MICHAEL Stipe, the lead singer of REM, sang that leaving New York was never easy and anyone who has been to the Big Apple will agree.

It is almost 30 years since John Breslin first landed in one of the world’s most iconic cities. Like many young Irish people, he was fleeing a vista of hopelessness in a country mired in doom and deep recession. His business in the motor trade was deteriorating due to the economic downturn and he had no alternative but to leave.

Now, successful in the hoisting and scaffolding business in New York and employing more than 200 people, this is home, but for him leaving New York is no great difficulty. He’ll be back soon enough.

What lies ahead is reunion with family and friends and a chance to watch his horses run. He tries to make all the major festivals and is over about six-to-eight times a year. Most of those visits are tied in with racing.

With two Cesarewitch runners this weekend, he landed in Dublin yesterday. He will be in Newmarket this afternoon to watch the hotly-fancied Quick Jack attempt to land the spoils in the English long-distance handicap, while 24 hours later, Ted Veale will carry his silks in the Irish equivalent at the Curragh.

Breslin never got involved in American racing, though he will always go to the major meetings such as the Breeders’ Cup, Belmont Stakes, Preakness Stakes, Kentucky Derby and so on. But flat racing doesn’t really float his boat normally. He’s a self-confessed National Hunt man. Yet it is flat that has him in transatlantic travel this weekend.

“I’ve been involved in horses for a lot of years,” said Breslin on a clear telephone line on Thursday. “I had legs of horses over the years with different syndicates and friends. But it’s only in the last five or six years since I met (trainer) Tony (Martin) that I bought a couple of horses myself. It just progressed from there and we’ve been fairly lucky.

“Last year was a fantastic year, with 22 or 23 winners. And a couple of nice horses in it as well, which makes it all better.”

The bond with Martin is a tight one. Breslin used to go racing with the trainer’s father, Jimmy. His admiration for his fellow Meath man has grown over the years.

“He’s the master. There’s no doubt about it. I never saw a man work as hard as he does. He’d be up at the gallops at seven o’clock in the morning and be on the phone to you 12 o’clock that night. And that’s seven days a week.

“He eats, sleeps and breathes training. He loves horses, that’s his passion and touch wood, he’s very good at it. He knows horses’ capabilities and he knows how to get them ready for the big day.

“If it’s a mile-and-a-half on the flat or three miles over fences, he’ll train them accordingly. It doesn’t faze him at all.”

There’s no hard and fast method to acquiring horses.

“It’s between Tony and myself. Tony would recommend a horse to me if he has bought a couple at the sales or has a young horse developing in the yard. There’s no rule set in stone. It’s just a matter of if you like a horse and the price is right, if you want to get into it, you’ll buy it.”

There have been many good days and hopefully more to come. For now, there is no doubting the highlight though. We all dream of Cheltenham in March and Breslin struggles to put into words what it all meant to him.

“The County Hurdle in 2013 was the highlight of my racing career to that point. And still is. It’s a fantastic feeling to lead a horse into the winners’ enclosure at Cheltenham.

“I’m very nervous watching each race hoping for the right outcome. They don’t always come but when they do, you make the most of them. It was a fantastic day, to see the way Ted Veale won and Bryan Cooper rode him to perfection. Jumped the last and up the hill; you just can’t explain it.

“He’s a fairly versatile horse. He has won on the flat and is running at the Curragh on Sunday and I think young Sean Corby is going to ride him.

“I know we’re giving away a lot of weight but he’s in great form. He won his novice chase in Roscommon last week and while he looked under pressure between the last two fences, once he jumped the last he just kicked on. He has a great turn of foot. He won a length-and-a-half in the end. Hopefully he’ll run well.”

If Breslin likes to enjoy the good days, he must have been in a state of ecstasy by the time Galway came to a conclusion last year. The festival yielded four winners, with three of them coming courtesy of Busted Tycoon, who was bringing her sequence to six on the spin.

“It was fantastic. It was history in the making. She’s a great mare. She did hit a few problems afterwards and we gave her time off, but she’s back in training now. As is Blackmail, our other winner that week in Galway.

“Blackmail is a six-year-old, Busted Tycoon is only a five-year-old. Hopefully they’ll come back to their former selves and they’re really something to look forward to for the winter.”

These two horses sum up the way Breslin comes about his horses. Blackmail was already in the Martin yard but his owner wanted to sell. Martin recommended him to Breslin and there has been no cause for complaints.

“I bought a few horses off a very good friend of mine, Maurice Regan. He has a construction company here in New York City. But he also owns Newtown Anner Stud in Clonmel.

“At the end of 2013, Maurice was selling off a few horses. He breeds a lot himself but is more into the flat so he offered three horses to me. I said ‘Let Tony take a look at them and if Tony thinks they’re of a standard that we want, I’ll hold onto them’.

“Two of them were Quick Jack and Busted Tycoon, so that was a great return. The other was a mare called Cnocan Diva who had a leg issue and Tony decided not to continue racing with her so we’re going breeding with her at the moment. So we’ll see how that goes.”

Ironically, given Regan’s preference for the level and Breslin’s blood flowing that bit quicker when there are obstacles for the horses, Quick Jack has plundered a big pot on the flat already – the Amateur Handicap in Galway last July – and is a firm favourite to land the English Cesarewitch at Newmarket today on his first run since.

He has won a handicap hurdle around Cheltenham last November though and in January, finished a close third in the Boylesports Hurdle. In all, he has won five times since Breslin got him, three times on the flat.

“He was rated 65 on the flat when we got him and had never won; third once… not really shown much to be honest with you. He had a few little problems and Tony spent a lot of time with him.

“He won in Newmarket for us last August 12 months over the July Course. That was a mile-and-a-half on the flat. That was his first win for us, off 65. Now he’s running off 94 in the Cesarewitch. So he has definitely progressed a lot.”

CHALLENGE

He is looking forward to the challenge of today but is very well aware of the extent of that test, despite the clear ability of his horse and the talents of jockey and trainer.

“You must remember it’s a 34-horse race. He got drawn 12, which is alright. The horse I was really afraid of was Swnymor, a horse for J.J. Quinn. He ran in Galway and was only seven lengths behind us without getting the greatest of passages and we were getting 17lbs off him. Now we’re coming back and there’s only 1lb between us. I don’t know how the handicapper worked that out. We got 9lbs for winning in Galway but how Swnymor came down after that is a strange one. It’s hard to understand.

“He’d have to be there, very dangerous. The only thing is he’s drawn right on the outside in 34. That’s a long way out. So there has to be a good few lengths between those two draws.

“It’s a very competitive race. You have the three horses too that finished alongside each other in the Cesarewitch Trial Stakes at Newmarket in September: See And Be Seen, Big Easy and Ray Ward. So it’s not an easy race. I’d be delighted if we finish in the first three. Obviously you’d like to win it but you’d need a lot of luck to win a race like that.?But we have a good man on board in Richard Hughes. You won’t go far wrong there. Richard rode him last year when he won over the July Course. Quick Jack doesn’t want to be there too soon. In Galway, I was afraid Steven Clements had got there too early but he couldn’t do anything else. But you’d be afraid he might idle a bit but Steven gave him a great ride in Galway. Hopefully we can repeat that but Richard will be suited to him. He’s one of the best.”

It would be some buzz and a great pot to win but you sense Breslin is looking forward to hurdles and fences at Leopardstown, Fairyhouse, Punchestown, Galway, Cheltenham. The man from Kells, joining forces with a neighbour from Summerhill. Meath taking on the world and winning.

“We’re just getting ready a lot of the horses for winter. We have Living Next Door, Wrong Turn, Blaire Perrone and Sarwistan. Obviously, Busted Tycoon and Blackmail as well but they won’t be seen until Christmas I’d say. And Quick Jack and Ted Veale. So we’ve a good few to look forward to.

“Everyone in racing is dreaming of the big one but we’ll be happy to get a few more days out.

“Sure isn’t that what it’s all about?”