THE world is getting smaller, especially the racing world. Today American owner/breeder Scott Heider will have his first runner in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby with the Joseph O’Brien-trained Crossfirehurricane. Tonight he runs his filly Zofelle in the Grade 1 Just A Game Stakes at Belmont Park.

Zofelle, trained by an Irishman Brendan Walsh, is out of a Galileo mare called Height Of Elegance who is a three-parts sister to Sequoyah and Listen, who were both trained by Aidan O’Brien, the man most likely in his way of a dream win at the Curragh today but whose son will be the one mostly responsible for it.

All this was learned on a Zoom webinar call organised by the Curragh to promote the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Festival on Wednesday evening. It’s a small world alright.

“As an American, I’m trying to do my part for Ireland!” Heider joked. “Since we started racing in Ireland, I have loved everything about it. HRI from day one have been fantastic.

“Joseph has been fantastic. I mean this in all sincerity, I don’t think the apple went an inch from the tree. He is so in tune with his yard, so in tune with each one of the horses.”

Heider’s journey to representation in the Irish Derby began five years ago when he bought a filly called Bobbi Grace, who was bred Frances Crowley.

He explained: “I didn’t know Frances at the time but I was starting to work with a guy called Tony Lacy, who now oversees our operation. He told me about Frances and that she was married to Pat Smullen and she was sister to Anne Marie [O’Brien] , and all of a sudden I started connecting the dots. I thought: ‘Wow, what a small world.’

“We had a great time racing Bobbi Grace. She was only small, but all heart. By the time she was done racing, I made the decision that I didn’t want her to go to the sales ring, I wanted her to go back to Pat and Frances and she is there to this day. That happened five years ago and along the way I was learning a little about Joseph Crowley and about this training centre which Tony referred to as ‘The Hill’. Then a year later Joseph O’Brien retires from the saddle and Tony tells me he is going to take up residence at ‘The Hill’.

“And I was like, ‘You’re kidding me, how does this happen?’ So that’s how the whole thing joined together really. Hiring Joseph and having horses at that property felt like it was the right thing to do.”

Heider, who owns a real estate investment firm in America, has expanded his family’s racing interest over the last decade and owns shares in Kitten’s Joy, the sire of Crossfirehurricane.

His modus operandi is to sell the colts and keep the fillies but the exception is the Kitten’s Joys, who has been the leading turf sire in America for seven years in a row now and is having an increasing impact in Europe, already striking classic glory this term with Kameko.

Courage

He said: “Over the years, I’ve read and listened to Aidan talk about the good Galileos, the courage, willpower and desire they have. The good Kitten’s Joys will run through a brick wall as well. I suspect in both cases, that is coming from Sadler’s Wells.

“It’s different in Europe with Galileo because he is clearly recognised and in the sales ring, they (his progeny) can bring millions of euros. In the States, it’s an interesting thing because we are still very orientated towards dirt racing, though it has been shifting recently.

“The Kitten’s Joys will generally go through the ring and they are not noticed as a commercial product. Crossfirehurricane, like any other Kitten’s Joys we’ve had, we don’t even entertain the thought I’ve taking them through the ring.”

Crossfirehurricane is a general 5/1 shot to land Heider a dream win today. Unbeaten in four starts, he surprised his owner and his trainer on the latest of those wins, when travelling beautifully through the Gallinule Stakes in the hands of Shane Crosse, who keeps the ride today.

Heider would have loved to have been in Ireland this week but he says is very excited, with sleepless nights in the last few days.

He added: “If you looked at my night stand, you’d find a biography of Vincent O’Brien, which I’m reading right now. I’ve been immersing myself in the history of Irish racing for four or five years now so this is kind of a surreal thing for me and my family to be involved in the Irish Derby. We’re very, very thankful and to do it with a homebred is extra special.”