AT Naas last Sunday, Delvino provided me with my initial winner as a licenced trainer when taking the Grade 3 Bar One Racing Directors Plate.

It was a significant occasion, as not only was it a career first but it came in a blacktype race for my employers, Mr and Mrs Conway of Glenbrook Stud, who had also bred Delvino.

They have been huge supporters of mine for a number of years, so it was nice that we could share such an important success.

My introduction to horses came at a local riding school in Moy, Co Tyrone. I was 15 when I first sat on a racehorse; even then I knew that I wanted to make a life within the industry.

Like many before me, after I completed my second level education, I did the foundation degree at CAFRE in Enniskillen. Something I can recommend to anyone considering a career in racing or breeding.

At the same time, I took up opportunities to ride as a work rider/amateur jockey. I got my qualified riders’ licence for the 2013/2014 season.

I rode in a number of point-to-points including a win with Lisnagreggan at Tyrella. In 2016, I rode a winner under rules (El Grande in a hunter chase at Down Royal) in the Conway colours.

Join the team

I was regularly riding out at Glenbrook Stud during college and after gaining my degree, I took on a more permanent role. I was thrilled when the Conways asked me to officially join the team and supervise the pretraining of their horses.

I had by this point decided that while my future definitely lay in racing it was not going to be as a professional jockey. Located just outside Magherafelt, Co Derry, Glenbrook Stud is a fantastic place with separate breeding and racing operations.

The racing yard has all the facilities anyone could want to train horses to the highest professional standards. All of the current racehorses are homebred, so that in itself makes each success all the more significant.

The quality of the breeding stock is impressive, with a lot of exciting young horses coming through. From the racing side of things, I get to see a different perspective of things compared to working in a standard racing yard.

For one thing, you get to know the horses, their traits and personalities from a very early age. This greater insight undoubtedly helps when it comes to preparing them for their racing careers and when actually running them. To see some develop and go on to achieve success in point-to-points, under rules, or at the highest levels like Delvino, is especially satisfying.

Last year, with increasing numbers of young horses coming through we agreed a plan with me taking on the position of an employee trainer; essentially taking charge of some of the racehorses in training, providing even more flexibility in the development of the horses.

While I had previously held a point-to-point handler’s licence, this was obviously a huge step up for me. At the same time, I was very excited at the prospect and didn’t hesitate to accept the offer.

I was grateful for the faith and support shown in me. However, it is important to stress that while my name may be on the licence, I am just one part of a great team we have at Glenbrook Stud.

All decisions regarding whether the horses should be trained from here or from outside yards are made collectively, with the best interests of the horses being the deciding factor.

Touch of class

Delvino was a horse that always excited us, as we felt she had that added touch of class. Second on her racecourse debut for Dermot McLoughlin at Navan in February 2020, she went one better on her next start at Down Royal.

After an absence, she returned to easily win a well-contested mares’ maiden hurdle at Naas towards the end of that year, although she was not in form on her three subsequent runs over hurdles. In truth we always were of the feeling that she was going to make a much better chaser.

Late last year we decided that for this season we would target her chasing ability and that we would run her from Glenbrook.

We were very pleased with her debut over fences at Naas in December and even more so when she finished second at Down Royal on her penultimate start. Those two runs had set her up nicely for Sunday, where we were very hopeful, she could go close in a better race.

Confident

Despite not being favoured by the bookies and tipsters, against some good horses I was confident she had the class to make her presence felt. I was over the moon to see her come home in front; in doing so, giving me my first ever winner as a trainer.

It was pleasing to see her show the potential that we always knew she possessed. Hopefully, she can now continue to progress and go on from that Grade 3 win. We will now sit down and looking at the options for her.

With parallel breeding and racing operations, Glenbrook Stud’s ultimate objective is to produce superior racing bloodlines. Blacktype mares such as Delvino are key to this and I see my job as showing off their true racing ability, as we did last Sunday.

On a personal level, it is humbling that the records show that my first winner as a trainer came in a graded race.

However, it takes an awful lot of people and hard graft behind the scenes to get a horse to the starting line. I may be the most visible part, but it still feels great to be part of a successful team.

Mark McCrory was in conversation with John O’Riordan