AMID the doom and gloom that emanates from racing circles sometimes, it is refreshing to hear a young gun insist that the opportunities exist with a lot of hard work, the willingness to stick your neck out a bit and a healthy dollop of luck.

Denis Hogan does not have a wealthy patron but at 30, he has already been training for eight years. He has landed some nice pots courtesy of Killellshan and Jack The Wire over obstacles, and this year, Thithonus on the double in the flat game but he is by no means a major player. Yet he is making a living, with between 35 and 40 horses under his care at present, while continuing to ride as a professional.

The young Tipperary man is no fantasist. Charlie Swan is a neighbour, was his idol growing up and he rents some of the nine-time champion jockey and former trainer’s premises in Cloughjordan. So he has seen the lowest ebb, as well as encountering all the major challenges first hand. He has learned to cut his cloth and become quite a dab hand when it comes to bargain hunting.

SYNDICATES

Hogan insists that there are plenty of people that want to get involved in ownership. It is why, unlike many trainers, he will buy if the price is right. He is confident he will source an owner or in particular, be able to put a syndicate together, especially if the horse is close to a run.

Tithonus was picked up by Hogan at the Goffs Horses-In-Training Sale for just €4,200 in October 2014, having run twice for John Oxx. It took the son of the late Glory Of Dancer 15 runs to shed his maiden status but he has won seven more times since, his consecutive Rockingham and Scurry Premier Handicap successes this month bringing the six-year-old’s accumulated prize money to more than €200,000.

This, of course, is a testament not just to Hogan’s judgement but his horsemanship. Although Tithonus started with a rating of 64, it had plummeted to 50 by October 2015. He is now up to 96.

“I always find John Oxx a very fair man to buy off and he’d be very honest with his opinion on them,” says Hogan. “He just thought he was a nice horse that needed a bit of time. Luckily he was that kind of money and I took a chance on him because I knew he’d benefit from a winter.

“He was just off the box at home when Mike and Tony O’Brien told me they’d have him. They’ve been very lucky owners of ours since I’ve started training. I think they were one of the first owners in the yard with Luke’s Benefit, a nine-year-old when he came (who) only had (four) runs. We took a chance with him and he ended up winning nine races for us. Every year since the boys have reinvested in a new horse.”

Gary Halpin has been Tithonus’s most regular partner but was unable to make the weight for the Rockingham. So Hogan called upon Rory Cleary, who signed on as an apprentice with Michael Halford the same day he did, and the pair did the business.

“Last season was very good for him. He won in Galway, he went on to win two more including the Joe McGrath in the Curragh. We were just beaten in that good handicap at the back end of the season in Doncaster and we sent him home then.

“We started him back wrong really this season. We headed for the Lincoln over a mile – we weren’t sure about the trip but we’re certain now he doesn’t want a mile. That situation got worse when he ran terrible in a handicap at Navan. We had him vetted after that and found he had gastric ulcers. Donnacha Houlihan (of Greenmount Equine Hospital) is our vet and he did a great job. He got him cleared up.

“Our first run back was in the Rockingham. We weren’t sure about fitness but we knew he was well. Rory got a great tune out of him and we (were) hoping he’d come on for it in the Scurry. It couldn’t have worked out better after a slow start to the season.”

CHICKEN DINNER

Halpin was back on board last Saturday and with his 3lb claim plus the expected improvement for fitness off-setting the 4lb hike for his Rockingham triumph, it was chicken dinner time once more.

“To win at the Curragh, especially on Derby weekend for the Rockingham, was brilliant. It’s the place you want to win really. It’s the home of flat racing and people take notice. Sometimes you’d have had a good weekend down the country and people don’t know.

“I’ve noticed that over the years. Your phone would be busier after a high profile winner, there’s no doubt about it. When you’re hitting the crossbar or running down the field, you’re not in the winner’s enclosure as much, the phone is quieter. [The Rockingham] was a massive lift… not just for me but for the staff and the other owners in the yard who would get more confidence that you can do the job.”

SUSPENSION

Hogan made another trip to the Curragh in between those two great days and it wasn’t so memorable, as his appeal against the 42-day suspension imposed on his horse Meadow Cross under the non-trier regulation, Rule 212, when the five-year-old finished fourth in a novice chase at Down Royal on June 23rd, proved in vain. Jockey Shane Mulcahy was handed a five-day ban for failing to secure the best possible finishing position for the mare on that occasion though Hogan was cleared of any wrongdoing.

Hogan argued that he was being punished by virtue of loss of training fees and potential prize money but admits that he wasn’t surprised those arguments fell on deaf ears, the appeals body having failed to overturn any suspension since the rule’s amendment. He feels that Mulcahy was very unfortunate and though welcoming of the rule, warns that there could be considerable repercussions for horses when the conditions become more testing over the winter if stewards do not show more understanding.

“I thought the stewards were very harsh on both of us. She had never been around in a chase, neither had Shane – 212 is a tricky rule. While it needs to be there, stewards need to use common sense. There’s just a danger that your horses are now being ridden for the camera rather than to run well. It depends what way it looks on a TV rather than what was underneath you.

“Shane had given her an absolutely brilliant ride (until the closing stages). He had got her jumping, she was on her head halfway round, he gave her a chance, got her to finish. It’s not Shane’s fault he doesn’t have the experience.

CAMERA

“It’s not so bad this time of year but I’ve seen plenty of horses being put on the floor in the winter on heavy ground with riders trying to get home for the camera, especially in maidens and beginners, and they have to be seen to be busy. I don’t think that rule will be such a problem this time of year but in the winter, when the horses are going nowhere from four out and you’d like to let them come home in their own time, I think the stewards would really want to use common sense.”

These are honest observations, from the heart, and politely offered in response to questions put to him but Hogan is anxious to put it behind him.

“It’s done now and forgotten about and we’ll just drive on.”

And drive on he has. Growing up on a farm in Cloughjordan, livestock was the focus rather than bloodstock. Living next door to Swan, one of the greatest jockeys National Hunt racing has ever seen, had an impact however. The idolatry began and when Swan built a riding school, Hogan was quickly a regular. A relationship developed that is close to this day.

Hogan served his apprenticeship with Halford before returning to Swan and then going out on his own at Boherna Stables eight years ago. A tinge of regret remains about not being disciplined enough to pursue a career as a flat jockey

“I had done a lot of pony racing and got a great kick out of that, plenty of experience and great contacts. But it was probably always jumping for me and I was always fond of the grub. Looking back, if I had it again, I would have made more of an effort with the weight and to ride on the flat... but it turned out okay.”

HALFORD

He had “great years” and “learned a lot” with Halford, who was really getting into his stride. Tadhg O’Shea had been champion apprentice a couple of years before, while Cleary, Mark Bolger, Adrian Lane, Jerry O’Dwyer were among those giving life to Pollardstown as well as men who have now joined him in the training ranks like John Feane, Emmet Butterly and Shane Duffy.

What, you wonder, possessed him to take out a permit at 22 and then a full licence 18 months later?

“I always loved the training side of it from the time we had the ponies for the pony racing. We kept plenty of them and they were all successful for me. I was basically doing them myself at 14, 15 years of age. My family are not from a racing background so they left it to me. I never had anyone pushing me into it and I never had anyone telling me what to do, so it was up to myself whether I wanted it or not.”

Was he giving up on being a top-tier rider?

“I knew the risks of it, that it wouldn’t do my riding career any good. I just really liked training and got a great kick out of it, as I do from riding. At the time I had just lost my claim and I knew it could get tough. It was either move to England and give that a go or try drive around to ride average horses here and there and I didn’t want to do either so I said there was only one way I was gonna ride nice horses and that was if I had them myself.”

FACILITIES

Swan knew all about the dual role and to this day Hogan will give him a call for some advice. And, of course, he has the use of some of his facilities now.

“We have good facilities at home but we hadn’t the hills that he has. There’s a grass gallop, schooling facilities and an indoor ring, they were all a big asset with the breaking and pre-training. We were able to keep the young stock separated from the horses that are in training. It’s a brilliant asset.

“I think to make it at this game you have to have youngsters continuously coming along and they’re all for sale. Every year is a new year and if you’re going to stay in the game you have to have new ammunition. We like to break them ourselves and pre-train them because we know they’re done to our liking.”

MACAULEY

He does most of the buying himself but in recent years has built a team of advisors that includes Colm Sharkey, who sourced midweek Killarney winner Allegio (by Galileo) for just £5,500 at Doncaster last November, and Hamish Macauley.

“You have to be plucky in the ring and take a chance sometimes. If you see a bit of value you have to take it home because you can’t operate without them at all and if you see value at all you’ll find a customer. I find it’s important to have one or two ready to go. Owners that want to get into the game don’t want to wait two years for a horse to come along and find out how good he is. They want it ready to go so it’s important to have one or two ready.”

He trains for a lot of syndicates.

“There’s plenty of interest out there for syndicates, partnerships, clubs and even individual owners wanting to get involved. I think there’s actually plenty of clients out there for horses, which is great, but it’s important that they’re looked after by HRI and that there’s races for the lower grade horse because there’s plenty of owners at a budget. Obviously the top five or 10 owners under both codes dominate the thing a bit but there needs to be plenty of low grade races too to facilitate the other horses because I think the stats state the 90% of them run in handicaps.”

He welcomes the introduction of a programme of 609 races from the beginning of the current NH campaign for lower-to-medium tier horses but feels that more of the same is required. Swan, Colm Murphy, Joanna Morgan and Sandra Hughes are just some of the high-profile trainers that have called it quits in recent years, although he acknowledges that there are plenty of young men and women taking out licences too. It’s the circle of life.

“When you look at the trainers that have fallen by the wayside in the last 10 years it’s frightening. When Charlie rang me to tell me he was packing up, we were just beginning to rent some of his place and I was thinking ‘What chance have I?’ but we just try and run a tight ship and keep tabs on everything, not let it escalate too high. We have a good team of staff that put in the maximum and we have a good team of owners that are very loyal.”

GOOD STAFF

It is notable that he refers to his staff. It is a recurring theme in the industry that sourcing qualified people is becoming increasingly difficult. Hogan believes it is the single biggest obstacle he faces if he wants to grow his business further.

“I’m lucky enough, I have a good team with me that have stayed with me for the last few years but it’s not easy. If you wanted to expand now… that would be a thing that would hold you back. The danger with getting bigger with any trainer is you must have responsible staff because you can only see so much yourself. So they have to have the knowledge and them lads are hard to come by nowadays.”

As well as combining NH under rules and the flat game, Hogan has also had around 10 four-year-old point-to-pointers for the last couple of seasons. It is at least as competitive as any other sphere but he enjoys racing between the flags.

GALWAY

The focus now is on the summer though. The horses ran very well in Killarney this week and the majority of them will be bound for Galway. Even before Tithonus won there last year, the week-long festival held him in thrall and he is hopeful of hitting the back of the net once more.

“I think we have nine or 10 that will go there with a chance. It’s a week that non-racing people tune into. It’s a brilliant place to have a winner. There’s great publicity out of it and it’s a great atmosphere down there as well. I love Galway. I’ve been going there since I was a kid and I was always dreaming of going back there to ride a winner or now, to train a winner.

“It’s a great festival for trainers like me where we’ve plenty of handicappers and summer horses under both codes. We’d probably look to Galway with some of our better horses, whereas the bigger trainers would be heading for the Curragh or Cheltenham or Royal Ascot. There’s a good variety of races there.”

He intends to continue riding but the longterm is about developing Boherna.

“I suppose you do have to dream big and we have gotten bigger every year. The danger with that is I don’t want to fill the yard with average or moderate horses as they cost the same to get ready, the same work goes into them. Actually, you could argue that more work goes into the lesser one.

“Getting the good horse is the hard part. They’re generally snapped up by the bigger owners and getting them into the yard is probably half the battle. I remember Mick Halford telling me one time that you should use your time wisely. You could invest your time trying to recruit new owners rather than mucking out a few stables. Time is valuable. It would be great to attract some of the bigger owners and to have a chance in either code, you do need them.”