What’s your background in the racing industry?

I grew up on a stud farm, Nanallac Stud, so horses have always been a part of my life. We mostly breed at home, my dad has been very good at that side of it and we were lucky to build up a fantastic family line in which J’adore Chris is actually from, and this family line has brought us a lot of good days in the sales ring and on the track.

I love a bit of pinhooking, I always buy a breeze-up horse every year and get a great buzz from it. I love buying one that I feel I can improve and nothing is more satisfying than seeing them develop into a nice horse. This year buying a racehorse was a new venture.

Who is in the syndicate with you?

So it’s really my two sisters Sarah and Aine and myself but we better mention my two brothers-in-law Benny and Niall, and my partner Tony, as they are very much on this journey with us. It’s a family affair really as my parents wouldn’t miss a day out at the races either!

Is there any story behind the colours?

Not really but I suppose the green and red was always the Nanallac colours so we decided to stick to the same colours, but there is a story behind the name. She’s named after an amazing woman who is called Chris White, my sister Aine’s mother-in-law, who is battling cancer at the minute, and we just adore Chris, and this filly seems to have the same traits, a big strong heart and mind.

She was very proud when Aine and Niall brought her back the trophy from J’adore Chris winning, it’s up on her mantelpiece. I’m sure Chris will be there the next day she runs, she loves a good celebration.

Where did you get J’adore Chris or is she a homebred?

We bought J’adore Chris at the Goffs Sportsman Sale last year. We actually wanted to buy her as a foal but we thought she made a bit much so she actually went down as ‘vendor’ at the Sportsman Sale for €10,000. Myself and my sister Sarah went down to look at her after and we loved her and bought her for a private sale of €6,000.

We were delighted as she is such a good looking filly and she has the most beautiful temperment. Myself and Dad bought her dam Snowfields at the Goffs November Breeding Sales in 2022. My dad actually bred Snowfields and sold her as a foal, so it’s mad really how we got her back. I guess we were eager to buy J’adore Chris to give her dam Snowfields a good chance of making a mare, and now she has bred a two-year-old winner so we are absolutely delighted.

Paddy Twomey and my dad were the only two people to breed a Group 1 winner with this family line. Paddy bred Serious Attitude which was a grandaughter of Angelic Sounds, the same way as J’adore Chris is a granddaughter of Angelic Sounds, so we thought who better to train the filly than Paddy who knows the family line so well.

What’s the plan with her now?

Well, that’s up to Paddy I guess, but I’d say she could run very soon again as she’s in great form. I’d say he will go for a bit of blacktype which would be fantastic to get.

We have a lovely Ten Sovereigns yearling filly and a cracking Kuroshio colt foal out of the dam so as a breeder, you’re always looking for a bit of blacktype.

You must have been confident going into the race seeing as her first two runs were really good.

Yes, in fairness we were. Paddy had this race picked out weeks ago, he thought it would be ideal for her and it was. Her form is looking pretty solid now and I think she’s still only learning how to race so it’s very exciting for all of us. I think she’s got more great days ahead and we are really looking forward to this journey with her.

Have you got any more horses in training?

No, she’s the only one, and we are feeling very lucky to have her. We know how hard it is to win races in Ireland, especially maidens, so we are so grateful.

What struggles do owner/breeders face in the industry and what are the best parts about it?

A lot of breeders lose money, like look at J’adore Chris who cost €6,000 and we were lucky to buy her, but her covering fee alone that year was €30,000. That’s a serious loss for the breeder. The covering fees nowadays are very high and it’s so tough to make money. For example with J’adore Chris’ dam Snowfields, she hadn’t bred a winner when we bought her, she had four foals and no winner until now.

We bought Snowfields for €13,500 and said we would take a chance as we know the family line. We went to Kuroshio for €5,000 because we didn’t want to invest too much and now he is a cracking colt foal that could be popular at the November foal sales if J’adore Chris continues to improve on the track. There is no feeling like the good days, the excitement and happiness this game can bring is next level. You nearly feel like it’s a dream and you’re going to wake up but it’s the best feeling in the world when your plan turns into reality.

Have you got any advice for people wanting to get started in the industry?

I would say it’s not an easy game and you have to work really hard and have a plan of what you want to achieve and how you plan on achieving your goals. Stay humble because one year might be great but then another year you might hit a bump in the road and that’s just the joys of the game, but everyone that works hard will have their day!