Loughnane Reveals Plans For Stable Stars

Trainer David Loughnane has pencilled in some big-race engagements for his stable stars Hello You (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and Go Bears Go (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) in the coming months.

The former, an Amo Racing colourbearer, won the G2 Rockfel S. at Newmarket in September and was not disgraced when fifth in a close finish in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 5. Also placed in both the G3 Albany S. and G2 Duchess Of Cambridge S. earlier last year, she is being pointed toward a 1000 Guineas trial and has been entered in the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas at The Curragh in late May.

Another Amo Racing luminary with co-owner P Waney, Go Bears Go took second in the G2 Norfolk S. at Royal Ascot, before added the G2 Railway S. at The Curragh to his ledger in the summer. Third in the G1 Phoenix S. in August, the bay was fourth in Newmarket's G1 Middle Park S. on Sept. 25 and was a puzzling seventh in the G1 Dewhurst S. on Oct. 9. The colt bounced back with flare in his juvenile finale, missing by a half-length in the GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar in November. Loughnane is opting to keep Go Bears Go at sprint trips, and Royal Ascot's G1 Commonwealth Cup is an early-season goal. If all goes well, the colt's long-term aim is another trip to the Breeders' Cup, which will be held at Keeneland in 2022.

“Hello You and Go Bears Go have both looked fantastic on their winter holidays, they've grown and strengthened loads and turned into what we hoped they would,” he said. “We always felt they were going to be nicer 3-year-olds and they certainly look like they've developed into that. They're coming along really well and we're really excited for the season ahead.

“They gave us a great times last year, some of our biggest and best days in racing so far and we feel there's definitely more to come and that's great for the team and for everyone involved.

“Hello You will be targeted at a Guineas trial and Go Bears Go, his long-term target will be the Commonwealth Cup and hopefully back to the Breeders' Cup at the end of the year, so we'll just map things out around those.”

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Breeders’ Cup Next Step For Loughnane

Del Mar, CA–Friday's Breeders' Cup card has been branded as 'Future Stars Friday', and that tag rings true for not only the juveniles vying for divisional championships, but also for a handful of ascendent British-based trainers who have their first runners at the meeting. James Ferguson, who recently joined the Group 1 ranks, sends out Mise En Scene (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) in the GI Juvenile Fillies Turf, while fellow Newmarket conditioner George Boughey saddles Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}) in the same race and Thunder Love (GB) (Profitable {Ire}) in the GII Juvenile Turf Sprint. The Galway-born, Shropshire-based Dave Loughnane likewise has live chances in both the Juvenile Fillies Turf and Juvenile Turf Sprint in Amo Racing's Hello You (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Go Bears Go (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}).

Loughnane and his wife Sarah, who is also a pivotal member of the team based at Helshaw Grange, arrived in Del Mar on Sunday night, just in time to meet their stable stars as they exited quarantine on Monday morning, having themselves flown on Friday.

“Thankfully they both traveled over well and have taken it all in their stride,” said the 34-year-old Loughnane. “They got out onto the track for the first time [Monday] morning and they were both very enthusiastic and happy to get out and stretch their legs. We couldn't be happier with them. They both moved great and took it all in. For two 2-year-olds going away from home and for a trip of this extent for the first time, they've taken it all really, really well.”

Hello You broke her maiden by 6 1/2 lengths at first asking at Wolverhampton in May prior to placing in the G3 Albany S. and G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. for trainer Ralph Beckett. In her first two runs for Loughnane, Hello You had to fight traffic in the closing stages to finish sixth in the G2 Lowther S. and fourth behind Mise En Scene in the G3 Prestige S., but she put it all together last out to beat Cachet and the admirably consistent Oscula (Ire) (Galileo Gold {GB}) in the G2 Rockfel S. going seven furlongs at Newmarket on Sept. 24.

Loughnane wasn't hiding his admiration for the bay filly, who is a close relative of Group 1-winning sprinter Signs Of Blessing (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). “I absolutely love her,” he said. “She's all quality. She has the physique to match her pedigree and whatever she does this year is going to be a bonus. She's going to be a gorgeous 3-year-old. Since she's joined us she's progressed and grown up mentally and physically. She was exceptional in the Rockfel; she was under a second slower than US Navy Flag over the seven furlongs at Newmarket [in the Dewhurst], and he holds the track record. It was a great performance and I think if she can repeat something like that on Friday I think she could run a huge race. So fingers crossed we get a nice draw and we'll see where we are from there. I think a mile for her will be no problem. I've made it pretty clear I think she's a Guineas prospect for next year. I think the quick mile around here should be absolutely fine for her. She was doing her best work over a stiff seven last time out in Newmarket.”

Go Bears Go, meanwhile, was the first Amo Racing runner to arrive at Loughnane's yard and he has been mixing it with the best of his generation all season. A debut winner at Ascot in May, he missed by just a head to the subsequent dual Group 1 winner Perfect Power (GB) (Ardad {GB}) when second in the G2 Norfolk S. at Royal Ascot. Bouncing back five weeks later, Go Bears Go was a game winner of the G2 Railway S. at The Curragh. He was beaten just three-quarters of a length when third in the G1 Phoenix S. and a length when fourth in the G1 Middle Park S., but faltered late on in the G1 Dewhurst S. when trying seven furlongs for the first time.

“He's had a long year and he's danced every dance and hasn't let us down yet,” Loughnane said. “The Dewhurst in hindsight probably wasn't the right option for him at the time but we live and we learn from these things. We're taking a drop back in trip to five furlongs on a sharp track, but he hits the lids, he travels strongly and we'll hope he gets a nice draw and see what he can do. This will be his last run for the year and he'll go for a holiday after this. You don't get a chance to run for a pot like this very often and the team at home, Kia [Joorabchian] and Amo Racing were very keen to take a crack.”

Despite his falter in the Dewhurst, Loughnane said he thinks Go Bears Go will be a six to seven furlong horse next year.

“I think something like the [G1] Commonwealth Cup would be a very likely target on our minds,” he said. “But very much our target for now is Friday and the Juvenile Turf Sprint. I'd love for him to be drawn in the first five or six. They're going to be going hard but he's very, very quick out of the gates; he's like a bullet from a gun. We've put a set of blinkers on him to sharpen him up a small bit and I'm confident he'll hit the lids and wherever he lands we'll let him get into a rhythm from there. It'll be a fast-run five and we know he stays six so he'll be doing his best work in the final furlong.”

Hello You and Go Bears Go are the two best runners to date for Loughnane, who took out his license six years ago. Originally from Galway and with no family history in the business, Loughnane forged his own path, working in a local yard from the age of 13. He then ventured to Australia, where he spent five years between the stables of Bart and Anthony Cummings and Paul Messara, also mixing in some stud farm and pre-training experience along the way. Loughnane moved to the UK in 2013 and spent further time learning the trade under Daniel Mark Loughnane, John Quinn, Tom Dascombe, Sir Mark Prescott, Stuart Williams and David Elsworth. Loughnane took out his license in 2016 and set up in North Yorkshire, but moved into his current yard in Shropshire 2017, with just he and Sarah looking after seven horses. They now have 70 on the books, with 50 in the yard at any given time, and recorded a career-best year in 2020 with 41 wins in Britain, including a first stakes win with Santosha (Ire) (Coulsty {Ire}) in the G3 Princess Margaret S. In addition to their first wins at Group 2 level, 2021 also brought a Royal Ascot winner in Lola Showgirl (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), who won the Kensington Palace S.

“We always felt we were good enough to be competing at the top level but we probably didn't expect to be here this quickly,” Loughnane said. “It's a dream come true to not just be here but to be here with two live chances. It's why we get up in the mornings.”

Though Shropshire is also home to trainer Tom Dascombe, it would be better known for it's National Hunt yards. Loughnane has proven, however, that a horse doesn't need to be stabled in a major training centre to win races.

“You can train winners anywhere, if you've got the facilities and know how they work,” he said. “We're in a very good location, we're in the centre of England and we have 27 tracks within 2 1/2 hours. Traveling around can get quite expensive for owners, so we're in a good location to be able to minimize those costs.”

Of his numbers, Loughnane said, “it's grown pretty rapidly, but that's as big as we'll get. We have no ambition to get any bigger. For us it's about 70 horses of the highest quality and it's just about trying to improve the quality each year.”

Loughnane said his ability to win with horses at all levels has resonated with owners.

“It's easy to train a good horse, they train themselves,” he said. “But you have to be able to win with lower-grade horses and we feel that's probably where we've made our mark, is winning with the lower-grade horses that maybe other people couldn't win with, or thought they couldn't win with, and getting the best out of them. That's our whole ethos, is to get the best out of every horse in our care. The horse comes first for us, and happy horses win races.

“Thankfully we have some very loyal and good owners who are willing to support us and allow us to buy horses for them. We always look for an angle in a horse to improve. Something that works for us may not have worked for someone else, so it's about finding that angle to improve the horse and get the best out of them.”

Loughnane's results last season caught the eye of another ascendant player in the game, Joorabchian of Amo Racing.

“He's brilliant for the game,” Loughnane said. “We constantly need new owners coming into our industry and sport and Kia is very much this new era of owner. He's put a lot of money into the industry and the sport and we're very lucky that he's entrusted us with some of his horses.”

“We had a very good year last year and were training a lot of winners during the winter,” Loughnane added. “Rossa Ryan, [Amo Racing's] stable jockey, was riding a lot for us and I suppose that helped make our name stand out a little more. Kia got in touch with me towards the back end of last season and said they'd be willing to send us a couple horses, and Go Bears Go was the first horse that came to us. They've been brilliant to send us some high quality animals, and that's the sort of horse we need to be able to showcase our talents at the top level.”

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Adayar and Snowfall Supplemented to Arc

Classic winners Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), and Snowfall (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) were both supplemented for €120,000 each to the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on Sunday, bringing the field to 16 at the latest entry stage.

Godolphin's G1 Cazoo Derby and G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. winner is one of two to carry the royal blue in the ParisLongchamp showpiece alongside G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, G1 Grand Prix de Paris and G1 Cazoo St Leger victor Hurricane Lane (Ire) (Frankel {GB}).

Snowfall has enjoyed an outstanding season, kicked off by a win in the G3 Musidora S. at York in May before taking the G1 Cazoo Oaks in June, the July 17 G1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks, and Aug. 19 G1 Darley Yorkshire Oaks. The Coolmore partners colourbearer was only 1 ½ lengths behind Roger Varian's Teona (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the G1 Qatar Prix Vermeille on Sept. 12. Aidan O'Brien also saddles five-time Group 1 winner Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}), successful in the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud in July.

His Highness The Aga Khan's Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal), an electric winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Turf last season and second to the recently retired St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) in the G1 Irish Champion S. on Sept. 11, lines up for Dermot Weld. Shadwell's G2 Darley Prix de Pomone victress Raabihah (Sea The Stars {Ire}) is also signed on from the Jean-Claude Rouget yard, while Richard Hannon sends Derby second and St Leger runner-up Mojo Star (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) for Amo Racing. Alenquer (Fr) (Adlerflug {Ger}) will take part for trainer William Haggas. Germany is represented by Group 1 winner Torquator Tasso (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) for trainer Marcel Weiss.

Japan's four-time Group 1 winner Chrono Genesis (Jpn) (Bago {Fr}) and Sept. 12 G2 Prix Foy victor Deep Bond (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) are also entered. The pair will be ridden by Oisin Murphy and Mickael Barzalona, respectively.

“Cristian [Demuro] couldn't ride for various reasons and I was surprised that Mickael Barzalona was free in the race,” said Ryuji Okubo. “It will depend on the weather [how Deep Bond is ridden]. There is rain forecast over the weekend, so the ground is going to be a little bit softer than it was on the day of the Prix Foy.

“Everything will really depend on the pace of the race and also the draw. In Japan he doesn't usually run from the front, he usually drops in behind the leader and obviously on Sunday we will have to think how that will pan out, but we wouldn't want to have Chrono Genesis just sitting behind.”

The Arc field is rounded out by Cedric Rossi's Group 1 winner Sealiway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}), and the G2 Qatar Prix Niel one-two of Bubble Gift (Fr) (Nathaniel {Ire}) and Baby Rider (Fr) (Gleneagles {Ire}).

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Phoenix on the Docket For Go Bears Go

Saturday's G2 Railway S. hero Go Bears Go (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) will be pointed to the G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. at The Curragh on Aug. 8. Owned by Kia Joorabchian's Amo Racing Limited and P. Waney, Go Bears Go broke his maiden at Ascot on May 8 and was a close second in the G2 Norfolk S. at Royal Ascot on June 17.

“We were obviously thrilled with the horse, especially after going so close at Royal Ascot,” said trainer David Loughnane.

“We've got six weeks until the Phoenix and I think that's where we'll go. He's had a busy 10 days now, so we'll give him a quiet couple of weeks and then we've got three and a half to four weeks to get him ready for the Phoenix. That's the most logical step, I think.”

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