism!!!