CORK hosted the best home meeting in the last week or so the Friday before last, with group and premier handicap action, and offered a chance to put the focus on two relative new training names on the flat: Paddy Twomey and Natalia Lupini.

Twomey had his first runners in 2012 but things have really kicked on for him in the last four years; having never had more than 39 runners in a calendar year prior to 2020, he basically doubled that number in 2020, maintaining the quality while upping the quantity.

In the three and a bit years since, he has had win and place strike rates of 26.3% and 47.44% which are numbers very few do, leaving aside Willie Mullins. And as with Mullins, there is a tax to pay when backing his horses as they are invariably short though it is often a price worth paying.

One situation where the ‘Twomey Tax’ may be less oppressive is with runners that have moved to his yard and proven themselves for him on their first start. His approach to training suggests an obsession with strike rates; unlike other yards, there is no gradual building to a win, there is a desire, even a need, to win all the time.

Horses joining him from elsewhere are likely heavily vetted and if they can’t pass muster, they are not getting in, but if they are good enough to get through those quality controls and win first time for him, they are often worth following.

So, since the start of 2020, nine individual horses have joined Twomey from other British or Irish yards and won on debut for him; on their subsequent runs for him, they won 13 times from 31 starts for a level stakes profit of 20.93 points and included many of his best horses like Sonaiyla, Le Petite Coco and Limiti De Greccio.

That doesn’t even include Pearls Galore who came from France, won first time up for Twomey, and proceeded to win six of her next 14 starts including the Group 1 Matron Stakes.

Two qualifiers under this approach ran in the Group 3 Munster Oaks at Cork and while Final Gesture was a disappointing sixth having attracted some support, Rosscarbery ran out a good winner and there were plenty of positives to take from her first start in 244 days.

Under a 3lb penalty, she travelled strongly and was likely in front too soon, but was always holding the race-fit runner-up who herself looks a pattern winner in waiting, in a time that was 5.35 seconds quicker than the following Cork Derby, allowing that that race was very slowly run.

Twomey commented both before and after the race that most of her targets are in the second half of the season and she will improve for the run so perhaps she can be placed to win a Group 1 from here.

Lupini

Natalia Lupini has been training since 2015, ticking along steadily with win and place strike rates of 5.1% and 24.2% up to the end of 2021, Blairmayne her stable star and never having more than five winners in a year.

Things have boomed since then, however. She had 14 winners last year and is already up to seven for 2023 while her win and place strike rates have leapt to 26.3% and 51.3% respectively.

She had a double at Cork on Friday with a pair of unexposed three-year-olds and both could be worth following.

Running Cool started out running over seven furlongs but has improved for dropping to sprint trips, winning his last two starts and putting up the fastest time of the three five-furlong races on the card here, well on top at the line despite connections suggesting he would prefer faster ground.

In Ireland at least, it tends to be difficult for three-year-olds to win a sprint handicap directly out of a maiden as he did here, all the more so as he was up against older horses, the tempo of handicaps much stronger.

But many of those capable of winning such races without much experience tend to be good; going back, the likes of Gordon Lord Byron and Slade Power did just that but more recently, numerous classy types like Urban Beat, Soffia, Lost Treasure, Woody Creek, Gordon Bennett, Ano Syra and Pirate Jenny did so too.

Running Cool was off 80 here but should be well up to advancing that mark over the summer.

Lupini’s other winner was Talia in the second division of the 47-65 handicap and again she was a three-year-old winning against her elders in a decent time. Having previously been trained by Peter McCreery, she was always going best and should have little problem stepping out of the bottom grade.

Why do owners move horses and how do they choose who to move to? How do owners and trainers select horses they want to target from other yards? What do trainers change when they get a new horse? Why are some trainers better with this type of animal and why do some want nothing to do with it?

With this in mind, I had a look at horses that have moved to Irish flat yards from other British and Irish yards since 2018 which should give a decent sample size allowing that there are limitations; the database I use does not capture horses arriving from elsewhere and there will also be many horses that have been acquired unraced.

Still, the information is of some interest. I looked at the top 30 trainers from last year in terms of total runners as a starting point and included some other notables who tend to acquire previously raced horses and their record on their first start for their new trainer.

One of the first things that jumps out from that table is the names that are not there: Aidan O’Brien (three switchers since 2018), Jim Bolger (three switchers) and Dermot Weld (seven switchers), all three seeming to prefer to start from scratch.

Joseph O’Brien is completely different, close to top of the table, though it needs to be pointed out that the type of previously raced horse he would acquire would be very different to someone like James McAuley or John McConnell.

The fees paid for some of the horses joining O’Brien can be eye-watering and the aim is often to win a group race whereas for many others it is simply to win a race.

It is no surprise to see Twomey come out very well though Ger Lyons is close behind with a similarly selective approach.

Ado McGuinness is known for taking over high-end handicappers from other yards, but those horses often take time to blossom and his record with switchers having their first start for him in non-handicaps is much better.

In the period covered, such horses are seven winners from 32 runners with 13 places for a level stakes profit of 8.91 and Go Athletico was another successful qualifier at Cork last week which isn’t captured in those figures.

Gavin Cromwell tends to be active in finding horses in other yards and he does well with horses having their first start for him in handicaps; such runners are 6/43 for a level stakes profit of 23.75 points.

Nothing jumps out in Ken Condon’s win strike rate, but his place returns are high, behind only Twomey and Lyons in the names listed.

The horses that placed on their first start for him tended to do well subsequently.

Of the nine runners to place without winning, five won soon afterwards, two at premier handicap level (Crafty Madam, Could Be King) while another finished second in a premier.