HEWICK has been a life-changing horse for trainer Shark Hanlon, his extended family and the Fenniscourt yard in general and the eight-year-old bids for back-to-back wins in the Tote Galway Plate.

As he said after working almost 20 horses on the Curragh last Wednesday: “For a horse who was bought for small money (€850) at Goresbridge Sales, just down the road from me, he’s been absolutely brilliant. In the last 12 months, between Euro, Sterling and Dollars he’s won over €700,000 altogether, between win and place money.

“He’s been a little bit unlucky as well because he was carried out at Uttoxeter and had the race won in the Kerry National at Listowel when he fell at the last. He was running a big race in the Gold Cup at Cheltenham too when he fell.

“Hewick’s owner T.J. McDonald lives just outside Naas, and we’ve been friends for years. He has a couple of horses with me now and never forces us to go anywhere. T.J. knows we’re well able to pick out the races in advance and he’s been a great man for me.”

T.J. also owns another of Shark’s bargain purchases, the former Willie Mullins inmate Skyace, now in foal to Ronnie O’Neill’s Whytemount Stud sire Affinisea, who was snapped up at Ascot sales for even less at £500 and went on to win a Grade 1 at Fairyhouse. Shark quipped: “Willie and I still have a laugh about it!”

Hewick, however, is the horse who has made the instantly recognisable trainer a household name and a bit of a celebrity. Racing’s red-headed ‘gentle giant’ admitted: “He changed my life because, when I went to America for the American Grand National in Far Hills, I spoke to a lot of people there and, no matter where I go, people ask me for a photograph.

“Even at the match the other day (the All-Ireland hurling final in Croke Park), it was absolutely brilliant. People seem to enjoy our company and people I’ve known all my life all want to shake my hand and take a picture. I suppose there’s a lot of bad news in the country and the world now, so it’s important to have a bit of good news the odd time.”

Preparations

With last year’s winning jockey Jordan Gainford still sidelined through injury and Rachael Blackmore being claimed to ride for Henry de Bromhead in the Galway Plate, Brian Hughes comes in for the ride on Hewick.

“His preparation has gone perfect and he had a little break after coming back from France,” said Shark. “We always knew he was going to have top-weight but he’s probably the class horse in the race and was giving away a lot of weight to good horses in the bet365 race.

“The better the ground, the better the horse will be and my 86-year-old father Willie has been looking forward to the race since last year.”

Hanlon started training in 2005 with just two horses, having first shown signs of following in the footsteps of his cattle dealer father and grandfather by starting dealing in cattle when he was only 14 years of age.

He was always first into the mart before his father which didn’t go down at all well with his mother who would have preferred to see him concentrate on his schooling! Nevertheless, it earned him valuable brownie points with his neighbour, the late Paddy Mullins who told him: “Any man who can judge a bullock can judge a horse.”

Shark reflected: “I learned a lot from just listening to Paddy and knew all the boys growing up.” Hanlon’s partner Rachel O’Neill, daughter of the aforementioned Ronnie O’Neill, was working for Tony Mullins when she and Shark got to know one another and she used to ride his horses out after finishing work.

Rachel rode a bumper winner for him at Tramore (as did Barry Connell on Wolsley Lady, probably his only outside winner) and the hard-working duo are now the proud parents of 16-year-old Paddy, who rode his first winner recently aboard Chef D’Etat at Worcester, and Sean,12, who looks after all the trainer’s social media.

Shark enthused: “He updates everything on our website, Twitter and Instagram accounts and is very, very good at it. He also does the videos for the owners.” He and Rachel have yet to get around to marriage, Hanlon’s excuse being “I need a bit more time!” but the family make a good team. As Hanlon said: “It’s a family-run thing with my mother Breda making the tea in the kitchen, Rachel in the office picking out races and Sean doing the riding.

“We could have 30 people in on a Saturday, with owners from Cork and Dublin looking at their horses - you should see all the chit-chat and talk that goes on and they’ve all become friends.

“I’m setting up a racing club at €1,000 all in for two horses that have already been placed. Racing isn’t a cheap game but this is definitely going to work. I’ve got 90 people signed up for it and just need another 10 - hopefully it’ll keep going for three years.”

Shark had 800 people at his owners’ open day this year and has a great following. He was particularly touched by the public’s reaction to Hewick after his falls, commenting: “There were more people down at the bottom gate in Listowel than the other one, waiting to see if he had got up and then in Cheltenham, where we were all disappointed, there was a big cheer when he got up. That meant a lot to us.”

Grudge

The Co Carlow handler, who has gone from training out of a cattle yard with 10 stables in it to a barn with 70 stables, is not one to bear a grudge, saying: “You have to be nice to people because you never know where your next winner is going to come from.” Invariably good-natured, he only raises his voice the odd time, a signal for Rachel to go into hiding and they pride themselves on running a happy yard.

Said Shark: “There’s great craic in our yard every day and if you haven’t got a happy yard, you’re in trouble. I haven’t changed the way I do anything but I have a new head man now in Ray Dunne which takes a lot of the pressure off. Shane Fenelon and Jody McGarvey, who ride out a few mornings, are big assets to the yard too. Without good staff, you’re nothing and Brian Hayes and Rachael Blackmore were both working here when they started going out together!”

Shark, who invariably comes out of Galway with a winner, has a nice team of 10-14 horses going to Ballybrit and they will complete their preparation at Curracloe beach today - check the website sharkhanlonracing.ie.

His son Paddy, who has been spending his summer holidays in the Willie Mullins yard where Patrick Mullins has “been very good” to him, has two mounts lined up including Phoenix Cowboy in the big amateur race on Monday and Hanlon would love to see the two Paddys coming out of the dip together and fighting out the finish!