Listowel Fri, 25th Sep, 2026  Reaching High we can’t find a horse trained in either Ireland or Britain to have won a race in Ireland, since between the time of the founding of the Irish state in 1922, and until now. The Queen Mother had an Ulster National-winner trained in England (Laffy, 1962) and another of her horse’s Mascara was trained by John Oxx senior to win at Baldoyle in 1971. However, we couldn’t find a reigning British monarch’s horse to have won in Ireland since Irish independence in 1922, at the very least. David Summers, who manages the Royal Stud (on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk), is from Wexford and he texted me today with the relevant information. Both he and John Warren (who serves as the official Bloodstock and Racing Advisor to King Charles III and Queen Camilla) couldn’t find any Irish winners in the period since Irish independence.

Listowel Fri, 25th Sep, 2026  Reaching High Unfortunately the King and Queen aren’t present but would love to be here, as one of their stated aims is to visit every county in Ireland. They only have a few left and hopefully will come to ‘the Kingdom’ (as Listowel is known) some day. The horse got a fright at the last but he jumps well enough. He likes a flat track, but it can be a bit sharp here and he is a huge, big, long-striding horse so was inclined to get unbalanced around the bends. Other than that, he did it well.

Fri, 25th Sep, 2026  Reaching High Unfortunately the King and Queen aren’t present but would love to be here, as one of their stated aims is to visit every county in Ireland. They only have a few left and hopefully will come to ‘the Kingdom’ (as Listowel is known) some day. The horse got a fright at the last but he jumps well enough. He likes a flat track, but it can be a bit sharp here and he is a huge, big, long-striding horse so was inclined to get unbalanced around the bends. Other than that, he did it well.

Listowel Fri, 25th Sep, 2026  Reaching High Unfortunately the King and Queen aren't present but would love to be here, as one of their stated aims is to visit every county in Ireland,. They only have a few left and hopefully will come to 'the Kingdom' some day. The horse got a fright at the last but he jumps well enough. He likes a flat track but it can be a bit sharp here and he is a huge, big, long-striding horse so was inclined to get unbalanced around the bends. Other than that, he did it well. The ultimate plan is to go for the Turners Novices Hurdle (2m5f) at Cheltenham next March and I think he is more of a good ground-horse, so running in Leopardstown at Christmas would be fantastic. We'll take it baby steps first.

Fri, 25th Sep, 2026  Reaching High Unfortunately the King and Queen aren't present but would love to be here, as one of their stated aims is to visit every county in Ireland,. They only have a few left and hopefully will come to 'the Kingdom' some day. The horse got a fright at the last but he jumps well enough. He likes a flat track but it can be a bit sharp here and he is a huge, big, long-striding horse so was inclined to get unbalanced around the bends. Other than that, he did it well. The ultimate plan is to go for the Turners Novices Hurdle (2m5f) at Cheltenham next March and I think he is more of a good ground-horse, so running in Leopardstown at Christmas would be fantastic. We'll take it baby steps first.

Listowel Thu, 24th Sep, 2026  Berkstar He had been showing me plenty at home and I'm very pleased with how he did it. I imagine he might go jumping now rather than going for a winners' bumper, but we'll see. I'll talk to Patrick and he'll tell me what he thinks. I'm very happy for owner Francis Mangan, who has been involved in horses with me in the past, but that's his first runner for me in his own colours. Francis is involved through Aubrey McMahon's Temple Bloodstock and this is nice for him. The runner-up (Eoin McCarthy's Bravemans Call) ran a cracker and looks one for the future too.

Listowel Thu, 24th Sep, 2026  Love Me Tender he did it very well and I loved the way he was like a cat, dancing in front of the fences and jumping them the way he wanted. It looked as though Harry was just a passenger, and he actually said the same thing. In Galway he was keen but today he learned his lesson and backed off the fences and jumped them when he wanted. He learned from the first day and it was a nice performance. He could be a Drinmore horse in early December as he looked to have that ability today. He doesn't look like a mid-winter type but it is always drier in Fairyhouse, where the ground is like all the festival courses nowadays. We seem to race on really nicer ground now, due to drainage and everything at these tracks. I Will Be Baie (runner-up) came from off the pace and stayed on well, so he has a good outlook.

Listowel Thu, 24th Sep, 2026  Al Arrivee She is a half-sister to Al Boum Photo and I initially bought her with a view to breeding from her. Now what I'd like to do is get some black-type and with her pedigree, she'll stay all day. I was worried that today's trip might be too sharp so Patrick said he wanted to make it a test of stamina today and to make her fitness be the key. She didn't jump as well as she can, but was going a little faster than she is used to. Fitness paid off in the end and I'd say the runner-up won't be far away from her next win. She'll probably go out in trip now.

Thu, 24th Sep, 2026  Al Arrivee She is a half-sister to Al Boum Photo and I initially bought her with a view to breeding from her. Now what I'd like to do is get some black-type and with her pedigree, she'll stay all day. I was worried that today's trip might be too sharp so Patrick said he wanted to make it a test of stamina today and to make her fitness be the key. She didn't jump as well as she can, but was going a little faster than she is used to. Fitness paid off in the end and I'd say the runner-up won't be far away from her next win. She'll probably go out in trip now.

Listowel Wed, 23rd Sep, 2026  Love Me Tender It was a nice performance, he was very keen,. I feel sorry for the second there because our fella should have won his hurdle before this, but we didn’t get an opportunity to run him over hurdles. He looks better than what you should be meeting down here. It was unfortunate that we didn’t get a run into him and we saw what happened then in the Ebor, he ran too free. He was a little bit of that today as well, but he’ll learn. I think the hurdles will help him to steady up and teach him a bit more about settling and racing properly. I’ll see where I go, he has some nice Flat entries and there are novice hurdles too. I hate missing their novice hurdle year.

Wed, 23rd Sep, 2026  Love Me Tender It was a nice performance, he was very keen,. I feel sorry for the second there because our fella should have won his hurdle before this, but we didn’t get an opportunity to run him over hurdles. He looks better than what you should be meeting down here. It was unfortunate that we didn’t get a run into him and we saw what happened then in the Ebor, he ran too free. He was a little bit of that today as well, but he’ll learn. I think the hurdles will help him to steady up and teach him a bit more about settling and racing properly. I’ll see where I go, he has some nice Flat entries and there are novice hurdles too. I hate missing their novice hurdle year.

Listowel Wed, 23rd Sep, 2026  Love Me Tender It was a nice performance, he was very keen,. I feel sorry for the second there because our fella should have won his hurdle before this but we didn’t get an opportunity to run him over hurdles. He looks better than what you should be meeting down here. It was unfortunate that we didn’t get a run into him and we saw what happened then in the Ebor, he ran too free. He was a little bit of that today as well but he’ll learn. I think the hurdles will help him to steady up and teach him a bit more about settling and racing properly. I’ll see where I’ll go, he has some nice Flat entries and there are novice hurdles too. I hate missing their novice hurdle year.

Listowel Sun, 20th Sep, 2026  Green Hint He is a nice horse and one could say he is a winter horse, but we just got him ready earlier. He finished second in the Goffs Defender Bumper and looks a nice winter type. I'll have a word with the owners and see if they want to go hurdling, or stay bumpering, this season. The way he did that today, he could be one for the Cheltenham bumper as he'll improve away, so we'll see.

Listowel Sun, 20th Sep, 2026  Ocastle Des Mottes Having won in Galway, it shows how versatile he is to win going left-handed on a flat track today,. He likes that trip. but Paul felt he'd like more of a dig in the ground. It took him six runs to win over fences but he is a forward-going two-miler and we are only now learning how to train him. Paul felt the ground on the chase track was a little drier.

Listowel Sun, 20th Sep, 2026  Run Ted Run He must be a fair machine to put in a performance like that, as he was running away (keenly) and was so wound up,. His stamina and jumping came into play, and he needed all of it to fight off his rivals one by one. I thought it was a very brave performance over that trip, and first time out over hurdles, so I think we might just give him an easy time now before going for a novice. Once we know what he is like, we'll now take steps to train him a bit differently. He'll be fine though, and is another nice prospect for H O S (Syndicate).

Sun, 20th Sep, 2026  Green Hint He is a nice horse and one could say he is a winter horse, but we just got him ready earlier. He finished second in the Goffs Defender Bumper and looks a nice winter type. I'll have a word with the owners and see if they want to go hurdling, or stay bumpering, this season. The way he did that today, he could be one for the Cheltenham bumper as he'll improve away, so we'll see.

Sun, 20th Sep, 2026  Ocastle Des Mottes Having won in Galway, it shows how versatile he is to win going left-handed on a flat track today,. He likes that trip. but Paul felt he'd like more of a dig in the ground. It took him six runs to win over fences but he is a forward-going two-miler and we are only now learning how to train him. Paul felt the ground on the chase track was a little drier.

Sun, 20th Sep, 2026  Run Ted Run He must be a fair machine to put in a performance like that, as he was running away (keenly) and was so wound up,. His stamina and jumping came into play, and he needed all of it to fight off his rivals one by one. I thought it was a very brave performance over that trip, and first time out over hurdles, so I think we might just give him an easy time now before going for a novice. Once we know what he is like, we'll now take steps to train him a bit differently. He'll be fine though, and is another nice prospect for H O S (Syndicate).