John McConnell Bridging a gap of over 12 years between graded wins was particularly pleasing as Go Another One did the business in the Grade 3 BetVictor Michael Purcell Memorial Novice Hurdle at Thurles and we then went agonisingly close to a first Grade 2 when Hannon was beaten a nose in the PaddyPower Onside App Novice Hurdle. I had one graded winner before, way back in December 2006, in the Grade 3 juvenile hurdle at Fairyhouse when I was a restricted trainer with one horse in training. That was Sophist. I was still practising as a vet at the time. So to do it now, when training is my job makes it a little sweeter. It was great the last time, but it was part-time then, whereas I’ve chosen to go down this route. It is continuing the good run we have had in the last year with plenty of winners under both codes in Ireland and Britain. To get a proper graded horse is a big thrill and a great boost to the yard. The surprise to me was that Go Another One acted so well right-handed. I’d say his best ratings before that were left-handed, at Kelso and Cheltenham. I was looking for a race to prep him the Albert Bartlett or one of the handicaps. We had looked at ordinary novice hurdles in England but I stuck him in that and with the rating he had, which was a pretty solid rating, I had to let him take his chance to run in it. It was a very good ride by Robbie Power because he was probably taken off his feet a little early on and warmed into it, and at the end of it, he was good. He’s in the Coral Cup, the Martin Pipe and the Albert Bartlett but Robbie said the three-mile novice hurdle around Aintree might suit better, and a lot of the top three-mile novice hurdlers might have run in Cheltenham, so we’re mulling that over. It would be no surprise if we didn’t go to Cheltenham at all. They’re nice decisions to have to be making. We bought him out of the Cheltenham Sale from Colin Motherway in 2016. I loved the way he finished off his point-to-point. The winner got first run on him but he hit top gear close to the line. His pedigree is quite good. He’s related to a nice horse Charlie Longsdon had called Sharp Rise. There was a lot to like about him and he wasn’t too dear so we took the chance. He was a very good bumper horse and was arguably unlucky not to finish closer in the Champion Bumper at Punchestown. His first year hurdling was a disaster but some issues came to light, Troytown got them sorted and he hasn’t looked back since. Robbie said he’s not short of pace but the best part of his race at Thurles was the last quarter. He’s won over 2m 6f so you’d have to hope he might improve further for three miles. I was delighted with Hannon, and that my faith in him had been justified, but we were gutted to just fall short. David Noonan dropped his stick 200 yards from home. The winner got first run, and our horse was still a bit inexperienced but we were delighted he showed what we thought he was capable of. From the minute we got him, we absolutely loved him. He’s a great attitude to the game, he loves jumping and though still a little green under pressure, he’s fairly professional and a brilliant jumper. Getting beaten a nose in a Grade 2 is frustrating but we were pleased he ran so well. Again, there is no guarantee he will run at Cheltenham. He bounced out of the race. You barely knew he had a race that evening. He’s in the Fred Winter and the Triumph, and there’s a big juvenile hurdle in Aintree. He’s gone up a stone for that run but that probably still leaves him a stone off the head of the Triumph field. The Fred Winter is a cavalry charge so we might go with the Triumph. The ground will be a factor too and if they water too much, we might go to Aintree. So we’ll decide on the week. Both Go Another One and Hannon have won in England and we are not afraid to travel. Part of the reason is to get nice ground but I like to gently build their confidence too. Some of the juvenile hurdles and maiden hurdles here can be very competitive. It also gives a boost to connections to see some return from their investment, even though it can be small. For a lot of owners, it’s more about the win than the prizemoney anyway. Winning a race in Musselburgh is better than being third in Gowran Park I think. Also, the British courses treat the owners so well. Some of the Irish racecourses, they’re definitely catching up, but they’re really very well looked after in Britain. I grew up in Two Mile House, just outside Naas, and my father bred flat stock as a hobby so we spent a lot of time with thoroughbred foals and yearlings, and did a lot of eventing and show jumping as well. I rode out for our neighbour, the late Michael O’Brien, for two or three summers when I was a teenager and that cemented my love of racehorses. I was always going to be too heavy to be a jockey so I decided I wanted to train at some point. I moved into veterinary and then got my restricted licence but after the Grade 3 winner, it got to the stage of deciding whether to do it properly or not. So I took the plunge around 10 years ago. The first few years were about survival as the recession hit almost immediately. I started in the Curragh but when I moved to Rockview Stables, which is owned by Mark Kavanagh in Stamullen, next door to Bellewstown Racecourse it gave me a more solid base. We sold a few two-year-olds that won maidens early on and that enabled us to keep the show on the road. We had a few lean years and Derek Kierans, who owns Hannon, came in and supported the yard in a major way. Caroline Ahearn, who owns Go Another One, has done the same. The ability to buy nicer stock has been the main factor in why we have been more successful in the last number of years. We’ve a good racing club in the yard run by Mark, Rockview Racing Club, and we’re slowly starting to see more outside owners coming in too and that’s great. We’ve about 45 to 50 horses riding out now and we’re able to manage that no problem. I’m happy to take more if we can get them. In a lot of ways, this is a numbers game and we’re not in a position to turn away horses but it’s important to be honest with owners and if they are not good enough, tell people. Also, I don’t want to train horses that can’t win races. Around half my horses would be flat, or certainly a mix. We’ve about eight or nine two-year-olds and the same number of three-year-olds and there will be a few dual performers and handicappers as well. I’m looking forward to the start of the turf season and getting them out. We just didn’t have many for Dundalk this year. Sheila’s Hope was great for us last year, winning four times. She’s looking great. Obviously she’s gone up 30lbs since winning the first of her handicaps in Cork last May but if she can strengthen up another little bit, I’d be hopeful there might be another one in her. She looks fab. There is much to look forward to but we will just keep working hard and see where that takes us.
