Punchestown Wed, 29th Apr, 2026  Gaelic Warrior We’ve never won this race before. It was very sporting of JP to run his horse, the ground probably didn’t suit him but he’s a fantastic horse. I’m so pleased to win it. I’ve not been here since Ruby retired in 2019. I’ve been busy and we had covid and those kind of things. The people here are brilliant and I’m thrilled to win the race. I couldn’t be more delighted. Joe Chambers as well as Willie and Paul and the rest of the team deserve a lot of credit and I’m thrilled for everyone. I didn’t watch it but Joe said we were going well. It felt like it was never in doubt and I’m looking forward to watching it. It was a huge performance. My heart was in my mouth when Paul joined him between the fourth last and the third last. I was thinking ‘would they knock one another’ or what would they do. They were going some lick. Both jockeys just let fly. Over that trip Gaelic Warrior seemed to have the measure of Fact To File. Over a shorter trip it might be different. It was a helluva horse race. It takes two horses to do it. It was great that JP allowed Fact To File to take him on. It made for a memorable day. Both horses got the run of the race the way they wanted to. Fact To File got a nice time in front and Paul was able to settled his fella in. Both jockeys got to ride their horse the way they wanted to. There were no excuses.

Limerick Thu, 16th Apr, 2026  Sparkling Wit We were very worried about the ground as he is not like his brothers (Gaelic Warrior and four-year-old Our Trigger) and I think he is a good-ground horse. He is a much more feminine type, is smaller and slighter but was tough in the end today. I think he'll be much better on nicer ground and I'd be hoping he could go for a winners' bumper around May-time. I just think he is not a middle-of-winter horse. He is very different from his two brothers and is a nice ride. I think he will improve as he started off very slowly at the start of the season and Willie has been very patient with him. He has got better every week. We bought him as a foal, when we initially thought Gaelic Warrior was very good.

Clonmel Thu, 2nd Apr, 2026  High Kick Kev He is a grand horse and was pretty fit when he came to us, so we haven't been doing a whole lot with him. He is a good horse and Derek reckons his likes that soft ground,. I'm not sure whether we pop him over a hurdle or put him out now so we'll see. . Sean O'Gorman did very well picking him out at the sales and today we were hoping to find out where we were with him. I'm delighted it has worked out for Pat (Moran, owner) who has been a lucky man with me and it was worth his while driving down from Castlebar today. The young lad (O'Connor, who rode his 1,400th point-to-point winner yesterday) gave him a good ride too!

Cork Thu, 19th Mar, 2026  Royal Gladiator Stephen (O’Connor) sponsors me and he’s the master of the hunt with the Ward Union. It’s a good connection. I was inclined to get him rolling off the bend, I knew he wouldn’t win a sprint so I wanted to get him rolling. He jumped the last two well and that’s what won it for me. We’d be hoping that he’d turn into a Dunboyne type of horse.

Cheltenham Fri, 13th Mar, 2026  Gaelic Warrior It was a great ride by Paul. I haven’t seen the race, but I’ve heard it was! It’s been a great week, incredible, great racing, great winners, a good race today. I’m pleased for the horse. We try to buy Gold Cup winners, but we’ve never managed it before today. We’ve reached the mountain, but I love the game, it’s kept me involved all these years, the passion of the people. They take me as they find me, I’m not the easiest man, I’m an American, I’m loud, obnoxious, this that and the other, but the people have been good to me and long may it last. I always like to watch the race through my binoculars rather than on the screen and I could tell by Paul’s body language how he was going, I knew he was going well. This guy has to be up there with every one of my other Gold Cup winners, just because of the manner of his victory. Rich has been such a supporter of Closutton from the very start so to do something like this for him is fantastic. When he put in that huge jump at the fourth-last and landed in front I wondered if he had landed in front too soon and I was hoping nothing would come from behind. But when I looked at Paul I could see how confident he was. Paul has nerves of steel and to be on so much horse over the last three, he just sat there waiting.

Cheltenham Fri, 13th Mar, 2026  Gaelic Warrior He’s such a cool jockey and a superb horse, it was a hell of a performance. Rich has already won the Champion Hurdle this week and Paul won that and the Champion Chase, it’s incredible.

Leopardstown Sun, 1st Feb, 2026  Cousin Kate It’s unreal, she’s an improver. It’s an emotional day as Hughie Mulryan bought her and he’s not with us today, all his family are here. She’s been so good and Liam Mulryan has been such a good supporter of mine since I started training. We’ve had good days and I’ve cost him a lot of money over the years as well but he’s always stuck with me and been very loyal, as have all the Mulryans. They are good friends of mine now. I’m just delighted for them and it’s good to have a filly like this in the yard. This year we’ve been rolling with winners but no big winners. We buy a lot of second-hand goods and it’s hard to reach these heights. This was well bought by Hughie off Kevin Doyle. 50 grand out of Augusta Kate, who is breeding winners galore. She was a Grade 1 winner herself, and you can’t beat breeding. She’ll be entered in the Mares Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham now. She’ll be roughly 130 after today so she’s earned her entry. She’s on the improve and with these fillies when they start to go this way you just don’t know where they’ll end up. She has breeding and you can’t beat breeding. I think she might have been somewhere else last season and when Liam first sent her to me he said they didn’t think a lot of her. He said to me to tell him quick enough if she was any good or not. I sent her down to Tramore on her third run for an unplaced maiden and I sai