The Past Fortnight Has Been A Dream

What a win for Michelle Payne on Prince of Penzance in the Melbourne Cup. I’m delighted for the owners, especially Sandy McGregor.

Congratulations Sandy McGregor
We’ve got a couple of horses in training for him. He rang me first thing this morning, he’s in good old form and sure that’s what it’s all about. He’s an Australian man who has invested a lot of money in the game. It’s an absolute dream come true for him to win that race.

We have a couple of national hunt horses for him; it’s just something he dipped his toes into. We met him over in Cheltenham a few years ago. He’s a good sporting man and comes to Cheltenham every year. He deserves every bit of luck he gets.

Willie Mullins’ horse Max Dynamite looked a little bit unlucky but he put in a great performance. I think Dettori’s ban was a bit harsh. Looking at it briefly this morning, it seems he was a bit unlucky. A month long ban seems a bit harsh but the rules are very strict over there.

Taking part in the Melbourne Cup is something we’d love to do at some stage. We don’t mind travelling but you need to have a nice horse to go and do it. I wouldn’t say it’s something we’ll never do but it’s about finding the right horse.

A Winning Fortnight
The past fortnight has been a dream. We have a brilliant bunch of horses, many that are just starting to run.

I’m in a very lucky position at the moment; I’ve got a number of nice horses and a lot more to come too.

Tycoon Prince is a giant of a horse with plenty of speed, he’s not slow and he might go to Navan for the Grade 3 next Sunday. For me, he doesn’t have enough experience yet to go for a Grade 1.

I was really impressed by Missy Tata at Down Royal on Saturday. We’re aiming for the Grade 3 in Fairyhouse at the end of the month. She’s in great form and going well at the moment.

At the beginning of the year I put forward Cogryhill as one of the dark horses for the season and he didn’t disappoint in the Maiden Hurdle at Down Royal. He did what he had to do. He’s very honest and stays. He’ll step up in trip and a bit more company and a more competitive race should suit him better. I’m not too sure where I’m going to go with him yet, he’s still a bit inexperienced.

With the two bumper horses; Death Duty will stay bumpering, he’s a big horse for the future. Tombstone has a year on him so he’s going to go hurdling now. He’ll more than likely be in a Maiden Hurdle in the next 3-4 weeks. He’s a very nice horse.

I thought No More Heroes jumped very well. We’ll go for the Drinmore with him next. He came out of the race at Punchestown very well and he’s favourite for the RSA Chase now. He looks more in his own over fences now and we’re really looking forward to it.

We were absolutely thrilled with Don Cossack. He didn’t come out of second gear. The plan now is to go to the King George all being well, he’s in great form. Ideally, we’re aiming for the King George, Cheltenham and then Punchestown. You could set your clock by Roi Du Mee. It was a brilliant performance from him also and we’re very lucky to have horses like him in the yard.