GAVIN Cromwell burst onto the trainers’ scene when he saddled Jer’s Girl to win a brace of Grade 1 hurdles in the space of a month last year and since then, he has added more horses and boxes to his yard which is not too far from Navan.
“We have some lovely young National Hunt-bred horses to run after Christmas. We were busy at the sales this year and I’d say that we have around a dozen nice store horses that I hope will be able to compete on the track next year,” stated Cromwell.
“We have 46 stables and we have over 30 riding out at the minute and the numbers have grown steadily over the last couple of years. You have to keep moving forward and look for more horses - you need numbers in this game and we have the space here to build more boxes should we need them,” he added.
“We put up a new barn this year and re-laid the gallop - it’s an expensive business, but it had to be done. Skyrne gallop is just up the road from me and I can take the horses over there when I need to get a bit of fast work into them.”
“We have great staff and owners. Ger Fox has joined me. He is my new assistant trainer and he brings a lot of experience with him. He is a very good judge and he’ll be a big help to me. He will ride a good few for me as well.”
“Andrew Lynch and Stephen Kelly come in every week to ride out. Brian Kane will start riding out again fairly soon. He had a bad fall earlier this year but he is on the way back and he is a very good young rider. Conor Heavey is another good young rider and he is my apprentice. Clare O’Brien is my head woman and Jenny Murphy is a huge help with regard to travelling the horses. To be honest, I have great staff.”
“Ross McLeigh is a good young amateur rider and I also have Anthony Fox coming in. They are two good amateur riders and they’ll ride a few for me as well.”
After the success of Don Cossack in the 2016 Gold Cup, Cromwell was the most famous “double jobber” in racing and he said: “I still do a bit of shoeing - I oversee it and I have a couple of lads working with me. I still shoe some of the good horses in Gordon’s.”
He was pretty active at the store sales earlier this year. “The three-year-olds are all cantering and schooling. We bought most of them this year and they are by the likes of Milan, Presenting, Jeremy, Flame And Glory, Yeats, Scorpion and San Frontieres. They will take a bit of time, but as a bunch, we like them.”
AS DE PIQUE
12yo b g (2185F3/14414368-F)
Woods Of Windsor - Casheral
Pique Syndicate Partnership
There is a chance that he could go for the Troytown at Navan but he doesn’t want very soft ground and the ground can get testing at Navan at this time of year. Those good staying handicap chases are there for him and despite the fact that he is 12, he only started racing when he was seven. He is racing off a career high mark and he fell the other day at Punchestown but he ran a very good race last year in the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown. Hopefully he can be competitive in the big staying chasing this season.
A PLACE APART
3yo b g NH; (48) F: (044042)
Power - Simadartha
GBLOGBD Limited
He ran well on the flat when second at Fairyhouse on Tuesday. He has schooled over hurdles and he jumps well and I think he’ll make into a nice type of horse to go juvenile hurdling this winter. He handles soft ground well and we’ll get him going again in a maiden hurdle reasonably soon. He has had two runs already over hurdles and he is a big, raw horse that can only improve.
BIDDY THE BOSS
4yo b f (2-1)
Doyen - Thiarnathoir
Kilbriens Syndicate
She is a nice mare and she’ll go for a winners of one bumper at Cork in a weeks’ time. Depending on how that goes, she could go for a listed mares’ bumper.
She was impressive when she won the last day at Fairyhouse and we do like her. She has a very good turn of foot and Jamie (Codd) was impressed with her. She got shuffled back that day and at one stage, she had a fair bit to do but she picked up well in the straight. I am in no rush to jump a hurdle with her just yet - we’ll see how she gets on the next day. She is only four and she is a nice filly for the future. We’ll decide what route she goes after she runs at Cork.
BRADDEN BRIDGE
4yo br m (5-)
Waky Nao - Wise Widow
Ms A Cromwell
She has had just the one run, when she finished fifth in a point-to-point in the spring and she will run again this Saturday in another point-to-point. I think she’ll be competitive in a mares’ bumper.
CHARLIE’S CHARM
5yo b g (94-4506)
Golan - Ben’s Turn
Pique Syndicate
He is a big, tall horse and ideally he’ll be a horse that I think will be competitive in handicaps on a bit of nice ground in the spring. He has ability, but he wants a bit of decent ground so we might not see the best of him until the spring. He is a grand horse and has plenty of scope and I think he’ll make into a nice chaser in time.
DAMUT I’M OUT
7yo b g (P21-29790 )
Gamut - Five Cents More
Ms A Cromwell
Another horse that I think will be seen at his best in the spring. He has had a little bit of a setback, but we like him and again he’ll find his own level in handicaps on nice ground next year.
DIVA DAWN
8yo b m (03321/)
Kalanisi - Maplewell
Rollx Syndicate
She is another that I think won’t be seen at her best until the spring. She has proven form but she has been off the track for a while.
She is a mare that I like and hopefully her owners’ patience will be rewarded when we get her back to the track next year.
ELUSIVE IVY
7yo b m (45/1B06F2133-6)
Elusive City - Just Like Ivy
Alymer Stud Limited
She has developed into a very good mare and she will go to Down Royal for a two-mile handicap chase on Friday. She jumps great and she handles soft ground well. She has developed into a fine money spinner and we’ll see how she gets on this season. You’d like to think that she might improve a bit this season and possibly take in a good race next spring. She hasn’t a lot of racing done over fences and she does jump very well. She is in very good form and we’ll get her started next weekend.
ESPOIR D’ALLEN
3yo b g (1-1)
Voix Du Nord - Quadanse
J. P McManus
He won nicely at Punchestown the other day and there is a chance that he might go to Down Royal. He jumps well but he just needs to be a bit slicker and another run wouldn’t do him any harm. I’ll see what J.P. and Frank want to do. I said after he won last week that he wouldn’t go to Down Royal but I’ll make an entry for him and see what the race looks like and see what Frank wants to do. He is a nice addition to the team and I was very happy with his run last week. There is another winners’ race for him at Punchestown as well.
FAMOUS MILLY
3yo b f (682510-)
Famous Name - Gilah
Nigel Kirkwood
She won a nursery at Listowel last year and then she went to stud but she didn’t go in foal. She has come back in to training and she may start back on the flat, but the intention is that she’ll go jumping for the winter. I’m happy with her so far and we will school her soon. We know that she handles very soft ground, so she could be a nice filly to go juvenile hurdling with.
HIGHLAND FLING
5yo g NH: (011604-41) F: (175-2513)
Country Reel - High Fun
E Hughes
He has done well for us and he has developed into a good servant. He has an entry in the November Handicap and if he made the cut, he’ll go there. The handicappers put him up 9lbs and 11lbs for winning those two races at Listowel and for a horse that stays well on soft ground, he has plenty of pace. He will get two and a half over hurdles.
JER’S GIRL
5yo b m NH: (11251/125F-4) F: (25/1)
Jeremy - African Scene
J.P. McManus
I have made an entry for her in the Lismullen Hurdle at Navan. She probably needs two and a half miles at this stage over hurdles and that was the distance she won her two Grade 1s over. She won on the flat there a few weeks at Roscommon and I suppose that opens up another option for her next year. There are some very good mares around and long term, you’d be looking at the mares’ hurdle at Cheltenham but that is a good bit away and we’ll see how she gets on at Navan first. If she ran well there, you’d be looking at the Hattons Grace at Fairyhouse. She looks great, she has been a terrific mare for us and I’m very happy with her.
JOHNNY CARNEY
3yo b g (608-)
Casamento - North East Bay
Alymer Stud Limited
He ran a nice race on his debut on the flat at Roscommon and he has a good bit of schooling done. We’ll get him going in a juvenile hurdle in the next few weeks.
KILLASSER BOY
4yo b g NH: (3-3) F: (009/)
Authorized - Tidal
G Blake
He was third in a couple of maiden hurdles earlier in the year and they were good races for the time of year. He is a nice horse and I’d be hopeful that he’ll be competitive in a maiden hurdle. He wasn’t beaten far in his last two starts and he isn’t far off a run. He is a big, scopey horse that will jump a fence in time and I’d like to think that he can win a race or two over hurdles before he goes chasing.
LADY ISCHIA
5yo b f (2-)
Getaway - Summer Flight
James O’Rourke & Mrs Mary O’Rourke
She is a lovely big mare that will relish winter ground. She was second in a bumper at the Punchestown Festival and on the basis of that run she should be able to win a mares’ bumper before we get her going over hurdles. She will go jumping pretty soon and she is a mare that we think a good bit of. You’ll need a good horse to be competitive this year but she handles winter ground and she isn’t too far off a run.
PROSPECTUS
4yo b g NH: (171P-4) F: (518-42
Sakhee - Some Sunny Day
McAlpine Syndicate
We bought him at the sales last year and the lads that own him have knocked a great bit of sport out of him. He won two over hurdles last winter. He came back after his summer break and was placed twice on the flat and was a good fourth in what looked like a good renewal of the Lartigue Hurdle at Listowel.
In time, he’ll want two and a half miles. He is in the good two-mile handicap hurdle at Galway tomorrow and with the ground bound to be very soft, he’ll go there. He loves soft/heavy ground but Kevin Manning who rode him the other day at Gowran said that he doesn’t need it. He’ll be taking on the older horses for the first time this weekend so we’ll see how that goes. He is in good form. He will jump a fence in time.
RAZ DE MAREE
12yo ch g (/U21722UP0-F)
Shaanmer -Diyala III
James J Swan
For a horse of his age, he behaves like an unbroken four-year-old at home. He is in great shape and he’ll go for the Cork National next weekend. He won that race last year and went on to finish second to Native River in the Welsh National and he will go the same route again this year.
He has been a great servant and he loves a trip - he can’t go far enough. Chepstow really suits him as that develops into a slog.
SOIR DE CHANTENANY
4yo b g (116950420-0P)
Zanzibari - Deesse
J.P McManus
He has been a disappointing horse and he was pulled up the last day. I’d like to think that he can win a race or two over hurdles but he had a very nigh mark when he came over from France and bar one run, when he was second at Limerick earlier this year, he has yet to deliver.
SOLEGLAD
5yo b g (12409)
Scorpion - Tilaiya
Ms A Cromwell
He won a bumper earlier this year but he has struggled a bit over hurdles. We’ll keep going with him and see how he gets on. It might be that he doesn’t handle soft ground.
TWO IN ONE
6yo b g (4/600554-30)
Bernstein - Unique Pose
FW Lynch
He was a bit disappointing the other day but before that he had run well a couple of times in bumpers and I’m sure that he’ll find his own level in handicaps. He has enough ability to suggest that he’ll be competitive on better ground.
UNRACED
ALVOR BAY
4yo b f
Presenting - Mawly Day
She is a nice mare who will more than likely start off in a point-to-point this weekend. We like her and I’d imagine that she’ll be one for the track in due course.
CANCELLATION
4yo b f
Doyen - Majorette Blue
She went nicely in a schooling race last week and we might start her off in a maiden hurdle and then go back for a bumper. She isn’t too far off a run
DEBURRAFEILD
4yo b g Kalanisi -
He isn’t far off a run and he is working well. He could go for a point-to-point or a bumper but either way he is a nice horse and like the majority of mine, he will come on a good bit for his first appearance and that will stand to him the next day.
FLAMEN MAJIC
4yo b f Kalanisi
She has a nice bit done and will be ready to start off in a mares’ bumper reasonably soon. She will probably go for a schooling race somewhere beforehand.
GETAFLYER
4yo b g
Getaway - Knapping Princess
He will start off in a point-to-point and he does go well. He isn’t too far off a run and I’d like to think that this lad will be good enough to go the track in due course. He is a very nice horse.
JEREMYS FLAME
3yo b f Jeremy
She is a gorgeous filly and all she wants to do is please you. She is a sharp type and I’d like to get her ready for a bumper early in the New Year.
SPADES ARE TRUMPS
4yo b g
Yeats - Sway
He is nice young horse who will more than likely start off in a maiden hurdle in the next few weeks.
WEAKFIELD
5yo g
Court Cave - Thats The Lot
He is a half-brother to Sretaw which won the Cambridgeshire for us and he will start off in a point-to-point reasonably soon.
He is a nice horse and he might even start off this weekend. He looks plenty good enough to go for a bumper.
UNNAMED
3yo f Flame And Glory: She goes well, is cantering away and hopefully she will be ready to start off after Christmas. We like her.
3yo g Jeremy: He will more than likely go point-to-pointing in the spring and he has done everything that has been asked of him.
3yo g Lord Shanakill: He is half-brother to Jers Girl and there is a good chance that he’ll start off in a maiden hurdle. He is not unlike his sister and we’ll get him started reasonably soon. He does jump well.
3yo g Milan: He is a nice horse and he might take a bit of time, but we are not in any rush with him and I’d imagine that we’ll go for a point-to-point with him in the spring.
3yo g Sans Frontierers: He is another nice store that we bought this year and I’d imagine that he will start off in a point-to-point in the spring.
3yo g Scorpion: He is a gorgeous big, horse that is out of a full-sister to Forpaddydeplasterer. He has a good bit done and like most of the three-year-olds, he’ll be ready to start off in a point-to-point in the spring.
He will take a bit of time and none of the three-year-olds have done any fast work yet. It will be Christmas time before we get some fast work into them.
Address: Danestown, Balrath, Navan, Co. Meath,
Telephone: 00353 0419821704
Mobile: 00353 0862693388
Numbers: We have over 30 riding out and we have 46 boxes.