SENDING out the first [Santosha] and third [Caroline Dale] placed horses in last month’s Group 3 Princess Margaret Betfred Stakes was vindication of a long term plan.

Over the last few seasons, we set out a business model aimed at gradually improving the quality of horse in our yard. I have always been a strong believer in quality over quantity so took the decision to concentrate on a small number of better class horses rather than a conveyor belt of bottom grade handicappers. Having shown that given the right ammunition we can compete with the best, the ambition is to build from here and remain at the top table.

I had always believed that I was the first in my family to take an interest in horses but discovered a few years back it had in fact I had skipped a generation. My grandfather actually trained his own point-to-point horse, which he used to walk to the races, ride in and walk home after.

Like every young lad growing up in Galway, the racing festival was the highlight of our year. I was fascinated by the noise of the horses as they raced by us at great speed, even then I was hooked.

After my confirmation, I convinced a friend to go halves with me in spending our money on a pony and bridle. Having no prior experience, I basically taught myself how to ride.

My older brother was good pals with Tom Ryan [now a successful jockey in Australia] so I started going down to the family yard. Tom’s brother, David [father of Rossa], put me up on the back of a thoroughbred and I knew there and then it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life!

It was clear to me fairly soon after one too many falls that a career in the saddle was not going to be the long term option for me but I always preferred the training side of it more from very early on.

I actually left racing for a few years after a bad fall where I did some damage to my back, working firstly as a carpenter and later, in a bank in Carrick-on-Shannon.

Legendary

At 21, I went travelling to Australia where I soon rediscovered my love for horses. I was based in Royal Randwick where I was initially riding work for the legendary Bart Cummings and his son, Anthony before working as a freelance work rider there. I then went on to Toowoomba, where I rented a yard in order to break and pre-train horses while working on a stud and riding track work.

After that, I spent three and a half years with leading trainer, Paul Messara, an incredible learning experience. I met my wife Sarah while working in Messara’s and we travelled for a bit before coming over to Britain in 2013.

Our final job in racing before leaving was with Peter Snowden who trained for Godolphin in Melbourne. Once I came over to the UK, I started off with Daniel Mark Loughnane [no relation] before moving on to become pupil assistant to John Quinn in Malton.

I then worked at Manor House Stables for Tom Dascombe - a role which saw me assume plenty of responsibility, particularly when it came to travelling horses.

In January 2016, I was approached by Roger Fell, who had a private yard from which David O’Meara had been training. The latter had recently moved on and Roger [Fell] asked if I would be interesting in taking out a trainers’ licence.

I went in for 9-10 months and trained a string of 24/25 horses, most of whom were owned by the landlord. At the end of that season, we parted company by mutual consent, as Roger [Fell] took out his own licence and we were looking for a bigger yard. We enjoyed some great success there and it was great for getting us started and putting my name out there.

Sarah and I started off at the new yard with just seven horses but built the number up to 15 after a couple of months. From there, we continued to grow on the back of further successes, reaching the point where all 62 boxes are now full.

It is a real family-run business, so while I may be the face of the operation, Sarah takes charge of the office and all the work behind the scenes. Our owners have been fantastic from the outset and deserve special mention.

Fantastic start

We put a business plan in place which basically identified a nicer type of horse and the owners have been supportive in that respect.

Having made a fantastic start to the year on the all-weather tracks, it was difficult during lockdown but everyone stuck together and we have come back stronger as a result.

Ironically, the time off probably worked to our advantage as some of the older horses got a break which they may otherwise not have had, while the juveniles got more time to strengthen and mature.

Santosha and Caroline Dale had been pleasing us throughout the winter so it was satisfying to see them come out and win their novice races. Heading to Ascot for the Group 3, I honestly couldn’t separate the pair of them and it was incredible to see them both reach the frame, with Santosha taking the main prize.

Both fillies are home-bred and their owners have been great supporters of the yard. We had to make a conscious decision when we started training; whether we wanted to train 60 horses or 200.

For me, it was always about the lesser number, as I am a big believer in treating horses as individuals in order to get the best out of them.

In an ideal world, we’d love to have a “boutique” operation, with 60-65 high quality well-bred horses in our care. Having worked so hard to get to this level, we are adamant we are here to stay.

I would hate to be known as a one-trick pony who dined out on that Ascot success. We want to compete regularly at the big meetings and establish our yard as one of the best operations in the country.

Dave Loughnane was in conversation with John O’Riordan.