Ouija Board and Ed Dunlop - Revisited

 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 she was my first English Classic winner. We were young and it all happened in a bit of blur, I feel I may appreciated Snow Fairy a bit more as it was later in my training career.


There aren't many dual Oaks winners, just how hard is it to do, and why was it she was able to do it?
To win a classic is hard enough you have to be one of the best in your age group but to win two takes a real great. They are two very different styles of races at the Curragh and Epsom and it takes a very diverse horse to show her class in both.


She's won all over the world, she raced for 5 seasons at the very top level. What does it take to be able to dine at the top table for so many years and achieve what she did?
She had the most amazing temperament which allowed her to travel with ease all over the world and this helped her in having great longevity in her career. I must also thank the owners Lord and Lady Derby, who were so supportive in travelling her overseas to take on the best.

What was your personal highlight with her, the day that means most of all?

There are two personal highlights. Obviously her winning the Epsom Oaks giving me my first classic winner was a great highlight but her win against Alexander Goldrun in the Nassau Stakes was a great thrill as it was a testing dual between two greats which will go down as one of the greatest race of the decade.

Massive thanks to Ed Dunlop for his input of Ouija Board. She has gone down on one of the greatest we've seen, and she'll forever be on the list. Really good to look back on a horse of her class.

More editions of Revisited to come.