YES, I was blow-drying the dogs while watching the racing. They are enthusiastic fans of racing, and of the Five Nations rugby in the winter!”

Lyn Morris was in good company as she watched the Group 3 Prix de Meautry at the weekend. One of the Deauville features, it was won by the Charlie Hills-trained, Susan Roy-owned Garrus (Acclamation), bred in the name of Mrs Max Morris.

Modestly, Lyn claims that she is only co-breeder. “I think that it was a misprint that I was named as the breeder of Garrus, but I’ll take it!

“I suppose, as I paid for Queen Of Power, I qualify. He is certainly the best I’ve bred to date as he is the only one to date.

“Hopefully the bonus of being married is that I am co-breeder of them all with Max!”

There is an African proverb that says ‘it takes a village to raise a child’. Well it takes a team to raise a horse, and Lyn and Max give enormous credit to their mainstay, Richie O’Gorman. The move to employ the former trainer was, according to Lyn, “the best decision we have made. All success is due to him and those working with him. We would not be able to run the farm without him.

“He is a brilliant horseman and overseer of the paddocks, and is also in charge of the cattle we have on the farm.” Lyn has huge appreciation for “our ever-patient and genius farrier Donal Tobin, our wonderful vet Ciara Gibney and all the team at O’Byrne Halley veterinary practice, equine dentist Tom Fleming and physio Sarah MacDonald.”

It is clear that such relationships are important to Lyn and Max, and they enjoy close ties with their neighbours, the O’Briens, and have celebrated a number of successes with Joseph who trains at his grandfather Joe Crowley’s Owning Hill. Lyn says that Joseph “is incredibly kind, and puts up with us with great humour and patience!”

Back at Iverk

The dam of Garrus is Queen Of Power, a daughter of Medicean (Machiavellian), and she was bred by Max Morris from the Danetime (Danehill) mare Danamight. Queen Of Power won for the father and son O’Callaghan team, so how did she end up back at Iverk House?

Lyn explains: “Michael O’Callaghan bought her as a yearling, and was very fond of her. He told me he had her in the nearest stable to the house and I think she became a bit of a pet, as she has a lovely kind nature. Unfortunately she gave herself an injury on very firm ground in her first run at Fairyhouse, having been beaten a whisker by Wonderfully.

“Although she came back and won her maiden as a three-year-old at Gowran very convincingly, four and a half lengths, and ran very creditably in the Irish 1000 Guineas with Wonderfully well behind her, she was found to be wrong again after her Royal Ascot run in the Sandringham. Michael contacted me and asked if I wanted to buy her back as he wanted her to have a good home. So of course I bought her back - he knew I would!”

Easy decision

The decision to use Ratbarry’s Acclamation (Royal Applause) was an easy one. “We chose Acclamation as Max has a share in him. We always send our maiden mares to him as he throws a pretty correct animal, and we could get a handle on what sort of individual the mare would produce. We reckon he is as good a stallion to start a young mare with as any.”

Garrus made an immediate impact when he sold as a foal for €130,000 at Goffs. “We were delighted with the price that Garrus made as a foal as he was bought by a top judge in Jim McCartan. He sadly didn’t have the same luck as we did when selling him as a yearling to Jeremy Noseda.

“I remember Garrus being one of those foals you dream about. He never cost you any extra in bills, and didn’t have any stupid accidents that can occur. He passed the vet for the sales - what more could you want? He was correct and had a super temperament.”

Lyn and Max have been loyal supporters of Ballylinch Stud, and the couple are also believers in owning stallion shares. Lyn explains why. “Max has always been very keen to invest in stallion shares instead of paying out huge nomination fees every year. The sort of stallions that John O’Connor brings to Ballylinch are the sort of stallions that appeal.

Such presence

“We started with Lope De Vega, which wasn’t a bad throw. I loved him as an individual and he has such presence. Then when Make Believe followed, it was a no-brainer. The horse was not only a classic winner, but a gorgeous looking horse. Prince Faisal has been a longstanding client of mine; I have painted many of his racehorses and broodmares for him, including Make Believe, while Ted Voute is an old friend.

“New Bay didn’t take much time to decide on either. I asked Alan Cooper what he thought of him, and he said that he was a very good racehorse and they had seen enough of his backside on the racecourse! As he was a Juddmonte-owned and bred, and a son of Dubawi, he was obviously going to be supported by some of Prince Khalid’s wonderful broodmares.

“Max was determined to go into Waldgeist as we had never been able to afford Galileo, and he reckoned that Waldgeist was one of his best sons. Queen Of Power has a beautiful filly foal by him, and she is a keeper!”

As great fans of Ballylinch, Lyn and Max also sell their stock through the farm. Then, with a laugh, Lyn adds: “Max had another very important reason for buying into the Ballylinch stallions. They are next door and it saves on the transport bills!”

Queen Of Power is in foal to Make Believe (Makfi), having already bred a winner by him. She has a New Bay (Dubawi) yearling filly heading to the Goffs Orby Sale.

“She is a lovely filly and if she doesn’t make what we think is enough she will be retained and probably go up the Hill!! She is the only yearling we have this year.”

Happening

The family is quite a ‘happening one’. Gubbass (Mehmas) is out of a half-sister to Queen Of Power and he is twice a winner for Richard Hannon and placed in the Group 2 Richmond Stakes this year. There is also a New Bay colt foal out of Danamight, the grandam of Garrus, and he will be sale-bound this autumn.

The broodmare band at Iverk is largely created by homebreds. Thanks to Max’s late wife Isabel’s deep knowledge of pedigrees, Iverk has Derby winner Oath’s legacy, which includes Group 2 Blandford Stakes winner Manieree (Medicean), the dam of the stakes winner Drumfad Bay (Acclamation) for Jessica Harrington.

In the early part of the millennium Max bought three mares, and from them bred the Ascot Stakes winner Simenon (Marju) and a number of group and stakes-placed performers. Iverk is home to daughters of all three acquisitions, as well as relations to the stud’s 1999 Derby winner. There is much to dream about down in Piltown.