Horse Racing

 Kingman and James Doyle - Revisited Kingman was visually, one of the most impressive horses I've seen, everything just looked so easy for him. How was he to ride and just what was it about him that made him so good? Kingman was a jockey's dream to ride, he just did the little things so right. He conserved energy where he could and used it when it mattered. What set him apart from the others had to be his ability to relax, and that devastating turn of pace! He won 4 G1's in his 3y/o season, along with a G3. If he had have stayed in training another season, do you think he'd have dominated the older mile division? Absolutely. It was a huge shame we didn't get to see him as a 4y/o on the track. No doubt he would have dominated the mile division. It's also interesting that Mr Gosden played with the idea of dropping him back to sprint distances! What was your personal highlight on the track with him? It would have to be the St James' Palace. After our only defea

  Laurens and Karl Burke - Revisited Laurens was an unbelievably tough, consistent horse on the track. But how was she to train on a day-to-day basis? One of Lauren’s biggest attributes was that she was very sound, I can’t remember her taking a lame step. Sound horses make a trainers life easier as you can push them that little bit harder. She could be a diva and her stable was her domain, she certainly didn’t like me very much! What made her different to other other horses you've trained, and what specifically made her so good? Her strength was her high cruising speed, and a huge stride. She won many of her races in the mid section of a race as horses could not lay up with her. She also had an incredible will to win when she got in a battle. She's won 6 G1's, in Ireland, France and England, how hard is it for a horse to continually show their class and win 6 G1's over 3 seasons? I think the fact that out of the thousands of thoroughbreds that are born each year that ve

 Alpha Centauri and Jessica Harrington  - Revisited Alpha Centauri was a cracking filly, she won 4 G1's on the bounce and finished up as Irish Horse Of The Year, Champion Three-Year-Old Filly and World's Best Three-Year-Old Filly in 2018. What attributes did she have that you think made her so special? Alpha Centauri was a very big, strong filly. She was at least 16.2hh and weighed 530kg when she came into me as a yearling! Despite her size she ran early as a two year old winning her maiden at Naas and then a listed race thereafter before finishing 2nd in the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot. As a three year old we discovered that she really liked top of the ground as she got beaten in the Moyglare Stakes as a two year old on softish ground and then also as a three year old first time out. She then bounced back from that to win the Irish 1,000 Guineas which was the first of four Group 1 wins on the trot for her as a three year old. Her best attributes were that she had a great temp

 One Master and William Haggas - Revisited One Master was a terrific mare, just how hard is it to win one Prix de la Foret, let alone three? I think her feat was pretty unique. To win it three times will be hard to beat in the future, if ever. To win it once is hard enough! She didn’t race as a two year old, she made her debut in August 2017, was she backward early? It was surprising that she was so immature because her mother won in June as a two year old. One Master was immature as a youngster. She won her maiden at Yarmouth in September of her three year old career and Ryan Moore said then that she was at least Listed class and the handicapper gave her a rating of 75! Everyone knows she had a preference to softer ground, but she’s won on a faster surface than soft was she at her best on soft? She won the Oak Tree this year on fast ground because of her class but she enjoyed the soft and was very effective on it. Why do you think she was so consistent? I am sure she benefitted from h

  Ouija Board and Ed Dunlop - Revisited  When she first came to you, what did you think of her? Had you any idea she'd go on to be a champion?  She came into me in about May of her two year old career. She had a brilliant mind and was an athletic, tall leggy individual who was always going to be a better older horse. When she started in fast work she always showed some class as a two year old and we always thought she was going to be a decent filly she just needed to stay to be a great. At the beginning of her three year old career her work lit up and she really started to show what she was about. You never know if a horse is going to be a champion but she just got better and better and we knew we had a great horse on our hands Ouija Board was simply one of the best of her sex. There's not much she hasn't done and she was adored by everyone in racing. What was it like to train such a high profile, special horse like her? It was a great privilege to train such a horse as sh

 Roaring Lion and Oisin Murphy - Revisited He was an absolute superstar Oisin, what did he feel like to ride? He was incredible, really easy to ride. He never pulled, he had a great mind, so you could put him anywhere in a race, obviously you're always acutely aware that he's got a brilliant turn of foot. So that makes all the diference. Was he the best you’ve ever ridden? On ratings, Roaring Lion was the best I've ever ridden, he was world champion 3yo. He didn't win a classic like Kameko, but he was slightly higher rated. He was fantastic to be a part of. I was at a young age when I rode him, he was the horse of dreams. He was versatile with regards to trip, what was his best trip? I think no doubt a mile and a quarter was his best trip, he was versatile so a mile was fine for him as well. But he didn't stay in the Derby, a mile and a half stretched him. What was your personal highlight on him? My personal highlight was winning the Irish Champion Stakes, in front