Tipperary Wed, 15th May, 2024  Ballygunner Castle He’s a fine stamp of a horse. I couldn’t get him to go fast enough in front. He’s not a quick horse and this is a tight track. He’s done well to win in the circumstances, and he has a beautiful pedigree but it’s all three miles. He looks like a staying chaser in time. He’s going on his holidays now and I think there is a lot to look forward to.

Leopardstown Sun, 12th May, 2024  Lope De Lilas Jim was very impressed with our filly. He thinks a lot of his filly and he thought our filly could go places. Galway is a hard place to start off a two-year-old but I wanted to get a run into her before the end of the season just to teach her something. Looking at the Guineas in England maybe I should have been going on the all-weather!. We were happy enough to wait for here, I was a little bit concerned about the ground but Colin said she flew on it. She was only getting going at the line, she went the whole way around to the mile-and-a-quarter start again. She wouldn't have had any ground like that at home and it was a learning day for her. . She has a pedigree that could be anything and we'll just keep our options open. It's easier to be in it rather than trying to get in at a late stage. We'd love to think that she's good enough to be a contender in that.

Ballinrobe Tue, 7th May, 2024  Sorrentino I'd say Ballylinch (Stud, owner/breeders) don't have many six-year-olds!. He's obviously had a good bit of trouble - little niggly issues, nothing major, but sometimes when they get to his age they're stronger horses. I think he's only eighty per cent ready there and we weren't training him hard, as we just wanted to get him to the track. We took the very safety-first route (on the outer) there and it didn't matter. Obviously with his pedigree (by New Bay) he could go back to the Flat so that's an option. I'd love for him to win a winners' bumper, we'll see what's there, and he has the size and scope to jump hurdles. There's lots of options but there's a big engine there if we can keep the chassis in one piece.

Punchestown Sat, 4th May, 2024  Lossiemouth It was a good test today. Only scare was up the side when Rachael was dropping back. I wanted to pop and she(Lossiemouth) had a cut at it. It's a privilege to ride both(her and State Man). I hope they stay apart for as long as possible. She didn't jump with same fluency but I think probably Paul was trying to settle her so that she didn't get going too quick. They went a very fast gallop and he was happy enough to let her settle. Off that gallop it was a great performance. Paul wanted to keep the lid on for want of a better word. I think she has done enough for the year now. All being well, she will go for the Champion Hurdle next year, That's the plan at the moment.

Punchestown Fri, 3rd May, 2024  Ballyburn Dermot pioneered going down to Australia and won the Belmont Stakes, an American Triple Crown race. He’s done superb things, so to be mentioned alongside him is fantastic. We were delighted with the way our fella finished. He's still not mature and he's racing too much throughout the race. Once he learns to settle a bit more and use his power at the end of the race I think he's going to a super horse. We can go either direction with him. Two miles, two-and-a-half and on his pedigree he can go out to three miles. I was just chatting to his point-to-point rider and he said he's a fabulous jumper of a fence so we have all that to put into the mix and see what direction we got in the future. A few of ours ran a bit flat earlier in the day and we were wondering would this fella do the same but he didn't. Good horses just dig deep and they do it.

Punchestown Fri, 3rd May, 2024  State Man It's so simple to ride this lad and that's probably why I have such a soft spot for him. You can leave the weighroom, get to the start, make it up as you go along and he'll get you out of trouble. He's not flashy, he does what he has to do and that's probably why he keeps winning because he keeps a little bit in the locker. When you're riding him, you're confident on him and then you just have to keep him up to his work. We were wondering what tactics Jack would use and the game went according to how we thought it would go. He just did what he normally does, pulled it out when he needed to pull it out. Paul said there was a cameraman on the line and he stopped to have a look and prick his ears at him. That's the sort of horse he is, he's just got lots of talent and he keeps doing it which is huge. He's very uncomplicated, he's uncomplicated in his stable, he's an old pet.

Punchestown Thu, 2nd May, 2024  Il Etait Temps Fantastic performance. He is all heart. We missed the third last. Not the jump I wanted at that point. He came back on the bridle and I felt all the way down the straight that I just had Paul's measure. He has been so consistent all year. I think that was his best performance yet. He is there battling for you every time.

Punchestown Wed, 1st May, 2024  Dancing City It just shows how tough he is that he’s been to every racing Festival, it takes a lot of doing. It all goes well for the future going over fences. He did quite well coming back from Aintree. We haven’t done that before — Cheltenham, Aintree, Punchestown. It looks achievable, so we might do more of it in the future!. He didn’t show how good he was until we went out in trip. High Class Hero ran very well and looked for a minute that he might upset Paul.

Punchestown Wed, 1st May, 2024  Dancing City That’s fantastic for Jody, her first Grade 1. She’s always does her own thing in her races and it works! We often discuss what’s going to happen but when the tape goes up, Jody just does what Jody wants to do. She’s had some success, so we just have to take our hats off to her. This horse missed a year and I thought he could be Champion Bumper material. I thought that I’d rather do that than go hurdling. He can go hurdling next season. He followed home Facile Vega here two years ago and that sort of form stands up every day of the week. It paid off. He could run on the Flat over a mile and a half or a mile and six.

Punchestown Tue, 30th Apr, 2024  Daddy Long Legs he showed a huge turn of foot. He was in front way too soon, and I'm sure Paul would have kicked himself but he said to me the horse just carried him and he didn't want to disappoint him. He's a horse that could go back on the Flat and is maybe one for Royal Ascot. He's still a maiden on the Flat, he's only had one run when finishing second in France. I'd say he's very ground dependent, in winter time in heavy ground he wasn't able to handle it but on this ground it seems to be a different ball game. He surprised me, especially after being in Ludlow last week. To come back from England and do that in a big handicap is good.

Punchestown Tue, 30th Apr, 2024  Mystical Power Mystical Power showed resilience and toughness and he's been improving all season. I didn't think we had much chance at the second last and Mark said he was going as fast as he could coming around the last bend. The race turned into a staying race with the other two protagonists (Firefox and Slade Steel) playing their cards going to the last. They were flat out and then he just outstayed them with a good jump at the last. It's fantastic that he's progressed as the season has gone on and I think Annie Power is coming out in him. She showed plenty of ability but he didn't show any ability early. When he was a three-year-old he didn't show me much ability and at the end of his four-year-old year he started to show a little bit.

Tipperary Tue, 23rd Apr, 2024  Not Negotiable She was quite green and had a good look at the road where I nearly came off her twice. She is a big mare with a big engine and I'd be thinking soft ground, at a trip, over fences is where she'd really be at her best. We came here for the 2m4f and the ground had dried out a lot, but I think she is a proper winter mare. I'd be very excited with her and she is homebred by Nicola (Fitzgerald) who owns her. I'd be very surprised if she didn't end up being a black-type mare.