How did you get interested and involved in racing?
I have been following racing my whole life. I am married to trainer Davy Fitzgerald’s daughter so I suppose that kind of got me involved in horses. I started buying horses with Davy about six or seven years ago. We have been waiting for a winner for a while but we finally got one together in Killarney. I’ve been involved in a few syndicates that have had winners in the past but Emily in Paris’s win was a special victory.
Tell us about Emily In Paris’s win in Killarney last week. It must have been a fantastic feeling when she got her head in front.
Absolutely, there was no better place to do it either. Killarney is one of the most picturesque courses in Ireland. It was a fantastic evening. We were lucky to have plenty of family members there as well. Brilliant evening. It couldn’t have come for us at a better moment. We thoroughly enjoyed it.
It seems as though it took a while for the penny to drop with Emily In Paris, but now she has put in a couple of fantastic runs on the bounce.
That’s right, she had a few decent runs as a four-year-old. She had a poor run in Listowel but she was in season on the day so we gave her a break and brought her back in as a five-year-old. Since bringing her back, her form has been rock-solid. She put three back-to-back seconds together in the lead-up to Killarney. She just found one too good on those occasions. We were confident enough going to Killarney that she was going to be there or thereabouts and thank God she put her head in front.
You also had one of the most talked-about jockeys over the last 12 months on board in Michael O’Sullivan.
Yeah, Michael was second on her previously in Kilbeggan, so he knew the mare. He gave her a great ride. He came in after winning and told us she didn’t want to know about it for the first mile and a half and we could see that ourselves when she came around the first time. We thought that it wasn’t going to be her day at that stage but, fair play to Michael, no better man to get her home and get her up to win.
So tell me about Davy. He is a small trainer who has had some lovely winners. As your father-in-law and trainer, what do you think are the factors that brings him success?
Davy has had a lot of big winners. The likes of Mister Top-Notch, Operation Houdini, and Pearly Jack. I suppose the way training is going, it is getting harder and harder for the smaller lads. Davy though is probably one of the hardest-working trainers in the game. He has found a great balance between the point-to-point game and the track. He is still riding out seven or eight lots in the morning. He puts his life and soul into the horses and the yard. So all credit to him, he is doing a marvellous job.
What is next on the agenda for Emily In Paris?
We were hoping to get into Galway. She is 97 now after winning in Killarney. There is a three-mile race for 123-rated horses and below in Galway that might suit her. If we could sneak into that we would run her. If not there are a couple of races coming up in Ballinrobe and Sligo.
She definitely wants a trip. She is a two-and-a-half to three-mile mare, so we will probably target something like that. Hopefully, we can keep progressing with her and pick up another couple of wins on the way.
She has never really run on soft ground. Are you avoiding that on purpose?
Yeah, 100%. She is definitely a good ground mare and that is what we have been targeting. I suppose on the better ground her form is rock-solid. We are aware now that she is a two-mile six to three-mile mare on good ground and that is what we will stick to, I imagine.
Have you anything else in training at the moment other than Emily In Paris?
I have a nice unnamed Mount Nelson filly. We bought her at the same sale as Emily In Paris. She is just a bigger, weaker type so she is taking a bit longer. She is five years old, in training, and we will be naming her soon. We will probably target a point-to-point with her in the autumn. I’m also involved in a couple of other syndicates with some friends of mine. We have a nice Diamond Boy gelding and a Shirocco horse, the two of them are in training as well and we will be hoping to run them in probably six or eight weeks. We have a family syndicate that owns He Fitz In, which won in Kilbeggan last year. He will hopefully run in the next few weeks as well.
It’s interesting that the two horses you have in your own name are mares. Are you more drawn towards a mare than a gelding?
Yeah, I suppose it’s easier to buy a mare. They tend to cost a bit less than the gelding. With the ITBA bonus as well, it’s a bit more attractive. It was great to collect the extra five grand in Killarney. If we were going again this year, I would say we would stick to the mares’ route. The other attraction is the post-racing career benefits. ‘Emily’ has a decent pedigree and the idea would be obviously to try to get a few wins on the board and maybe at some stage pick up a bit of blacktype and eventually go down the breeding path with her.
How have you found the overall raceday experience as an owner?
Very good. The tracks in Ireland are fantastic and very welcoming. It is always a great experience. Especially the country tracks. If we are heading to Kilbeggan or Ballinrobe or Killarney, you know it’s a fantastic day out. There is no better place to be on a warm summer evening, watching your horse running.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get involved in horse racing ownership?
I suppose my only advice would be to get involved. We have had some brilliant days out. The cost is probably the biggest downside. But the only way to keep the cost down is to put syndicates together. Once you are involved in one that is running well you will have a great experience. It is great craic and very enjoyable.
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