How did you get into racehorse

ownership?

My husband, Dermot, and his family have always been into horses going back to his father working the land with horses as a young man. We, as a family, have been involved in breeding and showing Connemara ponies for years and we occasionally went racing for fun with friends. This evolved into the formation of a racing syndicate, Stable Friends, of which Dermot is the agent, and which had great success with their mare, Hamley, trained by Peter Fahey.

We then purchased A Step Too Far at Goffs as a yearling and it’s taken off from there.

What was your best day at the races and why?

This has to be Irish Champions Weekend at the Curragh in 2018 when Hamley won the Premier Handicap for the syndicate. The excitement was overwhelming and we had some amazing celebrations. There was a memorable social media video of the moment she won the race which captured us all going mental in the parade ring. It’s a day none of us will ever forget.

Since then our own horse A Step Too Far, fondly known as Steps, has won six in a row and the excitement and celebrations in our sitting room at home has been the stuff that dreams are made of.

What is the biggest drawback about being a racehorse owner?

Currently it’s not being able to attend the races. Over the past few months A Step Too Far has won six on the trot and we haven’t been able to stand at the winner’s post once. We could have gone to the Curragh when she won the Joe McGrath Cup, but with only two of us able to attend we decided to stay at home and watch the race with our kids, which we’ve done for all her wins.

Now it’s back to behind closed doors again which is devastating.

In your experience, which racecourse in Ireland treats owners the best and why?

I would say Leopardstown by a long mile. This is down to the hospitality and sheer welcoming nature of the people employed at the course. We’ve enjoyed many meetings there with top-class facilities for owners and fabulous social activities après racing.

The Curragh is spectacular and we’re very lucky to have such stunning facilities for flat racing in Ireland; towards the end of last season we noticed the hospitality and services for punters and owners alike really improving there.

A lot of the smaller courses don’t have the same facilities but the personal touch is very evident in many. We have found that most racecourses do their best and we have had numerous enjoyable experiences at many of the smaller courses.

Flat or jump racing, which do you prefer and why?

We enjoy both but our preference is flat racing. This is where we’ve had our success to date. There’s always the chance of a sunny afternoon which adds to every occasion and brings families out in force. The shorter distances also afford the opportunity of more frequent racing for horses.

What qualities do you look for in a trainer?

Honesty, attention to detail and good communication. We have been blessed to have found all of these qualities in Kieran Cotter. Kieran and Danny Murphy manage a nice-sized, welcoming yard where attention to detail and the well-being of the horse is paramount and every box is ticked.

We receive regular reports on the progress of our horse in with regard to training, form and upcoming races and plans. Their experience and knowledge is vast. They have turned A Step Too Far inside out for us this year and we have complete trust in them. They are ably assisted by Adriano, Wagner, Grainne and an extremely hard-working team.

What improvements would you like to see racecourses in Ireland do for owners?

In our experience racecourses make a good effort to recognise and appreciate all owners. This is important as very often the same effort and expense will have gone into the horse that takes up the rear as the one that crosses the line in first place. It’s important that this recognition is maintained.

How do you think the current crisis will impact on racing in general and on ownership in particular?

Obviously it is very difficult for owners to have horses running and not be able to attend the races but the enthusiasm for racing seems to be as strong as ever. Owners are passionate about horses and racing and I don’t see that Covid-19 will negatively affect that passion.

There will most likely be a fall off of ownership due to the shrinking economy, but horse racing is part of the Irish psyche and hopefully when things settle back to a semblance of normality the numbers will return.

What significance do your colours hold?

When we bought our first horse we had great fun as a family picking colours. We settled on a mix of our family crests, McCusker for me and Dunne for my husband. We have grown to love them – particularly the yellow cap which is always easy to pick out in a crowd.

When buying a horse, what do you look for?

A strong page, correctness in conformation, good movement and value for money.

What’s next on the agenda for your horses?

The plan for A Step Too Far is that she will be entered in a handicap in Dundalk at the end of October followed by a listed race in November in the hope of achieving some blacktype before the end of the year. Then she will have a break for a few months and we will reassess in 2021. Who knows what that will bring – the anticipation is one of the joys of racehorse ownership!

Have you any horses to look forward to? (i.e young/unbroken horses?

We were lucky enough, having recognised ability in A Step Too Far, to have bought her dam, Celerina. She has a filly foal at foot by Zoffany and all going well we hope to bring her forward for training in 2022.

What would help to make Irish racing more competitive for the smaller owner/trainer?

Possibly limiting the number of entries in races by the larger stables would give the smaller trainers/owners more opportunity and therefore more scope for success.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of becoming a racehorse owner?

Go for it! Be realistic in your expectations. Enjoy every second of racing but be resilient. There will be many difficult days but the days of success outweigh them all. The thrill of a win is indescribable.

Sinéad Dunne was in conversation with Olivia Hamilton