How did you get involved in racing?

Very simply, David Spratt.

I always had a passing interest in racing without engaging in ownership but, having played soccer with David in college, a few of us got together at the end of 2016 and asked him to try and find a horse for us that we could have a bit of fun with.

In true Spratt style, he managed to find a diamond in the rough and the syndicate became the proud owners of a horse that we’ll never forget named Mawaany. He won three times for us, including the Leopardstown October (Premier) Handicap before being sold to Australia where he was renamed Mawaany Machine.

Have you had any other horses in training before? Tell us about some of the good or bad days.

Since Mawaany, I’ve been involved in quite a few with varying degrees of success.

Red Striker, Mohtariff, Unconscious Mind, Synopsis, Pythion, Eleuthera, Arkwrisht, Wishmoor, Skip James, Chimeric, Admiral Nelson and Men Of Dreams have all gone to post for a variety of groups that I’ve been involved with, and most have done well at various stages, but a few stand out, I suppose.

Mawaany was the one that gave us the appetite for it. We went into it with no expectations whatsoever and he really spoilt us by winning three times and placing four times in just 12 runs for us.

On what turned out to be his last run for us, he beat Perfect Tapatino at Leopardstown and that was fantastic, but it was the previous summer at a packed Galway when he was just pipped by Whiskey Sour that stands out for me. What an experience and we had some night after it! Ger Lyons and his team did a magnificent job with him right from the very start until that last win at Leopardstown.

Of the others, Synopsis, another Spratt recruit, was an incredible horse. She won on the flat, over hurdles and over fences with the highlight being her win at Cheltenham in December of 2018 in a two-and-a-half mile mares’ handicap chase with the great Richard Johnson on board. Unfortunately, neither David nor I made it over for the race but thankfully both my mum and dad, who had bought into her with us, were there and it was a day they’ll never forget.

Gordon Elliott christened my mum ‘Lucky Mary’ from that day and how right he was as we haven’t managed to get another runner to Cheltenham since but hopefully that will change soon!

Lastly on the good news stories, myself, my dad and a good friend of mine, Sean McSweeney, decided that following Synopsis’ success, we wanted to try and get back to Cheltenham again, so we invested in the former Gigginstown horses, Wishmoor and Arkwrisht.

Wishmoor was a warrior of a horse and never let us down. He actually ran until he was 13. Always a front-runner (which I love), he won twice for us and placed six times with the highlight being his last win at Limerick in the veterans’ chase in December 2021 where we again celebrated in style.

That one will live long in the memory because we were all so fond of the old fella and because he won it in such dramatic fashion. How Johnny Levins was able to keep that horse so fit and so game for so long was truly incredible and the ride that Ricky Doyle gave him that day was simply amazing.

On the flip side, the most difficult day we had was losing Arkwrisht after just one race, having just bought him in the hope that he would be our ticket back to Cheltenham. He was a monster of a horse, and it was a real eye-opener to be in the parade ring with him and all the big boys for the Grade 1 three-mile hurdle race at the Christmas Festival at Leopardstown in 2019. Unfortunately injury curtailed his race that day as well as his career and we had to retire him after it.

When did you buy Chimeric and how did it happen?

Again, my dad and I asked David Spratt and Johnny Levins to keep an eye out for something that we could have a bit of fun with, and they found this lad, so we took a chance on him in early 2021.

Chimeric took a long time to give you a winner. Did you every consider giving up on him?

Frankly, yes. Having started well with second place finishes at both Gowran and Killarney in the summer of 2021, he really struggled to get back to any sort of form after that until the end of summer 2022 when he was second in July and third in August, both at Gowran.

To be fair, he ran okay in most of his subsequent runs without really featuring until he finally broke his duck after 24 races for us, at Newcastle of all places!

To be honest, there’s a good chance that could’ve been it if he didn’t perform in England but thankfully he did and he backed it up well at Gowran last week so hopefully we’ll get a bit more out of him over the coming months.

Tell us about Johnny Levins. How long have you known him and what are his strengths?

The bottom line is Johnny is just a great fella. There are no airs and graces with him. He works his absolute socks off to get the best out of the horses he has, and he leaves no stone unturned in trying to do his best for the horses and the owners in the stable. I give out to him sometimes for going above and beyond the call of duty, but I suppose, as a small, driven, passionate trainer, that’s just the nature of the beast if you want to be successful at it.

His work ethic is incredible though and that was apparent to us from the very start when we started off with him back in 2019. We’ve become great friends since then, so when things go wrong it’s great that we can talk it out even though he’s generally more disappointed than I am.

But then when things do come right, it makes it even more memorable because I know how hard he has worked to make that happen and I’m generally happier for him and his team than I am for myself, even though winning does help and it’s a fantastic feeling.

Is there any significance attached to your colours?

Yes. My dad has worked in shipping all his life and he spends a lot of his time working with boats in Baltimore down in West Cork. The RNLI is a charity that is very close to his heart and that’s where the bright red and yellow comes from. Hard to miss, I know, but easy to pick out in large field races too, I suppose!

What are the plans for Chimeric now?

We’ll wait and see. Going back to England is definitely an option but maybe Galway on the Tuesday if things fall his way. He ran there before and didn’t really like it but he might be experienced enough to handle the track a bit better now and, who knows, given the form he’s in, he could surprise us again. It won’t be my decision but here’s hoping we get another good night out in Galway!

Are you involved in any other horses or have you plans to reinvest?

Along with Chimeric, I’ve a share in Men Of Dreams who won his maiden hurdle at Kilbeggan a few weeks ago and I’ve also got a small interest in Admiral Nelson with another group of lads from UCC and he also won at Cork in May.

What’s your favourite racecourse and why?

In Ireland, either Listowel or Killarney, mainly for the craic, but overall, Cheltenham. No explanation needed! I try to go every year if I can.

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

This is a tricky one. To be honest, I think HRI and the racecourses in general do their best to look after owners as best they can, especially if you manage to get into the winner’s enclosure!

What advice, if any, would you give to someone who is looking to get into racehorse ownership?

Firstly, if you can afford it, get involved with a syndicate or a partnership.

Whatever level you get started at, always go in with zero expectations other than being assured that a raceday for owners is a special experience and it’s something that is really different to anything else in the sports arena.

Lastly and most importantly, be patient! It’s a sport where there are lots of moving parts involved in trying to get a horse to be competitive at any level and it can be difficult for people to get their heads around how much work actually goes into that process.

Chimeric is the perfect case in point but, thankfully for us, the patience finally paid off and we’re glad we stuck by him!