Stable Tour

It was two years ago this week that Cachet (Ire) won the G3 Nell Gwyn S. at Newmarket's Craven Meeting, setting her on the path to Classic glory for trainer George Boughey, who enjoyed the biggest success of his burgeoning career so far when the daughter of Aclaim (Ire) returned to the Rowley Mile to win the G1 1,000 Guineas less than three weeks later. That was a maiden victory at the top level for Boughey, who wasted no time doubling his tally in 2023 when Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet...

Leading trainer Johnny Murtagh has identified the leading juvenile prospects that he is looking forward to unleashing this season but spoke out about the increased levels of frustration that trainers are facing when it comes to hanging on to their big-name stars due to what he describes as stagnant levels of prize-money in Ireland.  The Group 1-winning handler has called on Horse Racing Ireland, who announced a €1.4 million increase to prize-money [to €69.4 million] for 2024 in the latest budget, not to rest on its laurels.  Murtagh, who runs...

Jessica Harrington is the most successful female trainer that Ireland has ever produced. The 76-year-old has sent out multiple Cheltenham Festival winners, including the legendary Champion Chaser Moscow Flyer (Ire), as well as Classic winners Alpha Centauri (Ire) and Magical Lagoon (Ire) from her Moone-based stables in County Kildare. Plans are now afoot to take home more big-race riches this season and, despite the fact that Harrington is undergoing chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer, there is only one topic of conversation at the breakfast table at this time of year....

The Johnston approach to sourcing talent sounds terribly simplistic and there's no doubting that it has appeared that way through the oodles of success the Middleham men have had on the racecourse. But this year was an important one for the Johnstons with Charlie taking over from his father Mark, the winningmost trainer of all time in Britain, who opened up on how he tackles the yearling sales to TDN Europe last year. Given the importance of Charlie enjoying a productive debut season as a full-fledged trainer and the need...

Ger Lyons has been competing at the top table of Irish racing for well over a decade and recorded breakthrough Classic success in 2020 when Siskin (First Defence) stormed to G1 Irish 2000 Guineas glory under Colin Keane at the Curragh. The pair didn't have to wait long to record their second when, just five weeks later, Even So (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) landed the Irish Oaks. Lyons has a typically-strong team of older horses to go to war with this season. Tough Talk and Hellsing appear to be the pick...