“THAT’S the game we’re in and I enjoy being busy. It’s not a job really, it’s a lifestyle.”

So said Gavin Cromwell this week at a media event at his stables in Balrath, Co Meath. Gavin and his team of staff will have their hands full preparing their runners for Leopardstown, Limerick and Down Royal, and possibly further afield at Chepstow.

“We have an entry in for Chepstow,” he says. It’s Evies Vladimir in the Welsh Grand National, a seven-year-old two-time winner over fences. “The logistics of that is a nightmare. Particularly when the declarations are actually only on St Stephen’s Day for the next day. It’s 24-hour declarations, and it’s borderline whether he gets in, so then you’re in a scenario, do you send him early and maybe not get in and someone is away for the whole of Christmas.”

Cromwell famously won the 2017 Welsh Grand National (run in January 2018) with Raz De Maree, a victory which really put the trainer on the map. He has come a long way since then, winning the Champion Hurdle in 2019 with Espoir D’Allen, two Stayers’ Hurdles and a Kerry National with Flooring Porter, two more Cheltenham Festival winners in 2024 and two Royal Ascot winners from very few runners. One of those Ascot winners, Snellen has just been flown to Bahrain for a winter campaign. “She flew out last Saturday and arrived on Sunday and she’s basically there until March. There will be a race for her every couple of weeks,” he tells us.

“She’s running over a mile and a quarter and I’m told that you’d want a mile or mile and one horse for a mile and a quarter around there. It’s a sharp track. With her pedigree there’s plenty of stamina there. It’s $80,000 for nearly all of the handicaps. There are conditions races and listed races towards the end and the money steps up to maybe $150,000. She’s more than likely going to be put in foal in the spring, and she wants fast ground, so we might as well give this a go.”

Closer to home, Gavin shared his thoughts on some of his high-profile runners over the Christmas period.

Conor Stone-Walsh on Perceval Legallois (left) and Keith Donoghue on Inothewayourthinkin \ ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy

Inothewayourthinkin

The plan is to run in the Savills. The ground is a concern with the forecast. He’ll definitely want an ease in it and he potentially might not run. I thought he ran okay in Punchestown (seventh in the Durkan Chase), he jumped really well. When they turned in, the front ones quickened away from him, but he stayed going all the way to the line. He got a little bit tired, but two and a half miles would be his minimum and the step up to three miles will be a big help.

Perceval Legallois

He’s in the Paddy Power. He’s been a very frustrating horse. He’s gone up to a mark that hopefully he can still win one of those big ones off. He needs everything to fall his way. He’s had plenty of hard luck stories along the way and I suppose he’s crept up in the handicap as well, without winning. Hopefully, he’ll get his day, he’s in good form and, if the ground is on the better side, it won’t be a problem.

Hannah Keogh on the unbeaten Hello Neighbour \ ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy

Hello Neighbour

Hello Neighbour is an interesting three-year-old that we are excited about. He will have an entry in the three-year-old maiden hurdle and he’ll also have an entry in the Grade 2 and we’ll have a look and see. Often, the maiden can nearly be as good as the Grade 2. I’m looking forward to him, he’s never run over hurdles, but he’s an exciting horse.

Addragoole

He’ll go for the two-mile handicap hurdle. He’s been in second four or five times and I don’t think he’s ungenuine, he just kept on bumping into one, but he’s in good form, so hopefully in a handicap he’s not badly treated. He’s a nice big horse and he should keep going the right direction.

Al Gasparo and Bottler’secret

Al Gasparo is in the €100,000 handicap hurdle over two and a half miles and we’ll probably go there. Bottler’secret could potentially go there as well and step up in trip. He worked in Navan on Monday with blinkers on and we might stick them on.

Ask Anything

We’ll just see how he is between now and Leopardstown. He was disappointing the last day when he fell and made a really bad mistake then in Navan in the Troytown. He just hasn’t had a good start to the season.

If You Let Me

He’s in a two-mile handicap. He’s a horse that’s starting to go in the right direction and he’d love a bit of nice ground. We’re happy with him.

Millforce

I’m not sure if he’s going to go to Leopardstown, he could go to Thurles on the Saturday for a rated novice.

Malina Girl

We might wait for the three-mile, three-furlong handicap chase in Cheltenham on New Year’s Day that Stumptown won.

The Other Mozzie, Dutch Schultz and Railway Hurricane

They are all in the same boat and could potentially go to the two-mile handicap chase. I hate running them all against each other, but if it’s the right race for them, it’s the right race.

The King Of Prs

He’ll go for the two-mile handicap (Racing Post Handicap Chase).

Hartur D’arc

He is in at Ascot on Saturday (today). He left on Monday night, because there’s a storm coming in and he arrived on Tuesday.

Visionarian

He will go for the Grade 1 (Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase at Leopardstown on December 27th). On ratings, he’s going to be a little bit behind, but hopefully he’d have a placed chance.

Will The Wise

We ran him in the Grade 2 in Navan the last day and we were very disappointed with him and no excuse for it. He’s going to have entries in the two-mile and there’s a two and half as well. He’s a horse we really like and I’d love to get him back on track.

Yeah Man

He probably won’t go to Leopardstown, he’s going to the Thyestes.