Con Marnane | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘He’s Potentially A Group Horse’ – Conran Full Of Hope For Leopardstown Winner

Everybody is searching for that flagbearer. Be it a jockey, trainer or an owner, the hunt for a horse capable of taking in big-race riches, that's the lure

Breeze-up consignors are no different. Being associated with good horses is what sustains a business and keeps buyers coming back for more. That's what makes Sunday's Leopardstown maiden winner Ecureuil Secret (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) such an important horse in the career of Ryan Conran.

Having put down two big stints working for prominent breeze-up handlers Con Marnane and Thomond O'Mara, Conran has been connected to many top-class horses, but Ecureuil Secret is shaping up to be the first flag-bearer sold through his own Lacka House Stables.

After failing to sell at the Arqana May Breeze-Up Sale last year, the €22,000 yearling purchase was snapped up privately by trainer Edward O'Grady on behalf of owner Aidan O'Ryan last summer. Afforded time to fill into his fine frame, Ecureuil Secret made his debut in a one-mile maiden at Leopardstown on Sunday, justifying strong support to score in the style of an above-average colt.

Conran said, “I have only been consigning under Lacka House Stables since 2020 and, while I have worked with a lot of good horses and sold some nice horses through Knockanglass Stables [Thomond O'Mara] and Eoin McDonagh's Shanaville Stables, Ecureuil Secret is potentially the nicest I've sold under my own banner.”

He added, “Edward had an order for a two-year-old and I think he tried and failed to fill that order at the Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-Up Sale. He looked at a couple of Thomond's horses that were going to the July Sale in France and then, afterwards, looked at my lad as well. He liked Ecureuil Secret and asked if I'd work him in his yard that week.

“That all went well and we had a deal done a few days later. Edward gave the horse the time that he needed and now he has a very nice colt on his hands-he's potentially a Group horse.”

Ecureuil Secret (right): winning at Leopardstown | Racingfotos.com

Ecureuil Secret does not hold any fancy entries at this juncture but that might change soon. Described as 'a very nice horse' by O'Grady in his post-race interview, the Wootton Bassett colt is the latest example that smart horses don't have to break the clock at the breeze-up sales.

Conran recalled, “He was not your typical breeze-up horse–he was big and raw but he always had a big engine and showed plenty of pace. He was just on the weak side. With that being considered, he couldn't have gone to a better trainer in Edward O'Grady, as he gave him all of the time that he needed.”

Ecureuil Secret might be the first horse that Conran is getting deserved recognition for but this is far from his first rodeo. He has been a key cog in the wheels of various big operations and has enjoyed many fine touches before branching out on his own.

Explaining his background in the industry, Conran said, “Thomond is married to my aunt, Roisin O'Mara, and they taught me how to ride. They have taught me so much. I rode a lot of good horses for Thomond, including Malc (GB) (Calyx {GB}), who finished second in the Norfolk last year, and I still ride two lots for him every day.

“All told, I've been pinhooking and trading breeze-up horses for seven or eight years now.

Happy Together (Ire) (Dragon Pulse {Ire}) is probably the best horse that I have been associated with up until now. He has won over €3 million in prize-money in Hong Kong. I bought him for £15,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale when it was held at Newmarket during Covid in 2020. Thomond took half of the horse with me and I actually consigned him at Doncaster but he didn't breeze well and we withdrew him. I didn't do so well selling him at Doncaster so Thomond had a go at consigning him at Tattersalls Ireland!”

Conran added, “He wasn't ideally-suited to breezing–not every horse is–because he liked to pass horses and never really did it on his own. I met Peter Nolan the night before Goresbridge and, thankfully, he listened to me and came down and looked at the horse the following day. He didn't breeze brilliantly again but, Peter is such a brilliant horseman, he saw enough in the horse and bought him for £24,000 on behalf of Noel Meade. He nailed it.”

Nadowessi (Ire) (Sioux Nation), who finished second in a winners' race at Naas before being sold on to America, and rock-solid sprint handicapper Secret Guest (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), are other graduates.

Like so many of the young breeze-up handlers who are making a proper go of it in their own right, Conran also speaks highly of his time spent working for Marnane, and credits the Bansha House operator for fast-tracking his progress within the industry.

He said, “I spent three or four years working for Con Marnane and had a great time working for him. I rode a lot of nice horses for Con–Sands Of Mali (Fr), Prince Of Lir (Ire), Different League (Fr), Teppal (Fr)–and went out to France when Matthieu Palussiere was looking after his string out there. When you think back now, so many of the staff that Con sent out to France are running their own breeze-up consignment now, so that's hardly a coincidence. You could call him the Jim Bolger of the breeze-up game!

“Off the top of my head, you had Stephen Byrne [Knockgraffon], Justin Timmons [Dolmen], Eoin Mc Donagh [Shanaville], Colin Bargary [Drummona House] and Shane 'Rancher' Ryan as well. Con had a brilliant method in place and we all learned a lot there. It helped me realise what a good horse actually feels like and that helps when you are standing outside your own consignment.

It seems as though Marnane is indebted to Conran just as much as the latter is to the Bansha boss.

“He didn't just ride Different League every day,” Marnane recalls of Conroan's input, “he practically trained that filly. Ryan is a special horse man and you'd be proud to see himself and the lads doing so well out on their own.”

While becoming bigger and better is the name of the game, Conran explained how his rapid progress came as a surprise even to him at one stage last autumn. However, there is no such thing as a problem in Conran's world, only solutions.

He said, “We've nine horses this year but at one point we were a little short of room! My partner Pamela and myself bought a small place near Fethard in Tipperary a couple of years ago. We don't have a gallop yet but we try to improve the place every year. To that extent, we have been relying on the help of our neighbour, Johnny Cummins, who lets us use his gallop.”

He continued, “The other little hurdle we had to jump recently was a lack of stables! There were only eight stables when we moved in and, as I said earlier, I buy a couple of horses every year with Eoin McDonagh, but we were both full by the time Book 3 came around. Anyway, Eoin fell in love with a Starspangledbanner (Aus) filly and we couldn't leave her behind. We just couldn't help ourselves.

“When I got home, I said that I had no other option to convert the garage into stables. I rang a couple of mates and we had it up in no time. When I started off buying breezers, I did it with Eoin and his aunt, Noleen O'Brien, and they have also been very good to me and gave me a great start. Wherever you go in this game, there are so many people willing to give you a hand, and I'm forever grateful to so many people.”

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‘We Breed Them Tough Here’ – Marnane Brews Up A Storm At Bansha BBQ

Dozens of flights were cancelled, 34,000 homes were left without power, roads were closed due to fallen trees and race meetings were lost as Storm Kathleen raged across Ireland.

Only Con Marnane could organise a BBQ in the middle of one of the worst storms the country has faced in months and it be deemed a success.

The plan to stage Saturday's open morning at Bansha House Stables was first hatched when the Marnane family visited the Magic Millions Sale in Australia and, despite the weather in Tipperary, Con couldn't have been happier with how the idea was recieved by buyers and racing fans alike.

He said, “We're absolutely thrilled with how the day went. Weather-wise, it was the worst day we've had all year. People were ringing me at seven o'clock this morning wondering if it was going to go ahead or not but I told them that they are bred tough down here. We had about 500 people here this morning and, while the weather was horrendous, we had a lovely time.”

Marnane added, “I was at the Magic Millions Sale in January and they looked after us so well over there–I was blown away by the generosity of the sales company. I said to myself when I came home that we are not doing enough to promote our own industry here which is why I decided to have an open day with a nice BBQ and drink for whoever wanted to visit us. About 20 people–agents and trainers–came over from England and I very much appreciate them giving us their time.”

John and Sean Quinn, Dylan Cunha, Jamie Piggott and Jeremy Brummit are just a few of those who made the trip across the Irish Sea. It was actually the latter, who, in showering Marnane with praise, said, “It's just a pity more British trainers didn't make the trip to see how it's done because the majority of people with a training licence in Britain wouldn't have been able to pull off what Con has done today. It's a bloody credit to him.”

South African native Cunha was happy to have returned to the man who provided him with his big hope for the season. The Newmarket-based handler's El Bufalo (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) was led out unsold at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale by Marnane's Bansha House Stables 12 months ago at 22,000gns. Fast forward to this spring, and the Wolverhampton maiden winner holds an entry for the 2,000 Guineas, albeit he is a 100-1 shot for the early-season Classic.

Cunha explained, “We bought El Bufalo from Bansha House last year. It's a very good farm. El Bufalo is still in the Guineas and is a horse we like a lot. We got a nice Ten Sovereigns from Con and he is very nice as well. We bought three horses from the breeze-ups last year and they have all done well so we're hoping to buy more this year.”

The trainer continued, “We don't have a big owner behind us so we are trying to find value. Basically, we don't look at the times. We just look for the ones who move nicely. We have to be shrewd–El Buffalo hung in his breeze because he cut his mouth. But we liked how he moved and we ended up buying him pretty cheaply. Hopefully we can find another.”

Cunha was not the only man returning to Marnane in search of more big-race riches. Trainer Ado McGuinness, who snapped up Rush Queen (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}) and Tiger Belle (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) from Marnane last year, was busy scouting the barns.

Meanwhile, bloodstock agent Hubie de Burgh, who looks after the interests of Bronson Racing, the buyer of Givemethebeatboys (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}), was also making the most of the occasion.

De Burgh said, “Con is the best in the business at this sort of thing. But, at the end of the day, the results speak for themselves and buyers will return to a place that is having results on the track. We've been working with Con for years and he just keeps coming up with good horses.”

He added, “What's also so impressive about Con is, he doesn't have success by buying a lovely Dubawi (Ire) or something, he does it by going out and buying a bloody good-looking horse by a lesser stallion. We're involved in some small little way with Givemethebeatboys but how on earth did Con buy that horse for what he did as a yearling? I have no idea.

“Not only that but, we're down here in the middle of a hurricane, and not one of those young horses looked like they were going to buck their rider off. I don't know how he does it but it's just pure professionalism and the horses are a credit to him. Long may it last.”

McGuinness was similarly impressed by the professionalism on show, describing the four or five lots of two-year-olds that were put through their paces as “similar to old handicappers” given how not one of the youngsters as much as turned a hair.

But we'd all be kidding ourselves if we came away from the morning without acknowledging the huge degree of poignancy in the air given it is just five months since Theresa, Con's wife, passed away aged 61.

McGuinness said, “We've dealt with Con these past few years and have been successful. When you get results working with somebody, you're always more likely to come back. He's just a great guy.

“Man, he hasn't had an easy year but he's just a top-class man. To be able to pull this all together given what they have all been through in the past few months is incredible. Fair play to them.”

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Amy Marnane Q&A: ‘This Industry Is Like A Big Family – It’s Very Special’

There were few more deserving winners at this year's ITBA Awards than Amy Marnane. At just 30 years of age, Marnane has crammed a lot in. From breeding to pinhooking and even consigning horses under her own name, Marnane has accomplished plenty in the industry, which led to her scooping the Next Generation Award.

Of course, that award was tinged with sadness after the death of Marnane's mother, Theresa, at the age of 61 in December.

In this week's Q&A, Marnane discusses how the bloodstock industry has served as a tonic in times of sadness, her hopes for Givemethebeatboys and much more.

BS: In all of his 25 years hosting the awards, Master of Ceremonies Leo Powell said he'd never seen a standing ovation like the one you received at the ITBA Awards last Sunday? That must have been pretty special.

AM: It was a very emotional night. Sure I just thought there would be a small award and everyone would clap but there was a standing ovation when I went up to the stage and then again when I came back down after I got the award. It was just unbelievable. It meant a lot and it certainly put a lump in my throat. Although I might not show it on the outside, it was very special. For the ITBA to even put my name to paper initially, and then to be picked as the winner, it's just incredible. Obviously the award was tinged with sadness after we lost Mum in December but this industry is like a big family. Whenever anyone is going through something, the whole industry rallies around them. It's very special.

We've been through some desperately sad times as an industry. Take the death of Pat Smullen or Jack de Bromhead as an example. The sport tends to pull together in hard times and I gather it was no different when Theresa passed away. To that extent, I think we can be immensely proud of our industry.

Completely. It's an amazing game. We found out that Mum had cancer the morning of the breeze at the Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale. We tried to keep it quiet but people knew that there was something up and that something was wrong. By the time the yearling sales came around, the word was out that Mum was sick. Any consignment we went to visit, you wouldn't be met with a, 'hello, how are ya? What would you like to see?' You were met with a, 'how's your Mum and is there anything we can do?' Mum passed away during the December Mares Sale at Tattersalls. It's the biggest funeral I have ever seen but, if that sale hadn't been on, there would have been even more people there. The phones were hopping. We got through Christmas and headed off to Australia for a holiday. Even at the Goffs February Sale just gone, people have still been amazing. Frances Smullen, in particular, has been very good to us. Obviously she has been through everything with Pat and was there to offer us a helping hand. I must say that, in the sales ring or on the track, everyone in the industry is ready for a dog fight but, when you go through something like this, you couldn't ask for better people to rally around you. The industry has shown this time and time again and I'm hugely proud to be a part of it.

Your life has been a soundtrack of horses for as long as you can remember. I can only imagine that, for all of the big days and success that you have enjoyed, the horses and working closely with them were just as important to you when you were going through such difficult times.

Absolutely. Going out to the yard every morning and keeping yourself busy was important. Con is a bit like a child, you need to keep him busy all the time, but even he will tell you the very same–it was getting up every morning and getting into the yard to watch the horses canter or to simply just be around them, that proved to be a major therapy for us and helped us to take our minds off everything else that was going on. They're incredible animals and the team of people we have working with us are equally as important. I couldn't thank them enough for what they have done for us. They would literally stand on their heads for you. They look after us just as much as they look after the horses. Particularly Mike O'Brien, Mr Ribchester himself, he has been an absolutely saint. He manages everything at home and without him we'd be lost.

You've gathered up a lot of experience in the industry in your 30 years. Is there a certain path you'd like to go down or are you happy to continue as you are with your finger in so many pies?

I think it's important not to put all of your eggs in one basket. Some years the breeze-up horses can be very lucrative and the next year it might be the foals that you bred or the yearlings that you pinhooked that do well. Once you have your finger in every pie, something is bound to go right every year. That has to happen to keep the whole thing afloat. If the truth be known, we're probably completely addicted. If there's any Flat sale on, we'll be there. Trading horses is our business.

I suppose you're getting sick talking about Givemethebeatboys (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}) but he provided you all with plenty to smile about last year and the best may yet be to come in 2024.

I'll never get sick of talking about that horse. He has been a revelation. The Brickley brothers, who sold him to us, have been unbelievable and have tracked his journey the whole way through. The horse was bred by Mrs Rogers at Airlie Stud and you just can't beat those families. Givemethebeatboys got us through last year. To go and make that kind of money at the Goffs London Sale, to win the Marble Hill and to run such a good race in the Coventry Stakes, he's just been phenomenal for us. He's done very well over the winter-he's grown and filled out. Hopefully this time next year we'll be sending mares to him.

The Commonwealth Cup would presumably be the big aim for him this year?

Look, Royal Ascot is what it's all about for us. We finished second in the Commonwealth Cup with Sands Of Mali (Fr) so we'd love to go and win it. The King's Stand Stakes is also an option and, to be honest, it would just be a dream to win any of the big sprint races with him. The Sands family own the majority share in Givemethebeatboys and they have been so good to us. They are really, nice genuine people and I just hope the horse can go on for them this year and that we have a very exciting horse to look forward to together this summer.

What was the result that got the whole thing off the ground for you?

I had just finished my honours degree in Equine Science when I went over to America in 2015. I had been buying a few foals here and there in Ireland and, before I went to America, Con told me that if I saw a nice foal in America, to go and get it bought. I saw this Orb foal–it was his first crop-and I bought him for $13,000. I gave him to Gerry Dilger, who has been so good to me, to prep him for the year. Gerry rang me and told me that the horse was getting into Book 2 at Keeneland in September. I was expecting him to tell me that the horse got into Book 4 or something. We chanced it anyway and the horse went on to make $125,000 and he turned out to be a Stakes horse. We were delighted with the price and even more delighted that he turned out to be a good racehorse. His name was Zero Gravity.

What do you do with $125,000 in your mid-20s? I know what I'd do!

I reinvested the money. Con told me to go back and buy a couple of breezers and I did. I bought an Uncle Mo colt for $40,000. We brought him to the Craven Breeze-Up Sale and he made 150,000gns. He turned out to be a very good horse called Corrosive and was sold on again at the Tattersalls Horses-In-Training Sale in October 2018 for 450,000gns, so that was another good result.

To have someone like Con in your corner must be brilliant. I know he said it half tongue in cheek at the awards night on Sunday, but you really couldn't have learned off many better people in the industry, could you?

I'd never say this to him but I'm probably the luckiest person in the world. We get up at seven o'clock in the morning to feed the horses together. I watch them galloping with him, and see all the things that he does with them, which is a lot-there's a treadmill, a swimming pool, they go away to gallop and we've five different gallops. His mind is working overtime. He never dwells on the past and never stops thinking about what he can do next to improve. Whether that's staying up to three in the morning Googling how to produce his own Alfalfa hay in Ireland or looking at the next gadget for the yard, he never stops. He'd always say that you never stop learning in this game and he's a prime example of that. He's a bit of a freak lately.

It's not just Con that you have struck up a good relationship with. You've enjoyed some good results with his brother and your uncle David through buying a number of yearlings to race in the famous MRC International silks each year. Lady Tilbury (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) and Night Moon (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) are two good examples given that both horses made six figures at the horses-in-training sale last year.

David has been so good to us and the whole family has grown closer in recent times. I buy all of David's yearlings and we've had plenty of luck. We never spend huge money on a horse and we have to try and think outside the box. Lady Tilbury cost us just 18,000gns and was sold to Paddy Twomey for 150,000gns and I hope she's very, very lucky for him. She's a very good filly. Night Moon came from Germany. He's a bit different to the horses that I usually buy but he won impressively for David at Listowel and was sold to Harold Kirk on behalf of Willie Mullins for 100,000gns. He could be an exciting horse going forward over hurdles for them.

There you go. You grew up watching with the Bansha Bullets but a nice horse is a nice horse no matter what the code and you can clearly spot them, whether they are out-and-out speedsters or middle-distance types. What is it that you look for at the sales?

You know a nice horse when it comes out of the box. The horse literally needs to take one or two steps and it's either a yes or a no. You need an intelligent-looking horse who has a good ear and a good eye. Different people like Mike and Mary Ryan, Niall Brennan, Gerry Dilger, Peter and Ross Doyle and even a lot of vets, they'd forgive a horse for not being perfect in front. I don't think we should start messing with them in terms of putting screws in and things like that. It can cause more trouble than good. I usually find that, if a horse is strong enough behind, he'll keep the weight off his front legs.

Finally, your family is known for unleashing top-notch two-year-old talent so I can't let you go without nominating one or two for us to keep an eye on this year.

I wish we had a Pinatubo (Ire) in the yard. We tried and tried to buy one last year but we kept coming up short. I think he is in for a big year. We have a couple by Sands Of Mali and they are very nice. They have super temperaments and have huge hind quarters. His progeny remind me a lot of him because they have such good attitudes. We have 24 to breeze this year. There are some very special horses in there-four Blue Points, four Havana Greys, a very talented Starspangledbanner (Aus) out of a sister to The Tin Man (GB) and a half-brother to Sands Of Mali himself who goes really well. There's a lot of quality in there.

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Group 1-Winning Owner Theresa Marnane Dies

The bloodstock world is united in grief with the Marnane family following the death of Theresa Marnane on Saturday at the age of 61.

An immensely popular member of the racing and breeding community, Marnane, along with her husband Con and daughters Amy and Olivia, was widely successful in many sectors of the business. The family's Bansha House Stables in Tipperary has long been successful at the breeze-up sales, with the top-class winners Rio De La Plata, Fleeting Spirit (Ire) and Amadeus Wolf (Ire) being among their many graduates.

They are also successful owners and breeders. Theresa Marnane's yellow-and-black silks have been carried by a number of good horses, including the G1 Racing Post Trophy winner Palace Episode and most recently the G3 Marble Hill S. winner Givemethebeatboys (Ire). She was the leading owner of two-year-olds in France on a number of occasions, with the victories invariably coming with inexpensively bought youngsters selected by Con and Amy Marnane.

It was the 2017 G3 Albany S. winner Different League (Fr) who sparked perhaps the most memorable celebrations when beating subsequent multiple Group 1 winner Alpha Centauri (Ire) at Royal Ascot. Bought as a foal for €8,000, the daughter of Dabirsim (Fr) won her first three starts for the Marnanes and was then placed in both the G1 Prix Morny and G1 Cheveley Park S before being sold for 1.5 million gns to Coolmore and Peter Brant.

Different League's Royal Ascot victory came four years after Theresa, a solicitor by trade, had undergone cancer treatment for the first time, and her success on racing's biggest stage was enjoyed wildly, both on the day and with a huge party at the family's Tipperary home later that summer. The couple celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in May, and they were rarely seen apart: Theresa's warm and ever-smiling presence perfectly complementing her husband's natural exuberance.

“I met Theresa 43 years ago at Danny O'Connell's, when she was riding out there,” said Con Marnane on Saturday.

“We've just been overwhelmed by the support of everyone in the racing and breeding industry, the breeze-up consignors, the trainers, owners and jockeys. She was a very special person to so many people. Everyone loved her.”

He added, “There will be a celebration of Theresa's life at Bansha House on Tuesday after mass in our local church at 11am. We would love for as many of her friends to be there as possible and for those who can't we will make details available to follow the service online.”

The loss of Theresa Marnane will be mourned by her many friends in racing, and especially by Con, Amy, Olivia and her extended family, to whom we offer our sincere condolences.

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