LAST Saturday I travelled to Co Kilkenny to visit the picturesque Beacon Hill Stables located at Slieverue, close to the cities of Waterford and Kilkenny. Overlooking the Barrow Valley, it is home to trainer Eoin Griffin and he hosted a large number of owners, and hopefully potential owners, to a behind the scenes tour of his pristine racing yard.

The modern and bright stables are complemented by top-class facilities including an uphill woodchip gallop, Polytrack surface circular gallop, a hydraulic walker, a unique purpose-built swimming pool, cold water hydrotherapy unit, wash bays and weighing facilities.

Visitors saw five horses working, a mixture of young unraced talent and some of the stables’ better-known performers. The season’s leading National Hunt jockey Rachel Blackmore was on hand to ride out with head lass and 2017 Godolphin Irish Stud and Stable Staff award winner Elaine O’Donovan, David Cullinane, Michael Bates and Stephen Kelly. Dave Keena chatted with Eoin about the horses, his facilities and racing in general.

Guests saw a swimming demonstration in a pool unlike most you will see in Ireland. Eoin was inspired to build it having seen something similar in France. Swimming in the pool and trips to nearby Woodstown Beach are a huge benefit to the horses and something they enjoy regularly. Those in attendance also saw an interesting scope procedure being performed by veterinary surgeon Shane Ryan.

The horses worked on the morning included Castletown Quary (Scorpion-Jigs’n Reels), a five-year-old gelding who won a point-to-point in March and was subsequently purchased at the Goffs Aintree Sale for £50,000. On his first run for the yard he was third recently in a bumper at Listowel and could seek his first win for the stable on Monday as he holds an entry at Roscommon.

Leading the team was Riverdene (Milan-Tax Exemption) and he is a seven-year-old gelding who was placed in a bumper and maiden hurdle last year. He will be ready to run towards the end of October in novice hurdles. It seems that he may go chasing sooner rather than later.

There was great interest shown in I’m Charlie (Jeremy-Light Footsteps) and Pink Rock (Westerner-Eliane Di Rupette). I’m Charlie is a four-year-old gelding and closely related to Our Conor. He will be seen in a bumper soon. Pink Rock is a four-year-old full-sister to stable star Azorian, winner of a point-to-point, bumper and a chase. Pink Rock is set to appear in a bumper early next month. The quintet was completed by the five-year-old Scotch Quay (Arakan-Sallie’s Secret)

Guests were invited to go racing at Gowran Park where they enjoyed complimentary admission couresy of the course’s general manager Eddie Scally. The open day was supported by the Racehorse Ownership Department at Horse Racing Ireland, while Goffs and Red Mills mementos were given to guests.

Eoin was thrilled with the initiative: “I am delighted by the support and positive response. I am very proud of my excellent team; they have been a huge support in recent years and I am extremely grateful for their loyalty and hard work. We scould not operate without the support of our valued owners and it was great to see so many of them here today and we look forward to welcoming more in the not too distant future.”

Further information about Eoin and his facilities can be accessed at www.eoingriffin.ie and private visits can be arranged by contacting him on 087-2931178.

It should not be long before he is building further on the solid foundation of 18 blacktype NH races won to date, including at Ascot.