The Times They Are A-Changin'

Yearlings 2022
Written By George Allen

Newsletter #59

George talks…

Bob Dylan wouldn’t exactly be my go to Spotify playlist. But I do appreciate his musical prowess. Last weekend, Ascot held the stage for the big season finale to the flat racing season. BAAEED, my idea of the best horse in the land right now, didn’t have his tune perfected on the day, his racecourse swan-song.

Apart from the deflating defeat of this summer’s poster boy, there was plenty of crowning moments for the protagonists of the year. William Buick demolished his rivals to become champion jockey, New Bay sired a Group 1 double through BAYSIDE BOY and BAY BRIDGE. TRUESHAN battled it out in the Long Distance Cup and KINROSS backed up his French romp in the sprint.

A thoroughly enjoyable end to a captivating season.

But times are a changin.

This weekend my Twitter feed has been littered with selfies from Cheltenham. The jumps are definitely back. Yet nothing has changed. The Irish came over and dominated.

Again.

The usual suspects of course, Willie with DADS LAD, Gordon with PIED PIPER et al, Charles Byrnes hit the net like old times. But the trainer that stood out to me was John McConnell. He sent over eight horses specifically targeted at the meeting.

Three won.

For a small trainer looking to build a profile, this weekend has been a massive success. John is a dual purpose trainer based now out of Stamullen, Co. Meath, Ireland. Listen to this interview he did with Off The Ball Racing in April to hear his story at length.

If you read the racing pages regularly and follow “racing Twitter” you can plainly see how hard it is for trainer’s to get noticed.

To get on the radar.

This excellent bit of placing and target training is exactly what makes you stand out from the crowd. Gordon started off by virtually going through the card at summer jumps meetings in Perth. He built his profile up with what he had at his disposal.

Small (and big) trainers up and down Ireland and the UK are beamoning the bigger yards taking over and swallowing the small operations. Thinking outside the box, like what John did this weekend is the answer, not complaining about the competition. Silly suggestions like limits on entries to handicaps and stable sizes is just ridiculous and would be bad for the game.

Another small Irish trainer did something even more incredible last weekend.

My first job riding out horses was for John Hanlon, known as the “Shark”. At 16 my father used to drive me 25 minutes to his yard for 7 am throughout the summer and weekends during school.

When I started working in the yard there were some decent horses about. LUSKA LAD and WESTERN LEADER were two of note. I was a very average rider but just as the Shark is with his horses, he gives people a chance!

Rachel Blackmore regularly commends him for kickstarting her career.

He was a former cattle dealer that happened to drive the horse box for Tony Mullins when he was in his heyday. He is the type of man, that if you met him, even after a traumatic head injury and you had forgotten your mother’s name, you would still remember the Shark.

After a year of riding out on the home gallops and getting tutored by Brian Hayes, Brian O’Connell and Conor O’ Farrell. The Shark pulled me aside and said to me that I was now set to ride my first piece of work at Duninga gallops, a 5 minute trot down the road from the yard.

I had a mix of teenage excitement and horrific nerves wash over me.

I tacked up this 4 year old Stowaway gelding for his first “piece”. Shark gallops in Duninga in groups of 6 to 10 horses. The younger horses stay at the back, while the elder statesmen lead the way. You tip away for one circuit then work the horses for the second.

George riding his first piece, on a horse for his first piece, sluiced through the field head in chest finishing upsides Brian Hayes rowing away on a horse that had won two that autumn and was already race fit.

“What’s that yoke?” said a surprised Shark as we pulled off the gallop.

Stowaway out of Hurricane Debbie” I replied.

Over the next 8 years that horse won 17 races and nearly amassed half a million euros in prizemoney.

I was the first to ride HIDDEN CYCLONE in a piece of work.

The Shark through his partner Rachel almost single handedly started the stallion career of the now famous and deceased stallion, Stowaway. Rachel’s dad, Ronnie O’Neill, stood the stallion about an hour from Shark’s yard. Shark was never afraid to take a punt, as many regulars of the betting offices of Carlow and Kilkenny would attest to.

He took a punt on Stowaway and it paid off.

Like Mcconnell, the Shark isn’t afraid to think outside the box. Hewick’s exploits over the past 10 months has brought Shark into the Irish national news sphere (and international). He was on the main RTE news at 9 in the lead up to Hewick’s win in the American Grand National at Fair Hills.

He probably got more airtime than Willie did for his Cheltenham exploits last season.

Let’s not forget his bold statement about SKYACE back a couple of years ago, another bargain buy.

As a former employee, I can only say how delighted I am for the team, his yard was a fantastic place to work as a 16 year old learning to ride horses. He deserves all the success he gets. The placing of HEWICK and the PR attention he garnered will surely bring new owners through the stable doors of his Kilkenny yard. One thing they are guaranteed there is entertainment.

Will HEWICK win the Gold Cup? I’m not sure, but one things for certain, Shark will be making a big deal of it and I will be shouting the horse on the whole way.

Syndicate Pioneer

Storytime over, lets get back to it. But that’s the thing, this sport is all about stories. The never ending drama of plots and sub plots of this game is what makes it so special.

One character that I had never heard of before but illuminated the sport for so many must be mentioned this week. Henry Ponsonby is universally deemed the founding father of the syndication model of ownership. Read this extract from the Racing Post below.

A larger than life type character who had to fight the racing establishment of the time to get the model up and running.

A real racing innovator, RIP.

Breeders Cup Party

We mentioned last week that we are scheduling our Breeders Cup party for the Saturday of the meeting. But we had a major spanner in the works this week. The train drivers of the UK have again decided to vote for strike action. London itself with the tube etc will be unaffected but for the majority of you guys coming from around the UK this is a total disaster.

We have decided to cancel this year’s party in London and we are now searching for a location in Dublin to host us for the night.

Short notice and major change of plans, but what can you do!

If you are based in Ireland and would be interested in bringing a few friends along, sent us a quick email with numbers.

We haven’t got a venue organised as of yet but will announce this week.

A Land Down Under

While the UK flat racing season is winding down to it’s nocturnal winter schedule. The most vibrant racing nation in the world is hitting top gear.

In the last 10 days we have had the Geelong Cup, where the first six home were trained in the UK or Ireland. The Cox Plate went to ANAMOE and the Caufield Cup to DUNTON.

The Everest was taken by GIGAKICK who toppled Royal Ascot tearaway NATURE STRIP.

The Melbourne Cup is just around the corner.

HIT Sales

While the Australian racing scene is in full flow, the UK exports to down under will get motoring this week. They will be one of the busiest buying groups at the top level all this week at Tattersalls Horse in Training sales. This is a marathon week for everyone. The lots are sold a little quicker than the yearling sales. The sales day drags on into the night for 5 days straight. You have wild card entries and a tonne of withdrawals, but it’s a great place to find value!

Thomas will be battling away for us during the week in the pursuit of value and something that could potentially jump a hurdle.

So F*****g Close…

This newsletter was supposed to be published Monday evening. But we had ATTRAZIONE head to Newcastle for her second start in nursery company. We felt she was value at such a big price and a handful of owners were on at very juicy odds.

While I expected a good showing and a place, she had other ideas.

Flashing home late after meeting trouble she finished a head, third.

I coudln’t relax and write the rest of this piece until after 10 pm. Apologies for the quality of the writing! I was absolutely gutted for the owners, even though I was immensely proud of the filly. She had a torrid time first time out and has done nothing but improve and improve for each run.

We will monitor her form after the long trip back from Newcastle to Newmarket and make concrete plans for her in the next few days.

CANADIAN FIRE ran a very credible race at Southwell last week. Dropped back to 5F she travelled well but failed to land a blow when the front few quickened. She will receive a handicap mark in the morning and shouldn’t be far away on her next start.

Our runners have had form figures:

3/4/3/6/6/3

Since the 22nd of September, so lets hope times are changin over the next month!

This week coming…  

  • Tattersalls HIT sale

All the Best,

George

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George Allen https://www.Brownsbarnthoroughbreds.com
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