Performance Review

October 2024

It was nice to finish out the autumn strongly with four winners over the course of October.

Positive Energy hadn’t gotten the rub of the green on his previous start at Galway and we were delighted to see him get off the mark at Navan on his first try at 10 furlongs. He’s probably more of a next-year horse too; he’s quite big and raw.

I think he appreciates an ease in the ground, but he probably would have been a bit too weak to go through it before this - he has been strengthening up. Hopefully more time will help him to keep improving into the new year for the Positive Energy Syndicate.

Positive Energy gets off the mark at Navan

Fairy Wings followed up her first win at Gowran during the month with another the following week at Galway. She’s a three-year-old who was bred by Amanda and her dam, Susiescot (currently in foal to Raven’s Pass), has now had winners with each of her foals. They all have great attitudes.

I have to say, though, the handicapper has essentially given us no chance with the way he has treated this filly. He’s raised her 20lb for two wins, going from 64 to 84. That’s extremely frustrating. We’ve been minding her for a long time as a homebred filly, but when he comes down so hard on her like that, he’s not exactly encouraging people to keep horses like her in training.

Fairy Wings' first win at Gowran

Another win for Fairy Wings in Galway

From the same family, Mogwli popped up with the sixth win of his career in a mile handicap at Bellewstown. He tends to win a race or two every year and it was nice for Jessica Maye to reduce her 10lb claim to 7lb with his winner - she gave him a lovely ride down the inside, riding him for luck and getting the breaks.

Mogwli's sixth win of his career

Vassula Ryden’s form got better as the year got on, but I think she just needed a cut in the ground, really. She was a bit unlucky in that sense as very soft ground is probably what she wanted. She ran two nice races to end her season when second at Bellewstown and Galway and will probably be retired to the covering sheds now.

I feel that All Lies Ahead is another who finds the ground very important to her. She’s at her ease on soft ground. When switching back to a handicap from listed company, she ran very well when third at Leopardstown. We’ll give her another shot at the Curragh on the last day of the turf season.

Party Dress kept on well to finish third in a 20-runner handicap at the Curragh, and the winner went on to frank the form by following up at Galway the following week. She’ll head on over hurdles now and hopefully can add to her tally in that discipline.

I’m looking forward to seeing Coul Dreamer over hurdles in due course. He backed up a good maiden run at Punchestown when third at Roscommon before we tried him on the all-weather at Dundalk. Hopefully he’ll appear in a three-year-old hurdle in the next month for Ray Jennings and Phil McAuley.

Finally, Great Mover didn’t run a bad race when placed for the second run in succession at Bellewstown. She’ll head to Dundalk next month before going on a little break, and we’ll bring her back for one of the early all-weather fixtures next year.

There were some positive results for our owners on the racecourse during October, but there were also some notable successes in the sales ring involving mares who were previously under our care. We were delighted to see that three of the top 28 lots sold in Book 1 of the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale were out of mares trained here at Rathbride.

Bloomfield, who we prepared to win two listed races for her owner-breeder John Connaughton, is proving herself to be a quality broodmare with two blacktype performers on the ground already, including this year’s Group 2 Champagne Stakes winner Bay City Roller. A Blue Point filly out of Bloomfield sold for €850,000 - the fourth top lot of entire sale at Goffs.

Bongiorno, a smart maiden winner, was placed in a pair of listed races for us in the colours of Joya Burns and had some useful form before retiring. Her yearling colt by New Bay was sold from Lodge Park Stud to Richard Ryan for €380,000 at the same sale.

Last but not least, Renzo Forni’s Epona Plays was a cracking filly for us on the track, winning a Group 2 and two Group 3s. Her filly yearling by Wootton Bassett filly fetched €300,000 at Goffs, selling from Ridge Manor Stud to MV Magnier.

We’re always trying our best to get the top results we can for our owners, and seeing the horses we’ve had through our hands continue to deliver for connections in the sales ring, and beyond, is obviously pleasing. Congratulations to everyone involved.