Andy Slattery: 'Competing Against The Top Lads Makes You Raise Your Game'

Son of the former jockey turned trainer Andy Slattery snr, Tipperary native Andy Slattery was crowned joint-champion apprentice in 2019 alongside Oisin Orr. 

At just 23 years of age, Slattery has already amassed a glittering CV, having won big-race prizes for Dermot Weld, Eddie Lynam, Fozzy Stack and his own father Andy, for whom he has built up an excellent partnership with. 

Slattery's decision to swap Dundalk for Dubai, where he rides as number two jockey behind fellow Irishman Tadhg O'Shea for trainer Bhupat Seemar, has worked out well this winter.

In this week's Q&A, Slattery talks about all things riding in Dubai and outlines his hopes for the new domestic season in Ireland.

You have swapped Dundalk for Dubai this winter and it seems to be going very well.

A lot of people advised me to do it and it has been a complete no-brainer. I've had the chance to get on some nice horses, pick up good prize-money and live a very different lifestyle than I would at home. I wouldn't say it's a different quality of life but you are certainly treated a lot differently in Dubai than back home. 

Is this your first trip away as a rider?

I have been to America but I never rode in races over there. I worked with Paddy Gallagher at Santa Anita and rode in a lot of work. It's funny, a lot of what I picked up in America has stood to me in Dubai because a lot of our work out here is done on the clock. Having that clock in your head has been a life saver. Bhupat trains very similarly to how they do it in America and, if I hadn't spent that time in the States, I'd say I would have been lost. There are about 10 or 11 work riders here in the yard and everyone knows their job and what times they have to do each morning. These are top horses in Bhupat's and there is no room for error. It's a very good system he has in place. 

What has been the biggest learning curve for you in Dubai? I'd hazard a guess that riding those big dirt horses is a bit different to riding around Roscommon and Sligo.

They are absolute bulls, they're class and I love riding on the dirt here. Funnily enough, I was joking with Caroline, who is Bhupat's wife and was my neighbour back home in Ireland, that some of these dirt horses look like point-to-pointers. Some of them could be mistaken for our National Hunt horses, they are that big and powerful. But I tell you something, by God they can move. I get some thrill riding on the dirt. The horses are so tough and hardy. The good ones travel and just keep finding and finding. It's all rhythm. It's a different style of riding altogether out in Dubai, though. Say Friday night, for example, you had Christophe Soumillon, Oisin Murphy, Jim Crowley and many of the top riders from all over the world riding at Meydan. Competing against those lads, it makes you raise your own game and you become sharper and a better rider as a result. The one thing I would say is that Ireland is extremely competitive as it is and you don't get anything easy back home. That probably stands to you when you come abroad because you are used to not getting anything easy. 

We saw your cousin Ben Coen flying the flag for Ireland in Australia over the winter as well. That's another case in point for the benefits of going away and getting out of your comfort zone.

Big time. I suppose it is the same with everything, when you go to different places and see how they do things, it can't do you any harm. Stepping outside of your comfort zone, as you say yourself, can only be a good thing and I feel the benefits of it. I came out here on holiday two years ago. I came for a month and just rode out for Charlie Appleby. It was a bit of a working holiday but I really loved it. I had a couple of spins in Arab races and they are quirky but it was a good experience. I'm riding those a bit more frequently but they don't get any easier. Luckily I was given the opportunity to come back this year to ride for Bhupat and it has been going well. 

And how would you look back on last year's season in Ireland?

Things were going great up until when I fractured my vertebrae in a fall riding out. I missed the last couple of months of the season so, all things considered, it was a good year. That injury actually delayed me a little bit when I got out here but, once I got the all clear, it hasn't been a bother. I've had a couple of winners for Bhupat so it's a case of so far so good. 

We all know the prize-money in Ireland can't compete with the likes of Dubai so I'd imagine you have felt those winners a bit more than you would if you had won a nice handicap at home.

That's spot on. The prize-money is very good out here and being able to earn tax free is a big bonus as well. Take riding fees, prize-money etc, none of that is taxed over here so, even if you finish third or fourth in a race, it's a very good payday for a rider. It's not simple to make the game pay back home in Ireland. You have to ride a couple of nice winners every year, definitely. I have been involved in horses outside of the riding and I love the bloodstock side of things so I have been lucky enough in that side of things. If you weren't riding a good few winners or at least bagging one or two big pots a season, you wouldn't exactly be flying it in Ireland. 

We know your father Andy and the rest of the family are excellent horsemen and have had some brilliant horses through their hands. For example, your Dad trained Faugheen to win his point-to-point before selling him to Rich Ricci and Willie Mullins. Do you dip your toe in that side of the business as well?

Big time. I am stuck in five or six young horses and it will be up to Dad if we go racing them or selling them. It's a great interest and Iove that side of the sport. 

You had a great year with your Dad last year riding eight winners for him. Without his backing, it would probably be fair to say it would have been a tough season.

The way Ireland has gone, you only ride for the people who you ride out for or who ride work for as there are only a handful of spare rides up for grabs. We have a family-run yard and I am happy to help out the four or five days a week. I also ride out for Fozzy Stack two days of week and spend an odd Saturday with John O'Donoghue on the Curragh. I rode winners for all of those trainers last season but, the big thing is, you need a stable behind you. I've been lucky enough to have worked for some very good trainers, the likes of Dermot Weld for example, and it's good to be able to bring that sort of experience to the table at home and fire ideas around. Whatever we are doing, it seems to be working well and we are getting some good results. You'd like to think that, if we were to get our hands on some of those nicer horses, we could do the job as well as anyone. It can be tough to get your hands on those horses, though, because we are a selling yard. That can be tough for me as a rider because, as soon as we have one who runs well or wins a maiden, the likelihood is that the horse will be sold. Then you are left searching for the next one and they aren't easy to find. The strength of Irish racing is a major plus when it comes to selling one but sometimes it can come at the detriment of leaving yourself short on ammunition for the track. It's not simple taking on Aidan O'Brian and Ger Lyons and we are operating on a budget but thankfully it's going well.  

What would the hope be for the new year back home in Ireland?

It's the same as every year; try to win as many races as I can and to get on as many nice horses as I can. We've 20 two-year-olds so hopefully some of those can shape up to be nice. It has been nothing to do with me so far, all of the lads have been doing the heavy lifting over the winter, but I have to say I am looking forward to seeing what we have to go to war with this season. I'll be home in the second week of March and Dad tells me we have lovely colts by Mohaather (GB), Blue Point (Ire), Without Parole (GB) and Instilled Regard so hopefully there will be plenty to look forward to this year.