GAVIN (Cromwell) rang me a few months ago and we discussed the Pardubice for Final Orders. However, we had a bit of a chat and kind of thought that with his chase mark in Ireland, it might be worth having a go at something like the Kerry National. Then we went to Bellewstown for a prep run in a hurdle race there. He didn’t run great there and to be honest, we were a bit disappointed.

Gavin came back after that and said that he thought Final Orders was an ideal horse for the Pardubice. Keith (Donoghue) agreed, he said that he was tailor made for the race. We looked at it again, looked at what was involved in getting him over and we gave him the go ahead.

Although Bellewstown had been a prep for Listowel, I think Gavin and Keith always had the Pardubice in mind. After being there last year (won with Stumptown), they knew what it took and what type of horse you needed for it.

Always the plan

Final Orders had come back into training early this year, so it was always the plan to go to one of those two races. It’s not straightforward getting a horse to Czech Republic. The two girls, Grace and Tara, were gone for nearly 10 or 12 days. It’s a very valuable race but you would want to be going there with a live chance given all the costs that are involved in getting him there and back.

There are 10 of us in the syndicate and we all made the trip over. We flew into Prague. Some of us went a few days before and done a bit of sightseeing around the city. Some went Saturday and others flew over on Sunday, the morning of the race. It’s a 2 hour, 20 minute flight and the racetrack is about an hour and a half outside the city of Prague. It’s their Grand National, it’s a big thing over there.

It’s very different to what we are used to here. We were well looked after. There was about 40 of us there in total. Loads of the lads brought family and friends along for the experience. After the race, we were brought to meet the sponsors and enjoy a drink.

Taxi fence

A few of us went out onto the track before the race and we actually went down to the infamous Taxi fence. There is a drop at the back of that fence I couldn’t believe it when I saw it. That was kind of the key for us. We knew that if Final Orders got as far as the Taxi and got over it, we had a chance of winning.

That fence is only jumped once a year, one of the reporters over there told me that after the race. If you wanted to go and practise at that fence any time you wouldn’t be allowed. No one is allowed jump it except during the Pardubice. You need a very brave horse and jockey and thankfully we are very lucky to have both with Final Orders and Keith.

Keith said that he thought he was going to win easy at the third last but then the other horse proved very tough. He’s a very good horse and he dead-heated in the race two years ago. He stayed battling but we just outbattled him in the home straight. It was a great finish.

Back to Cheltenham

I’d say the travelling and the race itself would have taken a good bit out of Final Orders. He’ll probably get a break now and the plan would be to go back for the Cross-Country Chase at Cheltenham in March.

I’d say he’s unlikely to have another crack at the Grand National. We were lucky enough last year in that the weights were out before he won in March. After he won at Cheltenham, his rating went up in England, so we had to take our chance. He could be gone too high in the handicap next April.

There are loads of other options for him but the Cross-Country race would be his main target again. There is also the Crystal Cup, which is a series of banks races which are held throughout Europe with a big race in France in May.

I think after Bellewstown, we know that Final Orders doesn’t really enjoy conventional racing. He probably just gets a bit bored and the banks races keep him interested. I’d imagine we will stick to those for the most part.

Syndicate members

The C M D Syndicate is made up of 10 members, We are all based in Carlow, Meath and Dublin.

I had suggested to Garvan Donnelly that I’d put a syndicate together and buy a horse to put in training with him. Garvan was at the sales and he was ringing me when he found a couple of different horses. We were underbidders on a couple and then Garvan took a shine to Final Orders and decided to go try buy him. I was watching it on a screen at home and Gavan was bidding in the ring. I didn’t know whether he had got the horse or not until he rang me. We said that we’d buy a dual-purpose horse so that the syndicate wouldn’t have to wait long. I think we bought Final Orders in the October sale and his first run for us was in Dundalk that December.

When Garvan finished up training, it just so happened that Final Orders was on a break. He came to me to say that he was going to work with Gavin Cromwell. He wanted to bring the horse with him and I just said ‘wherever you go, he goes’.

Final Orders was bought as a dual-purpose horse just to have a bit of fun with. None of us could have ever dreamed that he’d take us to Cheltenham and the Pardubice, never mind actually winning both races.

Kevin was in conversation with John O’Riordan.