This week Tom Gannon spoke to Brendan O’Sullivan from Camross Co. Laois has had great success with his first horse in ownership. Arctic Fly won her maiden hurdle last week in Punchestown having previously won a bumper in Leopardstown.

She is an exciting filly and one to keep an eye out for next season.

How did you get into horse racing?

My grandad was a farmer and always had a love of horses. I would have spent a lot of time with him growing up. He would always go to Leopardstown at Christmas. At home, he would have always had racing on the TV. My father would have been interested in racing as well and all of us would head off to Kilbeggan when there was a meeting on.

Arctic Fly is your first horse and having won a bumper previously, she won her maiden hurdle last weekend. How does it feel to get success on your first attempt?

Fantastic. There is nothing that beats that winning feeling, and having a winner the first time out last weekend. It has been just a brilliant year.

So how did you come to buy Arctic Fly?

Well, I am in the motor trade myself and I got chatting to a customer about horses. Eddie Carty from Carlow. I went down to meet him a couple of weeks later to look at a filly, she turned out to be Arctic Fly and we did a deal and I haven’t looked back since. Eddie has two more full sisters to Artic Fly so hopefully they will cut the mustard as well.

When you saw her first was there anything that stood out to suggest that she could be quite a nice filly?

Dealing with animals in general over the years, I usually will look into an animal’s eyes. You can find out quickly enough what their temperament is like. She had a great temperament from the get-go. She has a nice shape. She is not the biggest of mares but she will stay sound.

Did you send her straight to Willie Mullins or did she go into pre-training first?

No, I sent her to Brian O’Connell for pre-training. I would recommend Brian to anyone. He is a fantastic guy. He put in a huge effort with her. I am a big believer in putting the time in with a filly. You can’t rush things with them, they have to develop at their own pace. Brian was excellent in that regard. After that, there was a decision to make about where to send her. I got chatting to Patrick Mullins and Willie and I decided to go with them.

We all know how good Willie is as a trainer. He seems to be in a league of his own in regards to success but for you as an owner, what do you think sets him apart from the rest?

Willie himself is a very gracious humble man. He has a brilliant team behind him. The attention to detail with them is incredible. All the staff are fantastic, particularly Rachel who looks after Artic Fly. I am not surprised with the facilities and the work that they put in that they get the results that they get on the racetrack. Our filly has been turned inside out and has continued to progress and improve. Everything with them is just first class.

What was your best day with Arctic Fly, the bumper or the maiden hurdle in Punchestown last weekend?

I enjoyed Leopardstown, it was fantastic to get that win with her. But I always knew in the back of my head that she would excel at jumping. And the manner in which she did it was very promising, so I am absolutely over the moon with the hurdle win.

Is there any significance to the colours?

Yeah, they are my GAA club colours. I am from a place in Laois called Camross. We wear black and amber like Kilkenny. I still play a little bit of hurling. My club is where my heart is so that is why their colours are featured on the silks.

So what is next on the agenda for Arctic Fly?

Hopefully, we might have a day out in Galway, she may go for a novice hurdle or something like that and then we will see what the plan is for next season. Willie is a big believer in keeping them fresh. I was down with her on Wednesday morning and she came out of the race well so she is in fine fettle.

Any plans to reinvest and get a second horse?

I have already, the bug has bitten me. I would have known Aubrey McMahon from Temple Bloodstock. We have bought a four-year-old from Charles Weld there and he has gone into Willie’s now. There will be a race or two in him shortly as well and hopefully, he goes well for us.

Is there anything that horse racing could do to improve the experience for owners?

To be fair the facilities available and the way you are looked after is fantastic. Everything from the bar and the restaurants, most tracks are brilliant in that regard. Maybe the ticket allocation on race day could be looked at. At the moment there is four per horse and it can be hard at times to single out three people to give the tickets to. Maybe they could extend that out to six. Most owners are going to bring a good few people with them and I think the more the merrier. They are going to spend money on the track anyways so it would not cost that much to throw out another few tickets.

Is there any advice that you would give to someone who is looking to get into horse race ownership?

I suppose try to get good advice particularly when buying the horse initially. There is loads of great people in the industry from private sellers to bloodstock agents. Make sure to get a vet’s certificate so that you have something to fall back on. Pick a budget to suit and enjoy it I suppose, that’s the main thing. It provides some great days out. The feeling you get after winning is fantastic.