Fairyhouse Mon, 1st Apr, 2024  MacDermott He's been running over trips that were too short for him but we couldn't find races for him. Today was the first time he got his ground and trip. He's a horse that I'd be really looking forward to going over extended trips in the future, in some of the those bigger handicaps. . He could be an Irish National horse or one for Aintree, any of those extended races.

Cheltenham Thu, 14th Mar, 2024  Protektorat We’ve been trying the Gold Cup trip because we’ve been trying to make it happen, it’s the race the owners would most like to win. We dropped him in and he finished third and we rode him more aggressively and he finished fifth. He wasn’t hitting the Gold Cup standard this year, so we’ve come for this and I thought Harry gave him a supreme ride. When Envoi Allen came upsides us I thought he’s danced this dance a lot of times and maybe we’re booked for second, but then going to the last I thought we’d found a bit more, maybe that’s that stamina that we’ve been filling him with for the last few years. It’s a massive family thing and the work that the staff put in is phenomenal. I don’t know what the magic dust was this week. What’s going on here is what we all try to do, it just very rarely happens. The Ryanair Chase is one of the biggies. Grey Dawning is a Grade One novice with a lot to look forward to and with the handicappers you’ve got to place them well, but this is one of the grails isn’t it?. Two Grade Ones at Cheltenham on one day, it doesn’t happen.

Cheltenham Thu, 14th Mar, 2024  Monmiral A couple have run ordinary the last couple of days, but it’s tough here and they basically weren’t good enough on the day. I thought Ginny’s Destiny would win today and he ran a blinder, and this horse has loads of ability. We’ve been trying to make a chaser out of him, he didn’t like it and I just thought I’d qualify for him for this race at Chepstow a couple of weeks ago and he actually needed the run that day. I thought he’d run OK today, I didn’t necessarily expect him to win. I told Harry to give him plenty of space as he’s a bit timid and doesn’t like to be boxed in and he gave him a beautiful ride. He’s had loads of problems and didn’t want to jump fences. Today worked out really well. Whether the blinkers made a difference or not I don’t know, but he’s obviously come back to himself a little bit.

Gowran Park Sat, 17th Feb, 2024  Saint Felicien he probably ran to the same rating as the last day, with the third-placed horse (Spanish Harlem). He’s not a bad horse on his day and could go for something in Cheltenham like the Plate. He’s not easy to train but he has an engine and won a good race over hurdles here in the past.

Gowran Park Sat, 17th Feb, 2024  Saint Sam Granny would have enjoyed that and it’s a pity that she’s not here to be in the (winning) picture,. It was a great performance and great to have the owners Ed and Mary Ware here. The Red Mills Chase was one of the races we pinpointed at the start of the year. Small fields suit him – he likes to get on with things and wears the hood. He’s hot and we were a bit worried that he’d be a bit fresh on his first run and do too much on the heavy ground. Paul got a few breathers into him. Those Grade Twos or Grade Threes are where he’s most comfortable and he could go to Fairyhouse. He is a better chaser than he was a hurdler and loves jumping.

Gowran Park Sat, 17th Feb, 2024  Lantry Lady she’s entered in the Mares Hurdle at Cheltenham and we’d love to go. It’s a step up in trip but all she does is stay. I’d say she definitely wants a good ease in the ground so we would be cautious of that but the guys would love to go to Cheltenham and I think she is entitled to go. She’s obviously a really nice mare and I’m delighted for the Marigas (owners) who are great supporters of ours. She was impressive winning her maiden hurdle here last year and then we put her away as she was a bit immature. She’s had a couple of niggles so it’s taken us a while to get her going again and I was concerned about fitness and it was only her second run. She’s confirmed what she did in her maiden hurdle and has stepped forward again. She’s a lovely mare to go breeding with in years to come.

Clonmel Thu, 15th Feb, 2024  Kilbarry Saint She had a good point-to-point run, but became disappointing in the interim when she became free and it took us a while to get the hang of her. She is an honest mare and, even though she is by Saint des Saints, she had a Flat pedigree and her dam is by Martillo. Black-type will be the ultimate aim, she is going the right way now and you'd never know she might be in the right place at the right time some day.

Fairyhouse Wed, 7th Feb, 2024  Sainte Dona That was some exhibition. She had a lovely run in Limerick, but she takes a bit of time between her races as she's so hard on herself. We went back to Cork after she was second here and it was too soon. She jumps and stays, that's her forte. She won a maiden hurdle by a similar distance (25 lengths) and to win a beginners' chase by 26 lengths is some going. She's going to get better and she'll get more black-type over fences by the same she's finished. The plan was to try and get the beginners' out of the way and she's got that done. She seems to be at home on that ground, but she's not slow either. For one that travels so well on the heavy ground here, she finds the deep sand at home hard work. I put in a carpet gallop this year at home and it's after transforming her, she zips up it. It keeps her fresh and well.

Fairyhouse Wed, 7th Feb, 2024  Sainte Dona That was some exhibition. She had a lovely run in Limerick, but she takes a bit of time between her races as she's so hard on herself. We went back to Cork after she was second here and it was too soon. She jumps and stays, that's her forte. She won a maiden hurdle by a similar distance (25 lengths) and to win a beginners' chase by 26 lengths is some going. She's going to get better and she'll get more black-type over fences by the same she's finished. The plan was to try and get the beginners' out of the way and she's got that done. She seems to be at home on that ground, but she's not slow either. For one that travels so well on the heavy ground here, she finds the deep sand at home hard work. I put in a carpet gallop this year at home and it's after transforming her, she zips up it. It keeps her fresh and well.