Our series on racehorse owners continues with Kieran Leavy

Kieran Leavy is the owner of winning mare Bowenscourt along with good friends Lorcan Cribbin and John and Pauline Twiss

How did you get into racehorse ownership?

Lorcan Cribbin is my principal racing partner and our fathers took us racing around the country starting off at an early age. They were involved in the Portarlington racing club who had horses with Mick Halford and P.J. Finn. I’ve some great memories under the stand on the Curragh with my father Pat ‘The Duke’ Leavy RIP, Tom ‘Grumpy’ Murphy RIP, Jim Mangan and Lorcan’s father Ray and also some great characters like Fr Billy Murphy RIP, Mickey Lawlor and Jimmy Joyce. The arguments between them over who they were going to back was unreal but my father was a Con Collins man through and through - the man for a touch on the Curragh and I bought into racing hook line and sinker!

The day Galmoy won the Stayers’ Hurdle in Cheltenham in 1987 was the day I dreamed of having a horse in training - Tommy Carmody and John Mulhern at their best.

What was your best day at the races and why?

Well Bowenscourt winning at Punchestown is up there. I picked her out myself with Tim Nolan so I got great satisfaction from that win. I had some amazing days with Fiesolana, who Lorcan and I leased in partership with Philip Meagher and Amanda McCreery. Winning the Premier Handicap on the Curragh on Guineas weekend with Fiesolana was unreal (May 2013). My father would have bought the whole attendance a drink on the day if he had still been around!

To go on and win three Group 3s and the Group 2 Dubai Challenge Stakes in Newmarket in one season were the things you dream about. (Our trainer Willie McCreery was lost for words at first). But all I can say is when you have any winner the feeling is equally as good no matter what type of race. Last year we (Bogmen Syndicate, who I head up) won a point-to-point in Ballindenisk with Tiger Bay Lady trained by my good friend Peter Fahey with Jamie Codd up. It helped Jamie go two ahead in his pursuit of the title. We headed back to Portarlington to the Anvil Inn with the cup and ended up in Copper Face Jacks in Dublin at 3am still celebrating with cup in tow. That’s what racing is all about.

What is the biggest drawback about being a racehorse owner?

The bills every month! Prize money should be at least one year’s training fees, ie €15,000 as first prize, and the Tote and bookies should cough up to this fund by at least 40%.

In your experience, which racecourse treats owners the best and why?

Irish courses should take a leaf out of English courses’ books as they treat owners so well. In Ireland I would mention Punchestown, Galway, Leopardstown and Kilbeggan for making an effort.

Flat or jump racing, which do you prefer and why?

I love it all. Punchestown is a great festival and then it’s on to the summer festivals - Galway, Listowel, Killarney. You meet the whole Irish community who love their racing at some stage. I am also involved in National Hunt breeding, so I have a strong interest in the jumps side.

What qualities do you look for in a trainer?

Honesty of course and I have been involved with different trainers, Mags Mullins, Peter Fahey and Willie McCreery and had good relations with them. I love going to the yards and the Old Vic gallops and the trial races at Punchestown and getting involved with the pre-training processes.

That was some great training by Willie McCreery with Fiesolana to win a Premier handicap, 3 Group 3s and also the Dubai Stakes in one season.

I would like to point out what talents Mags Mullins has as a trainer. She is so completely professional in her methods and can get a horse spot on for the day. Every horse she trains has a chance to run on merit. She shows so much courtesy towards owners and keeps you in touch with weekly reports. She has given us some great day’s racing.

Jessie Harrington and her late husband Johnny welcomed me into their kitchen for tea, along with 45 elderly racing enthusiasts one morning when I had a horse with them. Special thanks also to Peter Fahey who I speak to most days about horses and annoy him. These are the special qualities I look for in a trainer. They listen regardless whether you’re talking rubbish or not.

What improvements would you like to see racecourses in Ireland do for owners?

I think if you have paid up six to eight months’ training fees, an owner and guest should get free entry for a year with refreshments.

When owners pay 33% of prize money they should be much better looked after. I hope that when the new Curragh is built that they look after the owners and punters much better. It’s crazy having the best racecourse in the world with the worst facilities. The bar and food services at the Derby this year were very poor standard compared to Galway or Punchestown. I hope that Mr McManus invites some owners like myself in for some views when the new venture gets up and running.

How do you feel owners are treated at the races when not having a winner?

A hot meal should be provided to all owners and a guest when your horse is running. Recently we got a delicious hot meal in Down Royal and it went down a treat. This should be the case at every track.

What significance do your colours hold?

The colours are my beloved Portarlington GAA club colours and are the Leavy family colours. I’m a proud Port and Laois GAA man as anyone who knows me will tell you. Lorcan Cribbin is a Portarlington man as well so he’s happy with the colours.

When buying a horse, what do you look for?

As Jim Bolger says: “Pedigree, pedigree and pedigree.’’ But importantly too you need a great athletic walker and mover who puts itself out there.

I wouldn’t buy a horse without consulting the great Jack Behan of Kilmullen Stud in Portarlington. Jack has the final say. He has forgotten more about horses than anyone I know around Portarlington and he’s a good O’Dempseys GAA man too. At the sales Denise O’Brien of Clonbonny Stud, Athlone and Tim or Peter Nolan of Jamestown House Stud inspect future purchases for any of our National Hunt buys. Tom Whelan of Church View Stables and Mouse O’Ryan look at flat horses if required.

What horses do you currently have in training?

There is Bowenscourt and some unnamed horses in Peter Fahey’s yard to look forward to. Tiger Bay Lady is out injured.

What’s next on the agenda for your horses?

Keep racing away with Bowenscourt.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of becoming a racehorse owner?

Speak to owners who have already been involved with horses and take their advice. Speak to experts, go to the sales at Goffs and Tattersalls Ireland and get a feel for the business. But racing is a sport – take losses on the chin.

AIRO has secured free admission to over 90 racedays in 2015 for registered owners with a horse in training.

UPCOMING DATES

November

Naas Saturday 7th

Cork Sunday 15th

Wexford Tuesday 17th

Thurles Thursday 19th

Gowran Park Saturday 21st

Thurles Thursday 26th

Kieran Leavy was in conversation with Olivia Hamilton