Fennor Cross was another horse to fly the flag for the stable with great distinction. Again, a cheaply-bought recruit, Fennor Cross won races at the Punchestown and Aintree festivals. 

However, in what came as a bitter blow to all associated with the horse, Fennor Cross was killed at home in the spring. 

What started out as a brilliant start to 2023 turned into something of a nightmare as another promising young novice hurdler, Kinbara, suffered a fatal injury while prominent owner Derek Kierans decided to move the talented Encanto Bruno to rival trainer Gavin Cromwell.

Not only that, but the McConnell stable struggled for form in the second half of the year due to aspergillus in the hay. It never rains but it pours. 

Thankfully, things have been going a lot better for the Naul-based trainer, who splits his string between Flat and National Hunt horses, with three winners in the past two weeks alone.

From blooding future Group 1-winning sprinter A Case Of You, wanting to break into the top bracket of the training ranks and dealing with the disappointments that come along the way, McConnell makes for a fascinating interviewee with Brian Sheerin in this week's Q&A.

Seddon | Racingfotos.com

How would you reflect on 2023?

It was a year of two halves, really. It was a brilliant first half of the year but a very average second half. On one hand, we had a winner at all of the top spring festivals–Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown–and then on the other, we lost some talented horses–Fennor Cross (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}) and Kinbara (Ire) (Mahler {GB})–while Derek Kierans moved a smart horse in Encanto Bruno (Ire) (Mahler {GB}) to another stable and then we hit a bad patch of form. It was very up and down. 

It's the old cliche that this is a game that would tame lions. How do you deal with all of those ups and downs that come with training?

I don't know how other trainers do it but I tend to lock myself away into a cupboard or something to think about what has happened! Obviously I'm only messing but it is very hard for a stable like ours to lose a few 140-rates horses in the one year. They were Saturday horses and we don't have them anymore. Replacing them is not easy. But, to be honest, I think I was better prepared than most people associated with our yard were. I knew we were overachieving with the resources that we had. I was ready for it, but that doesn't mean it was easy to take. What was difficult was how people started to question you when things weren't going well. We found aspergillus in the hay. It was a difficult few months but thankfully we got to the bottom of it and the horses are back healthy and well, which is the main thing. I also think we had a below-average bunch of horses running at the time and that maybe over-egged how bad we were going over the winter. I can remember a pundit on Racing TV talking about my lack of form and he made the point that, if you looked at the prices of the horses running, they weren't running any better or worse than market expectation. I think it was a combination of those two things. You don't become a bad trainer overnight but it certainly tested my view of humanity because there were some people who were wobbling in their faith. That was frustrating.

You feel like you have been over achieving with the horses you have?

Yes, definitely. With the money we have to work with, I think we have done well with the horses. Okay, Encanto Bruno cost a lot of money [£210,000] but, to do what we did with Fennor Cross and Seddon (Ire) (Stowaway {GB}), both of those horses over-achieved. When you don't have a batch of those six-figure horses coming through the system, you know it's going to be hard to hit the heights at some of the bigger festivals, so I am a realist in that sense. It doesn't mean I am okay with that because I am extremely ambitious and I want winners on the big stage. 

You are not on your own, certainly in terms of National Hunt racing in Ireland, in feeling frustrated by not being able to compete at the top level. The Dublin Racing Festival, where Willie Mullins completed a clean sweep of all eight Grade 1 races, is a case in point. 

Ambition is a curse because you never want to settle. It would be worse if I thought I was not capable of training those big horses or if I was underachieving but I don't feel I am. At the end of the day, you need to have the backing and, at the minute, I don't and it's very frustrating. Don't get me wrong, I have some great owners and the majority of them are very supportive and obviously Derek Kierans has put a lot of money into our yard as well. The McNeill family and loads more people have been very supportive of me but, the reality is, the top yards have stacks of six-figure horses and only a small percentage of those horses go on to be good horses. You need the numbers coming through to give yourself a chance. 

I would put you down as a good man to get owners into the yard. 

I suppose everyone has a different mindset and some are hungrier than others. That's cool but I never wanted to be second best. That's just the way I am, be it playing a computer game or training horses. I often wish I was easier to please but I suppose that's what keeps me so driven to keep going and keep searching for that next nice horse. If you looked at it logically you might say you may never get to where you want to be but, the great thing about this game is, it might only take one horse or a couple of different things to spiral and you could be operating at the next level. For all bar about four trainers over jumps in Ireland, it probably looks a long way away. 

What's your approach to getting owners into the yard? Is it as simple as just putting yourself out there?

It's wide scale harassment! I talk to as many people as I can when I go to the sales or the races and I have made contact with a lot of owners through Instagram and Facebook. We have gotten horses through social media, with the McNeill family and Jimmy Fyffe good recent examples of that. You just have to have a brass neck. You are going to get a lot of nos but I find, even if people don't send you a horse, they respect you taking the time to reach out and put your neck on the line. If you don't ask, you are never going to get. 

Just how difficult is it to compete against the bigger stable over both codes in Ireland? 

It's borderline impossible, which is why we try to run a lot of horses in Britain. If you have a 120-rated horse in Ireland, you could run in six maiden hurdles in Ireland throughout the winter and not win one of them. That same horse could win two races in Britain in the same space of time. That's just the way it is and I don't blame Willie Mullins or Gordon Elliott for that. They've gotten to where they are on merit.

What did Seddon winning at Cheltenham mean to you?

I probably enjoy it more now than I did at the time. When things were going bad for us in the autumn, it felt like a long time ago. But winning a race at the Cheltenham festival was something that I had dreamt about as a kid so, to go and achieve it, it was better than I ever thought it could be. 

What drives you?

The ambition is to find a top horse and compete on the big stage but, I have to say, when Together Aclaim (GB) (Aclaim {Ire}) won at Dundalk last week, I got a great kick out of that as well. He was a 30-raced maiden coming into the race and, for him to finally get his head in front, it was a great feeling for everyone involved with him. The guys who own him were there and they got a great thrill. I just love horses and love racing and winning. Obviously, I'd love to be winning the big races but I get a thrill out of winning any race. Gordon Elliott is the same. He loves to win any race. It's a bit of an addiction. 

Depending on what way you look at it, some might view it as a weakness to keep a 30-raced maiden on the go. That's the one thing I would say about you, you always look for the positives in a horse whereas plenty of people would have been happy to move Together Aclaim long before his day in the sun came at Dundalk. 

You have to back what you believe in and, what we try and do when it comes to buying horses at the sales, is find angles and horses who may not be obvious, because that's the price range we are dealing in. It doesn't work every time but we have had a lot of success with small-money buys. I know what you mean about Together Aclaim but the syndicate were happy to keep going and so was I.

Well Seddon is an advertisement for what you can do with those second-hand small-money buys. How did you get him to train?

I was in contact with the McNeills and their manager at the time told me that they were moving some others on. The Galaxy Racing Syndicate had expressed an interest in finding a National Hunt horse and Seddon fitted the bill because he had a good enough rating to bring us to the big festivals. I thought he'd win somewhere but I didn't think he'd win twice at Cheltenham, again at the Punchestown festival and then run in the American Grand National. He has been some horse for us. 

What are the plans with Seddon and Coral Gold Cup runner-up Mahler Mission?

Seddon wasn't one hundred percent after America but he seems fine now again and hopefully we'll get him and Mahler Mission back for the spring festivals. Mahler Mission could run in the Grand National at Aintree. 

To a certain degree, A Case Of You (Ire) (Hot Streak {Ire}) put you on the map. I'd imagine if a horse of his ability came through your system now, you would have enough owners to call upon to be able to keep him?

That was a very tricky situation because the horse had failed the vet to go to Hong Kong and America after he won the Group 3 Anglesey Stakes at the Curragh. It became very hard to push him onto owners. If Ado [McGuiness] hadn't come along, we probably would have been able to put together a syndicate or something, but fair play to him for taking a chance and I'm glad it worked out for him. That came at a very different time of my life. For starters, I had never owned anything before, so selling him provided me with some security in terms of buying a home. He did so much for me at the time but, I don't need anything else in life now so, if another A Case Of You came along now, I don't think I would sell him. 

How did you find him in the first place?

I was at Goffs for the Open Yearling Sale and I was standing down at the chute. I can remember this gorgeous horse walking down to the ring and opening up his page and thinking, 'ugh, Hot Streak.' I let him go in and he didn't sell. I ended up buying him privately and he just kept getting better and better. We never trained a Group 1 horse before him but we always felt he was very good. 

That goes back to your outside-the-box thinking. 

A bit like Seddon, we didn't expect A Case Of You to do what he did. We were thinking that, if he was placed in a maiden, we would have been able to get him away for anywhere between 30 and 50 grand and we would have been thinking 'happy days.' He was one in a million. 

Have you worked in many yards before setting up on your own or are you essentially self taught?

I worked for Michael O'Brien when I was younger but that's the only racing yard I have worked in. Obviously being a qualified vet helps and I did a lot of reading about training before I started. But, yes, I am basically self-taught.

There was a long time you were muddling away. What was the catalyst?

I don't know if there was one specific thing. Derek Kierens came into the yard and decided to put a good few quid in which meant we were able to buy nicer horses for a start. That was one thing. I got a lot of good young staff at the same time, the likes of Siobhan Rutledge, Ben and Alex Harvey, Thomas Reilly, Martin Fox and loads of others. That was another. That definitely helped. We have just developed a system that seems to work.

It's a vibrant yard with a lot of young people working for you.

We have great staff and everyone seems to be happy. I like having young people around the place because they are not soured and they are hungry. You can mould them to how you want things to be done rather than someone who has worked in five or six different yards and has their own ideas on how to do things. A lot of what we do is very different from other yards. We are way more relaxed and the lots go out a lot quicker than in other places, even for the jumps horses. When somebody comes to our yard, they think we are on Mars, but it works. They go quite quickly every day but they don't do many hard pieces of work, if that makes sense.

You've trained everything from a top-notch sprinter in A Case Of You to a cross-country chaser in Some Neck (Fr) (Yeats {Ire}). Is there a particular path you'd like to continue down or do you like both codes equally as much?

Not really, I get as much kick out of watching the two-year-olds as much as I do the National Hunt horses schooling. Both would make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. I love the jumps because it's not as much of a business. I do that more for a love of the sport whereas the Flat is very much business. It's much easier to train on the Flat and you don't get as many injuries. There is something very special about seeing a good two-year-old work. There are pros and cons to both codes and I love them as much. 

And how do you get to the next level in both codes?

Harass more owners maybe! Listen, there's not much more you can do bar keep trying. We've had some Grade 1-placed horses but finding that horse who could take us to the top level is what we really crave. There's no question that, the guys who are doing the best, they have the biggest backing. In many cases, they earned that backing and we just need to try and prove ourselves worthy of similar backing so we can kick on again. 

The post ‘People Started To Question Me When The Horses Weren’t Running Well – That Was Tough’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Romantic Proposal showed blistering speed in winning the G1 Flying Five S. at the Curragh last season and, despite treating the Listed Woodlands S. at Naas like a piece of work on her comeback, the star sprinter will not run again before the royal meeting and will be kept fresh by Lynam.

“We were delighted with her comeback and decided to leave it at that with her because we're trying to keep her fresh for Royal Ascot,” Lynam told TDN Europe on Tuesday. 

“She has entries in the King's Stand and the Platinum Jubilee and we're going to bring her over there fresh. We'll run her on the Tuesday, all going well, and then we'll see how she recovers. If we're happy with her, she will take her chance on the Saturday as well.”

Lynam added, “If you mind them when they are young, they can pay you back in spades when they get older, but that's easy for me to say as I have the owners who will let me do that. She was never going to be a 2-year-old and has developed from being a premier handicapper to making the big jump last year at five. 

“You could say that she has improved again judging by that Naas performance as, while it probably wasn't the strongest listed race ever run, she was very impressive.”

Romantic Proposal can be backed at 10-1 for the King's Stand while odds of 16-1 are available for the Platinum Jubilee. According to Lynam, the King's Stand is the preferred target for the mare, who will only back up if her main assignment goes to plan. 

He explained, “I'm not saying she can do the double but it's tempting. I was going to do it before with Sole Power (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}) but I didn't because he wasn't equally as good over six furlongs as he was over five. We won't back her up unless we're happy with her.”

Lynam added, “The King's Stand is the preferred target of the two and it's shaping up to be a real international race. Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) was very impressive in America recently so if he shows that sort of form we could be in trouble as he would be difficult to beat. 

“Nature Strip (Aus) (Nicconi {Aus}) also has to be respected, as does any Australian sprinter, given the history of Choisir, Starspangledbanner (Aus) and all the rest of them. The Queen looks like she has a good one [King's Lynn (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire})] and Ireland will be well-represented with A Case Of You (Ire) (Hot Streak {Ire}) so it looks a top race.”

Should Romantic Proposal shine on the biggest of stages, she would once again highlight the prowess of Lynam's daughter Amy, who pinhooked the Clipper Logistics-owned star as a foal. 

Amy was also responsible for sourcing Soffia (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}), who won a Group 2 for her father, and plans on capitalising on the recent run of success by making a go of it as a bloodstock agent.

She explained, “I'm over the moon with what Romantic Proposal has done. From her and Soffia before that, I am hoping to pick up some orders for the yearling sales. I always thought that being a bloodstock agent would be a great job but didn't know if I'd be any good at it. Thanks to the two of them, I might try and give it a go.”

Lynam added, “I bought a brother to Mums Tipple (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) at the November Foal Sale at Goffs last year and the plan is to pinhook him. He's very nice and is the only one I have at the moment but I'd like to try and fill a few orders if I can. I wanted to prove that I was good enough to do it first before I started spending people's money.”

The post Lynam Eyes Group 1 Double at Royal Ascot With Romantic Proposal appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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A Case Of You, winner of the Prix de l'Abbaye at Paris Longchamp last season, got his season off to brilliant start when adding to his Group 1 tally when landing the Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan in March but could only manage third behind Brad The Brief (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) at the Curragh on Guineas weekend. 

McGuinness revealed that he afforded his stable star with some down time after Meydan and expects the colt to be seen in a much better light at Royal Ascot, where he could tackle the Platinum Jubilee S over the King's Stand S., provided the ground is not soft. 

The trainer said, “I was happy and I think he'll come on for the run. We had to let him down a bit after Dubai and a horse like him always sharpens up for a run.

“He had a penalty to carry, but I think it's more down to the fact he'll improve for the run, which he's proven before. He's sound and 100 per cent, so we're all looking forward to Ascot.”

McGuinness added: “It will probably be the six-furlong race, but we'll keep an eye on the weather and no decision will be made until we know what the weather and the ground is like. If it got very soft, well then we might turn back to five (furlongs).”

The post McGuinness Predicts Improvement from A Case Of You at Royal Ascot appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Lord Glitters (Fr) (Whipper) may be a former G1 Queen Anne S. winner, but at age nine he has revamped himself as a Middle Eastern star, and he lines up as one of the highlight horses of Super Saturday in the G1 Jebel Hatta S. It has been almost three years since the grey visited a winner's enclosure in Europe, but in the meantime Lord Glitters has won four black-type races in the Gulf region, including last year's edition of this race, the G3 Bahrain International Trophy in November and the G2 Singspiel S. on Feb. 11.

The horse who finished second to Lord Glitters in the Bahrain International Trophy was another Royal Ascot Group 1 veteran, Charlie Appleby's 8-year-old Barney Roy (GB) (Excelebration {Ire}). Gelded and sent to Charlie Appleby after proving infertile, Barney Roy won this race two years ago before adding a pair of German Group 1s in the summer of 2020. He has something to prove, however, having run just twice at the back end of last season, and it could be meaningful that William Buick instead rides the same stable's Zakouski (GB) (Shamardal), who won the Listed Marshall S. at Newmarket at the end of October and was third behind Lord Glitters in the Singspiel. Zakouski also won the G2 Al Rashidiya S. over this course and distance last carnival.

Different O'Neill, Same Result in Round 3?

The $450,000 G1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 is missing Grade I winner and G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow), who is bound directly for the $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup on Mar. 26, but 15 horses still line up in this traditional pointer to that 2000-metre main-track affair. In the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2, the Doug O'Neill-trained 4-year-old blitzed the field by 5 1/4 lengths, and the third- and fourth-place finishers that day, Everfast (Take Charge Indy) and For The Top (Arg) (Equal Stripes {Arg}), return over an additional 100 metres.

O'Neill does send his 'B Team' in on Saturday, as the 6-year-old gelding Appreciated (Acclamation), a veteran of the American circuit, hopes to build off of his narrow track-and-trip win in the Listed Curlin S. on Feb. 11.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum's Hypothetical (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) will aim to go one better after finishing 1 3/4 lengths behind Salute The Soldier (Ger) (Sepoy {Aus}) in the 2021 edition, while last year's third-place finisher Roman Rosso (Arg) (Roman Ruler) breaks from gate 11. Fourth in the Dubai World Cup last year, Hypothetical was unplaced in the Jan. 14 G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1. In charge from the front when wheeled back in the one-mile G3 Firebreak S. on Feb. 4, the result was much different, with the 5-year-old entire delivering a 3 1/4-length win.

Dubai City of Gold Hukum's El Dorado?

The 2410-metre G2 Dubai City Of Gold features a field of 14 led by the Owen Burrows-trained Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). Prior to 2021, the Shadwell homebred was a Group 3 winner, however the full-brother to undefeated Group 1-winning miler Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) enjoyed his best season last year with a trio of Group 3 wins at 2400 metres or longer, and he was last seen in action with a 6 1/2-length victory in the Oct. 2 G3 Cumberland Lodge S. at Ascot. Saturday marks his first start outside the UK, and the bay breaks widest of all in gate 14 with Shadwell's retained jockey Jim Crowley in the irons.

It is not purely a one-horse show in the City of Gold, and Niels Petersen saddles Square De Luynes (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}), a seven-for-nine multiple Group 3 winner based in Sweden. He is aiming for his fourth-straight score after taking the Sept. 19 G3 Stockholm Cup International. Ex-Aidan O'Brien trainee Amhran Na Bhfiann (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is also making his first foray in the desert, and the G2 Curragh Cup winner will carry the colours of Mariano Commercial Ltd. and Partners after being knocked down for 78,000gns during the Tattersalls Autumn HIT Sale.

Simon and Ed Crisford's Without A Fight (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), who races for Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, enters on the back of a Newmarket listed victory, and the top Godolphin chance, Feb. 11 course-and-distance winner Global Storm (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}), is signed on as well.

Group 1 Winners Face Off In Turf Sprint

The most intriguing race on the card is probably the G3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint, where last-season Group 1 winners Emaraaty Ana (GB) (Shamardal) and A Case Of You (Ire) (Hot Streak {Ire}) face off against Meydan specialist Acklam Express (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) and last-out course and distance listed winner Man Of Promise (Into Mischief).

Kevin Ryan's Emaraaty Ana and Ado McGuinnesses A Case Of You ran in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively, behind Golden Pal (Uncle Mo). Emaraaty Ana, who won last year's G1 Sprint Cup S. over this six furlong trip, makes his first start since Del Mar, while A Case Of You returned a 3 1/2-length winner going six furlongs at Dundalk on Feb. 11. He won last year's G1 Prix de l'Abbaye going five furlongs.

Though he has never won at Meydan, Nigel Tinkler's Acklam Express has displayed a definite liking for the course; he finished second in last year's G2 Meydan Sprint and third in this race as well as the G1 Al Quoz Sprint. Off the board in two European starts last summer, he was second in the latest edition of the Meydan Sprint, renamed the Blue Point Sprint, on Feb. 18.

Watson Pair Loom Large In Burj Nahaar

The father/son training team of Simon and Ed Crisford send out three runners from their Dubai string on Super Saturday, and their best chance could be Algiers (Ire) (Shamardal) in the G3 Burj Nahaar going a mile on the dirt. The 5-year-old, who was twice Group 3 placed in France last summer, was a winner last out over that surface and distance in the G3 Jebel Ali Mile on Feb. 12.

Algiers will face stiff opposition, however, from the Doug Watson pair of Mubakker (Speightstown) and Golden Goal (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}). Shadwell's 6-year-old Mubakker goes the furthest he has in his career and comes into this off wins going six and seven furlongs on Dec. 9 and Jan. 28. Dale Brennan's 8-year-old Golden Goal was second in last year's G2 Godolphin Mile on World Cup night and won the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge R1 when last seen on Jan. 14, and will be tough returning to that course and distance.

Watson, perennially one of the most powerful local stables, also has a strong chance to close out the card with a win, with Al Tariq among the favourites for the G3 Mahab Al Shimaal going six furlongs on the dirt. The 6-year-old gelding won the G3 Dubawi S. over course and distance on Jan. 21 and was third last out in the G3 Al Shindagha Sprint on Feb. 11.

The post Saturday’s Previews: Super Saturday At Meydan appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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“We're ordinary guys, coming from an ordinary place,” the Irishman explained. “We were finding it hard to get taxis, so we just decided we'd head for the bus, and we had great fun actually. It was one of those bendy busses, so the back of it was going all over the place because we were dancing and singing the whole way into Paris!”

That celebration was well-deserved: McGuiness has trained racehorses for 21 years, working his way up from the lowest ranks to become one of the top 10 trainers in Ireland. In addition, the win meant McGuinness would be making his first trip to the United States for a chance to run in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar.

The son of a vegetable farmer with a background in show jumping had never been one to shy away from hard work, and he found a solid niche in Ireland buying horses from the in-training sales and keeping them running consistently well. 

A partnership with his cousin, Darley Flying Start graduate Stephen Thorne, and the development of ownership syndicate Shamrock Thoroughbreds has helped McGuinness bring a higher class of horse into the stable over the past several years.

The trainer won his first stakes race in 2020 when Current Option captured the Platinum Stakes at Cork on Aug. 8; he sent out a first international winner with Bowerman in the G2 Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Cup in Qatar on Feb. 19, 2021; and he progressed to the Group 1 level when A Case of You scored by a narrow margin in the Prix de l'Abbaye on Oct. 3.

A Case of You, the 3-year-old son of Hot Streak, was also McGuinness' first ever runner at Longchamp. The last time the trainer had been in Paris was for his honeymoon.

“The whole place just went mad,” McGuinness told Friday Night Racing on Off The Ball. “I got a great reception, [jockey] Ronan [Whelan] got emotional, we all got emotional, it was just brilliant. It's hard to describe the feeling really when it happens, your first time, especially in a place like that.

“You just sort of say to yourself, 'Am I dreaming, am I dreaming?' You never think it might happen to you. You'd often be sitting at home watching this race saying, 'God wouldn't you love to be there,' and I'm very privileged that I was.”

Ronan Whelan gallops A Case of You at Del Mar

Owned by McGuinness' longtime friend and owner Gary Devlin, A Case of You joined the stable in early 2021. The colt had been sold as a weanling for just €950 (about $1,100), then was picked up by trainer John McConnell as a yearling when after the 2019 Goffs Sportsman's sale, when bidding stopped at €3,000 (about $3,300).

McConnell trained A Case of You to win at second asking, then to capture a G3 race at The Curragh before he finished for the season. A deal was brokered to sell the colt to Hong Kong but it fell through, allowing McGuinness to step in.

“Going to Hong Kong, with all the x-rays and everything, it can be very hard to pass the vet,” McGuinness explained. “I think there was one little problem with something on x-ray, and we got him x-rayed again, and my vet was very happy with him, and he passed him. We brokered a deal and bought him. He's a very, very cheap horse now, compared to what we paid for him, but he was the most expensive horse I've ever bought.”

At first, McGuinness tried to put A Case of You on the trail for the Classics, but the colt quickly proved he was more effective at sprint distances. By September, A Case of You was facing off with the best sprinters in Ireland, and ran a great second at long odds in the Group 1 Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh. 

That effort, and post-race comments from his jockey Ronan Whelan insisting he would have won had he moved a bit sooner, inspired McGuinness to supplement the colt to the l'Abbaye. Whelan made his move earlier at Longchamp, and got up to win by a short head on the wire.

That success brought about an even more prestigious opportunity in the Breeders' Cup.

Wins the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye @Paris_Longchamp
Waits for a bus home…

The team @adomcguinness1 are truly living the dream, and they're taking their boy, A CASE OF YOU, stateside to the @BreedersCup pic.twitter.com/SVW5hjLoQi

— World Horse Racing (@WHR) November 2, 2021

“We never thought he'd bring me here,” McGuiness said, watching A Case of You train over the dirt at Del Mar ahead of the Breeders' Cup. “I've been all over the world, but never to the U.S. I've been to Australia, Saudi, Dubai, but never the U.S. It's unbelievable.”

McGuinness chose to stick with Whelan, bringing the jockey over to California to ride.

“I've known Ronin since he was an apprentice, and he's a real hell of a good lad, a very underrated jockey,” said the trainer. “There's only very, very few jockeys in Ireland getting an opportunity to come over and ride in a place like this, so it's great for the likes of him. He can come out here, he proved it in Paris. People were saying, 'Oh, put an American jockey on him,' and I said, 'Not a hope!'”

Also of concern was the tight bend of Del Mar's turf course, as well as the turf itself. 

“The tightness, right, is a little bit of a concern, but he's a well-balanced horse so I think he shouldn't have a problem with it,” McGuinness said. “We have a nice draw; there'll be pace on our inside and we can just slot in behind them. When you walk out on it it's not too bad. There's a lovely sponge off it compared to home. When it's firm in Ireland, it's hard-hard, like it's like out there [pointing to the pavement]. We listened to the horses galloping by yesterday in the race, and if you were at home and you listened to the same bunch of horses galloping on firm ground, it'd be a lot harder than what you'd get here. But then, we don't get firm ground too often in Ireland with the weather!”

Jockey Ronan Whelan and trainer Ado McGuinness discuss strategy in the paddock at Del Mar ahead of the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint

A Case of You certainly did not disappoint in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, closing to finish fifth behind Golden Pal.

“He ran a massive race and going past the line would have been placed with a bit further,” McGuinness said after the run. “He's been invited for Hong Kong which is something we'll discuss over the weekend, and if he travels home well it's something we'll think about.”

McGuinness also has plans in the works to run A Case of You at Royal Ascot in 2022, and did not rule out a return to the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland next fall.

“He's just three, and he'll be better next year,” said McGuinness. “I think if he'd run out here even three to four months later, he'd have been much closer at the finish.”

In the meantime, A Case of You is getting some down time in McGuinness' yard at Skylark House Stables, Hayestown, Lusk, Co. Dublin. He'll likely join a group heading to the local beach for a refresher, with McGuinness keeping a watchful eye on his stable star.

“We have a beautiful beach which is not too far away,” McGuinness said. “When the weather's not too bad, it's a beautiful place. It's great mind-wise for a horse just to take them. Usually when we race our horses we go there the next day, just to let them chill out and have a walk around the water. 

“The horses seem to really enjoy it. They love it. On the odd day we get a horse to go swimming, but very seldom. Just up to their knees, and if it's a real calm day, I even go farther with them, right up to their shoulders, and they just love it.”

The future definitely looks bright for McGuinness, who plans to continue to improve the level of his stock while staying as hands-on as possible. He'll still be the first one in the stable each morning, feeding his horses breakfast himself, and driving the trailer to haul them to their races.

“Ireland is probably the hardest country in the world to train horses because we have the best horses, some of the best trainers, and the biggest operations in the world to compete against,” McGuinness said. “I think we've proven that we can train good horses when we get them.”

California Dreamin' this morning as we prepare A Case of You for the @BreedersCup Turf Sprint at @DelMarRacing on Saturday November 6th @WhelanRonan @davekeena1 @bt_osullivan @ShamrockTBS @cianmac01 @WHR @HRIOwners pic.twitter.com/bjjZkxYasO

— Ado McGuinness Racing (@adomcguinness1) October 21, 2021

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“To win your first Group 1 and to win it on one of the biggest days in Europe was very special for everybody involved,” McGuinness said. “[Jockey] Ronan [Whelan] has been riding for me for a long time and to get a Group 1 like that, it was just so special. We can get very vocal sometimes and that's just the way we are no matter what type of winner we have. It was a very special day and something you'll remember for the rest of your life. Words can't really describe what it was like that day. I know what it's like now and hopefully I can experience it again.”

McGuinness could get that chance again on Saturday when he saddles A Case Of You in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. Having arrived in Del Mar on Monday evening, McGuinness was trackside on Tuesday morning to supervise his stable star as the 3-year-old went through an easy canter over the dirt course.

“The horse traveled over very well,” McGuinness said. “He had two days in quarantine and he was very fresh [on Monday] morning and he had a go with his rider, but he had a nice canter this morning and he was more laid back. We're really happy that we have a really good draw and hopefully he'll run a nice race for us.”

That draw is six of 12, which McGuinness said gives Whelan options with A Case Of You.

“I think the six is good for him because he might not have the tactical speed really early, so they can jump and go forward and he can just sit right in behind them,” he explained. “I think it's an ideal draw for him that will leave us with two options, so we're very happy. We're a little concerned because it's a round track and it's tight, but he's handled Dundalk, our all-weather surface at home, and it's round so hopefully he'll put up a bold show.”

A Case Of You has been on an upward trend since joining McGuinness last winter, and he is the type of horse that keeps the smaller operator dreaming. Bought for 950gns as a foal by trainer John McConnell, A Case Of You failed to find a new home at the Goffs Sportsmans yearling sale of 2019, and was led out unsold at €3,000. When McConnell sent A Case Of You to the races in his own colours, it became immediately apparent that the horse had been far undervalued. Third first out at Bellewstown last August going a mile over heavy ground, A Case Of You promptly graduated next out when dropped down to seven furlongs at Down Royal before posting a minor upset when coming home the 6-1 winner of The Curragh's G3 Anglesey S. A Case Of You was then due to be sold to Hong Kong, but when that deal fell through, McGuinness swooped.

“We were looking for a horse at the end of the year and this horse was to be sold to Hong Kong, but the deal fell through so we went looking for him,” the trainer recalled. “We brokered the deal for him just before Christmas. It was a long time trying to get him and it was probably the most money I've ever paid for a horse, yet he wasn't expensive; compared to what he has done today, he was a very cheap horse. I think it's onwards and upwards. the horse is just thriving and he's a rags to riches type of horse. He's very talented and it's a privilege to have him.”

A Case Of You's first outing for McGuinness was a win in a Dundalk conditions race going six furlongs, and he trailed home last of 12 when hanging badly in the seven-furlong Listed 2000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown three weeks later. Dropping back to six, A Case Of You and Whelan took the G3 Lacken S. at Naas, but beat just four home in the G1 Commonwealth Cup, having lost a shoe in running over the heavy ground. After he finished third in the G3 Phoenix Sprint S. again over six furlongs on Aug. 8, McGuinness dropped A Case Of You back to five furlongs for the first time, a move which has transformed the horse. After coming from well out of it to finish second in the G1 Flying Five S. at The Curragh on Sept. 12, A Case Of You made a similar move at ParisLongchamp, sprinting away from the eventual third-placed Glass Slippers (GB) (Dream Ahead) to cut down the lead of Air De Valse (Fr) (Mesnil Des Aigles {Fr}) and hit the line a short head in front. A Case Of You re-opposes the defending Turf Sprint winner Glass Slippers, who he has had behind him his last two outings, at Del Mar.

“The Irish handicapper was sort of knocking him a bit on his two runs, but his first two ever runs over five furlongs were a second in a Group 1 and a win in a Group 1, so you can't get much better than that,” McGuinness said. “If Ronan had ridden him at The Curragh again he might have won the first Group 1 as well, because we were giving him a bit of time. We're learning about him every day, he's still a 3-year-old. It was a hell of a performance and a hell of a ride from Ronan on both days, and I think the second day was a fantastic ride because a lot of people would have given up when the French horse had gone so far clear, but Ronan knew the horse and knew what he could get out of him. It was a world-class ride.”

Today, McGuinness has just shy of 50 horses in his care, and he said the purchase of A Case Of You was part of a plan to focus on upgrading the quality of his stock.

“I'm training 21 years, and the last four or five years we've really upped the ante with regards to trying to buy a better horse,” he explained. “We've won a lot of big sprint handicaps in Ireland and we had our first group race winner last year and we've won two Group 3s since. My cousin Stephen Thorne works for me, he's a Darley Flying Start graduate, and we do a lot of work at the sales and sourcing nice horses in training. We've been lucky with a few yearlings as well that we've bought and we're trying to get more into the yearling market to try to get better owners in. It's not easy in Ireland because it's probably one of the most competitive places in the world to try and train young horses.

“We've definitely upped the ante on our stable the last few years. At the Galway Racing Festival we've won three of the big flat races in the last three years, and it gives us great advertising to try to get more owners into the yard. It's all about getting a better horse into the yard, and we've proved we can train them if we get good horses, so that's what it's all about.”

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Demonstrating the global impact of the sale are 2020 Grade/Group 1-winning graduates River Boyne (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) and Fierce Impact (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who have this year taken top-level contests in the U.S. and Australia. Chris Waller selected Imaging (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) from the Juddmonte consignment last year and he rewarded his trainer with a victory in the G2 Ajax S. Down Under in March.

This year’s Derby favourite English King (Fr) (Camelot {GB}) goes through the ring as a wildcard (lot 1153A) and he is sure to appeal to the Australian market, or any other that relishes a quality middle-distance type. While English King could manage only fifth in the Derby, he did best the subsequent stakes-winning and St Leger-placed Berkshire Rocco (Fr) (Sir Percy {GB}) in the Listed Derby Trial S. at Lingfield.

Another with plenty of potential for the future that was added to the sale last week was John McConnell’s G3 Anglesey S. scorer A Case Of You (Ire) (Hot Streak {Ire}) (lot 1153C). The progressive 2-year-old colt was third at first asking in August before winning at Down Royal prior to the Anglesey. Gussy Mac (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) (lot 334A) is another black-type winning 2-year-old to be offered, he having taken the Listed Dragon S. at Sandown in July, as is the Listed Roses S. scorer Acklam Express (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) (lot 1172). Pattern-placed 2-year-olds catalogued include Devious Company (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) (lot 630), runner-up in the G2 Vintage S. and G2 Superlative S.

The sale features more than 90 stakes performers including 2020 stakes winners Dubai Station (GB) (Brazen Beau {Aus}) (lot 554), Maystar (Ire) (Mayson {GB}) (lot 331) and Royal Dornoch (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) (lot 713).

The Juddmonte consignment last year turned out Imaging, and shrewd buyers will be in the ring for the 25-horse draft that sells on Wednesday. This year’s offerings include the winning and stakes-placed 3-year-old Emissary (GB) (Kingman {GB}) (lot 1126), a half-brother to G1 Derby and G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Workforce (GB), as well as the three-time winning 4-year-old Derevo (GB) (Dansili {GB}) (lot 1130) and dual winning 3-year-old Society Lion (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) (lot 1132).

Shadwell has the largest consignment with 87 catalogued, while The Castlebridge Consignment brings 81 including the highly rated Lord Rapscallion (Ire) (Alhebayeb {Ire}) (lot 1020) and Bullfinch (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) (lot 1100).

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Another stakes-winning 2-year-old added to the catalogue is the Roger Teal-trained Gussy Mac (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) (lot 334A), who won the Listed Dragon S. at Sandown in July. Also among the 2-year-old wildcards are Ascot Adventure (GB) (Mayson {GB}) (lot 746B), a winner at Cork in his lone start, and the filly Choice And Chance (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) (lot 334B), a winner at Fairyhouse on Sept. 21 and a descendant of the influential broodmare Coup de Folie.

Godolphin 4-year-old Khagan (Ire) (Le Havre {Ire}) (lot 746A) brings French group form, having placed in last year’s G3 Prix du Lys and G2 Prix Hocquart.

Click here to view all wildcards for the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale.

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