'It's Been A Hard Time But We'll Get Through It – The Horses Give Everyone A Lift'

At first there are tears and then the words come tumbling out. 

“We got a bit of bad news before the Curragh,” Con Marnane explains. “Theresa's cancer is back again. That's why the whole thing was so emotional.”

Theresa is Con's wife and it is her yellow and black silks, made famous by Different League (Fr) (Dabirsim {Fr}) winning the Albany, that were carried to that stirring victory in the G3 Marble Hill S. by Givemethebeatboys (Ire) at Irish racing's HQ.

He is one of two Royal Ascot-bound Bungle Inthejungle (GB) colts that the family have in training with Jessica Harrington, the other being the speedy Supersonic Man (GB), and never has there been more significance behind a Marnane runner at the meeting they adore.

“It's still very raw,” Con starts. “Theresa had cancer 10 years ago but unfortunately it's back again. We only got the news the day before the Goresbridge Sale and then we had to go and face into that at Fairyhouse. 

“That's why Givemethebeatboys winning at the Curragh was so amazing because we had only found out that week. It was very emotional, especially with what Jessie is going through as well. “For some of us, it's been a very, very hard time. But I'll tell you something, those animals are amazing, those horses are just so special. They give everyone a lift.”

It's not just the horses that Con can count on to lift spirits. Similarly to when the industry rallied around Harrington after she shared the news of her breast cancer battle, the outpouring of well wishes and support to the Marnanes has been overwhelming. 

“I have so many top-class friends in this business. It's special. There are some great people in this game and it's a massive help. But we'll get through it. Theresa is very tough and she works as hard as anyone else does here in the yard. We'll get through it.”

Con may be the face of Bansha House Stables, and you won't find many better or more enthusiastic about what he does, but make no mistake, this is a family-run operation and daughters Amy and Olivia are no bit-part players. 

“It touches at the heartstrings and it's great to have the family unit involved. Amy does the buying and Olivia does the riding out in Jessie's. It was Amy who picked out Givemethebeatboys at the sales. 

“She absolutely loved him as a yearling and he was actually our pick of the Goffs Premier Yearling Sale at Doncaster. Unfortunately the horse had a foot abscess at the sales and the Brickley brothers [Tom and David of Ard Erin Stud] had to withdraw the horse. 

“We tried to do a deal there and then but it didn't happen. But then the horse turned up at the Autumn Yearling Sale at Goffs and we bought him there for €11,000.”

Marnane added, “Olivia started working at Jessie's last year. She's in college in Dublin and wanted somewhere to ride out in the mornings. I said to her, 'why don't you try Jessie?' She fell in love with the place when she went in there and the Harringtons have been so good to her. I said we'd send them up a couple of horses as a result and one of those turned out to be Funny Money Honey (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}). She was a revelation. She won a listed race and was third in another listed race up at the Curragh. We sold her very well to America and did the same again this year by sending up a few two-year-olds for Jessie to train for us.”

Funny Money Honey cost just €11,500 as a yearling and fetched 165,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale last year. Givemethebeatboys and Supersonic Man are also now worth many multiples of what the Marnanes handed over for the colts and the excitement is building for their appearance at the Goffs London Sale on the eve of the royal meeting. 

“The Goffs London Sale is effectively a shop window for us,” Marnane explains. “Henry [Beeby] and his team do a great job in making it all happen. They move mountains in order to let horses run in their new owner's colours at Royal Ascot and it's a sale that has been lucky for us in the past. We sold Forever In Dreams (Ire) (Dream Ahead) there [for £430,000] in 2019 and she came out and finished second in the Commonwealth Cup just a few days later. There will be a lot of emotion at Ascot next week and a lot of people will be very interested in these two horses at the sales because they are so special. They are going there with serious chances.”

Givemethebeatboys and Supersonic Man will be joined at the Goffs London Sale by Bansha House graduates Rush Queen (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}) and Tiger Belle (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}), both of whom have won maidens for trainer Ado McGuinness after their purchase at the breeze-up sales by Stephen Thorne on behalf of the Shamrock Thoroughbred Syndicate. 

Rush Queen cost 50,000gns at the Craven while Tiger Belle fetched £70,000 at Doncaster. In the grand scheme of things, it's not what you'd call breaking the bank for two Royal Ascot contenders, and in many ways their sale prices illustrate an up-and-down year for Marnane at the breeze-ups. 

Fleeting Spirit (Ire), Prince Of Lir (Ire), Rio De La Plata and Sands Of Mali (Fr) are just a handful of recognisible names that have graduated through Marnane's system but the leading source of talent says that he is paying a penalty for the fact that his horses don't break the clock in their breeze. 

He explained, “The breeze-ups have gone very difficult. Our horses are not drilled to do two furlongs. I'm sorry, they're not. But it's amazing, their last two furlongs are usually their best! 

“There's too much emphasis on times. It's not my way of doing it. Call me old-fashioned. Maybe I'm an old-fashioned horseman or something like that, but that's the way we do it and I'm not changing. I want our horses to be racehorses. I want them to go into their new trainers and new owners and to be lovely and relaxed. And when they are asked to go, they go. 

“But fair play to Ado and Stephen, they stood up and they bought those horses. There was a big shortage of trainers at the sales but look what can happen when they do turn up. If you want to go to Royal Ascot, and there's only one Royal Ascot, you need to turn up at the sales.”

Givemethebeatboys has shortened into a general 8-1 chance for the Coventry with the news Frankie Dettori has been booked to take the ride. Supersonic Man will take his chance in the Windsor Castle rather than the Norfolk and, if either colt was to enter the winner's enclosure, chaos is guaranteed. 

“There is just no feeling like Royal Ascot,” Marnane says. “It's a pure adrenaline rush to have a runner over there and it would be so exciting for everybody involved if the horses were to run well. 

“It's not just for me, it's for my team here. There's a core group of people who have been with us for 30 years, the likes of Mike O'Brien, John Crosse, who breaks in all the horses, Danny and Emma in the office. 

“Then we have our operation in France and the guys in France come over here for the spring to get the horses ready so it's a big team effort. And for Jessica and Kate and the whole Harrington team, there will be a lot of emotion at Ascot next week. It would be just out of this world if it were to happen. Hopefully we can give everyone something to shout about.”