GOWRAN Park on February 17th was fantastic. The ground was heavy but everything else was top class. The venue is well run and nicely compact, making it a very pleasant experience.

Flashaway was odds-on, probably due to the combination of the Mullins factor and her pedigree, but I was conscious of the heavy ground. It was her first day out so there were many unknowns, lining up against a number of horses with more experience.

The race was significant too in that it was run as a memorial to the late Ronan Lawlor, who sadly lost his life in a work-riding accident locally some years ago. Ronan and Patrick Mullins were close friends so Patrick has a strong motivation to win for Ronan and the large gathering of an extended Lawlor family who were in attendance to present the Ronan Lawlor Cup.

Automatically eligible

Being a Derby Sale purchase, Flashaway was automatically eligible for the Weatherbys ITBA NH Fillies Bonus Scheme.

The availability of the potential €7,500 bonus, in addition to the regular prize money, means the winner can achieve earnings of over €40,000 if she wins three mares’ races. The scheme has made mares’ races highly competitive.

It’s a fantastic scheme and welcome initiative to both owners and breeders, especially to a sole owner like myself. It can also be a significant consideration for anyone deciding whether to sell or keep their filly following a bumper win.

In 2015 I purchased Flashaway’s half-brother at the Tattersalls November Foal Sale - later to be named Dark Spark. In a short career before injury, he achieved four wins and was rated 129 over hudles and 80 on the flat. He is now with Charles Byrnes and will compete again in late summer.

I went to the 2022 Derby Sale with this Mount Nelson filly out of Voler La Vadette as my sole focus. The pedigree needed no scrutiny as I’d had great luck with it previously.

With this background in mind I felt I would forgive Flashaway certain negatives, but on visual inspection she would need to be athletic, at least 16.1hh and pretty in appearance.

She ticked all of the boxes. The hammer fell, the docket was signed, and she was delivered to Charleville! The aim now is to utilise all of her ITBA Bonus Scheme potential by which time she’ll hopefully have picked up some blacktype along the way! Once she’s reached her full potential she can transition to breeding.

Shuil Oilean

I initially bought my first mare, Shuil Oilean, in 2010. She bred The Way We Were, Sugar Baron and Moratorium who accumulated 14 wins between them. I went to Newbury to see Sugar Baron win his bumper by 18 lengths for Nicky Henderson.

In 2015 I bought an Oscar filly at the Goffs Arkle Sale who we named Osco Mosco. She went on to win twice, picking up two ITBA bonuses along the way. She’s been a very lucky mare for us, going in foal first time every year and has produced five colt foals so far. That then led to Dark Spark and his four wins. My next runner was Zoomtime with Ross O’Sullivan. She was a prominent front-runner and picked up a few placings before getting injured. She’s back in training now and should compete later this yar.

I also have Shuil Swift, the last foal from Shuil Oilean, who is also in training with Ross. She is a big 17hh filly by Order Of St George. It’s expected that she will be prepared for Listowel.

As for my future plans with Flashaway, Willie rang me before Cheltenham and gave me four solid reasons for deciding not to take up her entry in the Champion Bumper. Instead, his preference is the mares’ listed bumper at Fairyhouse next Saturday. We would then like to end her season with a maiden hurdle before giving her a summer break.