Kieran Cotter (3rd from right) with Polly Douglas and Dash D'or who completed a 1-2 for his yard at Navan© Photo Healy Racing
Kieran Cotter enjoyed great success last year with seven individual winners including a number of impressive juveniles and is already off the mark this term after Woodford General bolted up in a maiden on the opening day of the turf Flat season at Naas.
Cotter has 15 in training just outside Portarlington and had the distinction of winning two Curragh juvenile maidens with Daughter In Law and Kondratiev Wave last term plus another highly impressive two-year-old winner on the Polytrack at Dundalk.
However, all three have since left his small operation and he’s on the lookout for fresh talent.
“George Cornelius won by ten lengths at Dundalk and is gone over to Karl Burke as English-based owners wanted to have him over there. Daughter In Law is gone to Australia and Kondratiev Wave was sold at the Horses In Training Sale in Newmarket (now with Tony Carroll),” explained Cotter.
“We also had a very nice two-year-old (Holy Olympic) that was third last backend and he’s gone to Hong Kong.
“Strangely enough nobody has sent us a two-year-old this season but I suppose in Ireland it can take a while to break in. Maybe in time people will send us a few.
“We got a call from a breeze-up consignor the other day to see if we would look at some of his two-year-olds so maybe something might come of that.
“We were fortunate enough that we got in an early blow. We would have been really frustrated if we hadn’t got to run (Woodford General).
“He won well and there has been a bit of interest. It’s hard to turn down good money.
“We were to have seven runners in the first week (of the turf season) and fancied a few of them. They are fit and well so we’ll keep tipping away and they won’t take too much work.”
Cotter has also done well with a number of sprint handicappers and has built up a successful association with owner/breeder David Mooney.
“David is an old friend who lives beside me. He has a couple of nice sprint handicappers and they are important horses to have in the yard as every day you go to the races you are in with a shout.
“Dash D’or and Polly Douglas (who won at Wolverhampton in January) were due to be covered this year but that has been put on hold now. He was hoping that putting them in foal would improve them a few pounds.”
