Collins reflects on Swiss success Tracey Collins is this week back home at her Curragh yard reflecting on an "unbelievable" experience after saddling the Michael Ryan-owned Eagle Valley to land the Grand Prix Schlossatelier at St Moritz in Switzerland last Sunday. The Ronan Whelan-ridden Mastercraftsman filly led home a one-two for Ryan on the snow, making most to readily account for the Johnny Murtagh-trained Duchess Andorra. "Michael had obviously been there before and he enjoys it, so once he had a horse capable of going out there he wanted to go," explained the Conyngham Lodge trainer. "It was my first time to St Moritz - it was a very interesting experience, it's very different. "Duchess Andora had won the race for Michael last year, when she was trained by Joanna Morgan. She finished second this year." Sword Of The Lord and Lacan filled the fourth and fifth spots for Nigel Twiston-Davies and Ralph Beckett respectively, but it is not an assignment to be undertaken lightly according to Collins. "It's a long haul, it takes a lot to get there. We'll see what way she's taken it. It's a fair hike to get over and back," she said. "The surface is certainly different. They check the track quite vigorously. They were a bit unfortunate this year as it was very warm - which you wouldn't expect. Naturally enough when it started to heat up they were a little bit concerned about the track and that's why they brought it down to a shorter distance. "It was meant to be over a mile but it ended up going down to four and a half furlongs. The place where our horses ran up was very safe but you wouldn't have wanted it to be getting much warmer." The Kildare handler is not sure if she will be back to St Moritz, reflecting: "We've ticked the box, we've gone there, we've been successful and it would purely be at an owner's request if we were to go back. You need a suitable horse. "Our filly handles fast ground - she'd won in Dundalk - and mentally she's very sensible. When you're travelling a horse that far you have to have a horse that's capable of travelling. I thought she'd have no problem in travelling and she didn't." She added: "It's an unbelievable meeting. It was the most amazing spectacle. Literally it was something that I'd never seen before and it's just very different. There's a fantastic atmosphere there - electric. "Moyglare (Stud Farm) sponsor there - the first race. There was seven races. There was even one race with the jockeys on skis behind the horses - bizarre. "They only race there three times in the year. As far as I know it's when the lake is frozen."
