How did you get into racehorse ownership?

I always remember my granny with the radio on listening to racing and all the talk about Lester Piggott and Pat Eddery. My granny would have bet on two flies racing up the wall!

My father Charlie liked the dogs, breeding and racing them.

What was your best day at the races and why?

It was on August 5th 2007 and the Tara Towers Hotel Handicap Hurdle at Galway. I was involved with a syndicate and Ardalan hacked up for us by eight lengths. Paul Nolan has been quietly confident and we got a good price. We needed wheelbarrows to take out the money!

That was one of my earliest horses and it’s a very special memory.

What is the biggest drawback about being a racehorse owner?

I suppose there can be a lot of lows but I don’t take racing too seriously. Seanie Cleary, a great friend of mine, goes racing with me and by the time we get back to the car park even after a disappointment we’re laughing.

You have to be like that if you’re involved with horses.

I’ve never lost any through injury or death though. If any do get injured, the Nolans seem to be able to nurse them back to health.

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

I go racing everywhere and I like the smaller tracks. I’m based in Westmeath and Kilbeggan is my local. Paddy Dunican, the manager, gets a great atmosphere going and the local support is unbelievable.

At the smaller tracks you’re likely to have some craic and there’s always some cheer for a winner.

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

Jumping but I’d go to the Derby if I got a free ticket. I like to compete and I wouldn’t be able to compete in the flat game.

In jump racing you can have a half-ordinary horse and if it can jump it can win. It might not be the best horse in the field but if it stands up where the others don’t you have the chance to be a winning owner.

What qualities do you look for in a trainer?

I’ve always been with Paul (Nolan). Sean Cleary introduced me to him in 2006 and he is a great man to get the best out of the horses. He and his brother James and the team care for them very well even up to retirement, including the great Tommy Woods.

They have excellent facilities, gallops, horse-walkers etc, a lot of investment has gone into the yard, big money.

Paul, his brother James, Mel (sister) and Jimmy their father all work together, a real family affair.

You can call in anytime no problem. And they are an honest lot you can trust, which is great!

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

Care of owners is improving all the time. The family is happy with luncheon vouchers, it’s a positive gesture.

At some of the tracks, in fact at all tracks, I think you need a decent screen. A lot of owners want that facility.

It’s good to have a designated area for owners and trainers but I also like to go off to my favourite spot in the stand as well.

What significance do your colours hold?

My two little lads Charlie and Evan designed the colours, based on the Dublin colours.

When buying a horse, what do you look for?

Normally I like to spend as little as possible! The rest is up to Paul and James to get the best value, whether in France or the sales or privately.

All the horses I’ve had with them have won.

What horses do you currently have in training?

Castafiore Park racing currently. She ran at Fairyhouse on Tuesday but she didn’t go well. We will probably let her out now.

Really she’s an out and our chaser over three miles for next autumn – looks exciting.

Have you any horses to look forward to? (i.e. young/unbroken horses)

I have Dia Del Sol who we bought off the flat, highly rated from Germany. He will be aimed at a maiden hurdle.

Others to look forward to include: a Smad Place three-quarters brother, a half-sister to Last But Not Least by Mahler, and a five-year-old Milan gelding we’re taking our time over. He’s over 17hh and we’re going nice and handy with him, he could be special – dare we dream the new Joncol?! He could be out in a point or bumper in the autumn. He has a brilliant attitude.

I also have a three-year-old by No Risk At All, maybe for a bumper next spring.

What would help to make Irish racing more competitive for the smaller owner/trainer?

I think the big owners are brilliant for racing. If I had that kind of money I would buy all those horses too.

Maybe have some races that are limited to horses who have been bought for so much money, obviously not at the top end.

It will give others a bit of a chance, something like that as an incentive for people and give them a chance to get a win, especially syndicates.

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

I’ll sell them a horse first!

Get involved in a club or syndicate and try it out. Get into it that way and then go solo.

Get used to bad news!

You have to work out a strategy. I have had a lot of point winners over the years. I sell the odd horse that is good – it kills me but it pays for the others and keeps things going. You have to be able to make those sort of decisions about your horses. That model works for me.

If you have fillies and they get a bit of blacktype it’s a bonus when their racing career is over.

Phil Byrne was in conversation with Olivia Hamilton