Throughout the course of the season, I am generally up before my alarm starts going
off at 5.30am in the mornings. This Tuesday morning however, I’m taking some
waking. The alarm is blaring and I’m switching it off.
God, I don’t feel well. I had been a bit rough the night before but not like this. The
morning of Punchestown; just what I bloody need.
I get myself up and pack my bag for the four days in Ireland. That should have been
done the night before but that would require organisation and unless it’s to do with
horses, that isn’t something I’m very good at!
I head off to Terminal 5 with Dad in the driving seat. I check in with Amy Deans who
is in Ireland with the horses; all is well. Brentford Hope and Ascending Lark have
been over there since Saturday night. It was the first time we had travelled the mare
so I wanted to get her out there in plenty of time, so she’d get over her journey and
have time to settle.
You don’t have to worry about stuff like that with Brentford, I’d say he’d have driven
the ferry if you asked him too, he loves a trip away.
At Punchestown racing doesn’t start until mid afternoon, so I get a mid-morning flight
to Dublin, get my hire car and head to the Kilashee Hotel to drop my bag and throw
on my suit for the day.
It’s ideal having a busy morning before big runners because it gives you less time to
stew about how nervous you are.
Getting to the races though that usual wave of nerves hits me. I’m not all that long
into my training career yet, about two and a half years in fact; and still every runner,
the nerves hit. I guess that’s a good thing. It has to matter, and it really really does
matter. A lot. Today though, I think I have two proper chances in a big handicap at
the Punchestown Festival. It doesn’t get much bigger.
As I approach what I assume is the right gate, I meet Will and Vivienne Watt who
own half of Ascending Lark. We soon work out that I have taken them to the wrong
gate! This leads nicely into the usual ribbing from Will about me being like a lost dog
without my sister Amy around to organise me!
We eventually get to the right gate however and, as ever at Punchestown, we are
warmly welcomed by Sean who is absolutely superb. He looks after all us English
famously and Punchestown are lucky to have him.
We head off to the Owners and Trainers to meet John and Jennifer Lalor, the duo
that make up Ascending Lark’s owners quartet and we have a nice lunch. I
intentionally took the slightly later flight so I didn’t have to wait around all day getting
myself nervous, so once I’d been to see all of Brentford Hope’s owners, it’s almost go time.
My Travelling Head Girl Amy and I grab the saddles. I don’t like giving instructions to
jockeys on the day of the race. I think as a nervous trainer all I can do at that stage is
complicate things so I do that the night before, then I get out of their way. They know
what they’re doing.
I’ve put Paul on Ascending Lark because I believe she’s still well treated and we
aren’t really sure how good she is yet. The one thing we are sure of between us is
that we haven’t seen the best of her yet. So, from the six days stage I told Paul he
was going to ride her.
Both horses look in great shape in the pre parade ring. They have both got over their
journeys and look in my view, ready to run their races.
I’m still not all that comfortable with having two runners in the same race. I mean the
race itself is the easy bit, but when there is one of you and two sets of connections
you can’t help but feel you’re always trying to do two things at once.
I let Paul and Johnny explain their plans to their groups of owners. The bell goes. I
leg them up and wish them well.
“Harry I’m just going to ride her like she’s really well handicapped and she’ll finish
fast.”
“You do you Paul. You know the score.”
A chat with Tom and Kevin from Racing TV follows and I head out to the track, close
to the big screen by the winning post.
Johnny is planning to be halfway with Brentford and give him a chance to come
home well. We agreed that he has come down in grade and it would be nice to try
and give him some confidence so he builds into the race.
Paul is going to try and be just in front of halfway on the mare. A little wider as she
hasn’t been in a big field yet and Paul isn’t sure how she’ll respond to it.
Tape goes back. Deep breath, keep and eye on them both. Here goes.
Brentford largely gets the spot Johnny wants but he hasn’t run since February and is
a bit fresh running away from the stands. That’s not going to help him. Off his mark
everything needs to be perfect and he’s just expending a little too much energy.
Ascending Lark meanwhile, well it’s not going well. In fact, it’s going quite badly. I
can’t really see much on the screen but what I can see is that she’s at the back and
not going well at all.
Fuck it.
The race flies along and they stream down the back straight and across the side. I’ve
moved spots now to try and see a bit more of the screen. They jump two out and
Brentford is just feeling the pinch. He’s better when he’s racing a lot and he hasn’t
raced for 60 days, that’s just starting to show but he plugs on to finish sixth. (I wasn’t
sure of that at the time).
Ascending Lark has been miles back, but she’s jumped well and Paul is starting to
pick them off. Now they’re into the straight and she’s motoring, really motoring.
I’m just watching thinking, “this might actually happen,” as she comes to the last.
She gets in close to the hurdle but is quick away from it leaning slightly to her right
which is her thing. Paul is ready for it though and he straightens her up. He knows
her so well at this stage.
He grabs a fresh hold of her, asks her for more and she keeps on motoring. She
passes the leaders, goes a length up and then parks the bus, pricks her ears and
wins with a smile on her face. Her sixth win in a row. Some mare.
I turn to walk back to the winners enclosure and bump into John Lalor. We have a
big hug and laugh at what a good mare she is.
Somehow, I manage to take a deep breath and think right, this is a festival winner,
you better bloody enjoy this.
I nip off and speak to Johnny about Brentford and go and see his owners. Then
Brian Gleeson from RTE wants an interview. Brian is a great great man and I explain
to him I really want to walk in with the mare and soak this in. We agree to walk and
talk. I’m sure I make no sense, I just keep saying what a good mare she is. I think.
I follow her into the winners enclosure to meet Paul. We shake hands and chat
through the race with Will, Vivienne, John and Jennifer. I’m doing absolutely
everything I can to take it all in. I’m not over excited, I’m just glowing. I’m absolutely
delighted.
All this season I have been desperate to have some winners on the bigger stage,
just to try and get to that next level. We didn’t have many shots to fire at Cheltenham
and we had a second at Aintree, so were running out of chances. A winner at the
Punchestown Festival feels absolutely massive.
I know it’s a handicap and not a graded race but hopefully they’ll follow in the years
to come. Maybe even with this mare. Who knows. But a festival winner is huge and
I’m going to enjoy it.
I’m told the team at home are climbing the walls with excitement, Graham my Head
Lad has opened the champagne for the team, Amy my sister has nearly had a heart
attack with excitement and my Mum isn’t far behind her.
I float to the winning connections room, then onto the bar across from the parade
ring.
In truth, I just float round for the rest of the evening. She’s some mare, becomes
basically the only words I use for the rest of the day.
But she really is. Hopefully, she’s not done yet.
A group of us have a lovely dinner at The Kilashee and celebrate for the evening
before I go back to my room and reply to lots of kind messages of congratulations.
Once I’d replied to everyone, I take a moment to reflect and look back on the season
that has just passed us by. It has tested me like nothing ever has before with the
gallop disaster, but we got through it.
I’m proud of what my team and I have achieved for the campaign, ending up on 57
domestic winners, one on the flat and two in big races in Ireland. In the end, it’s been
a bloody good year and Ascending Lark, right at the death has put a rather large
cherry on top.
She really is some mare.
I don’t really write that much any more as to be honest I hadn’t quite realised just
how much time training racehorses would take up. But I really really love reflecting
on that day in Ireland and thought I’d share it with you all.
Go well.
Harry.