CONGRATULATIONS to Mark McCrory from Maghery, Co Armagh who recorded his first track success at Down Royal’s Bank Holiday Monday meeting on board the Maria Richert-trained El Grande in the BoyleSports Hunters Chase.

The nine-year-old Almutawakel gelding ran in the colours of Tilly Conway whose husband Pat bred the bay out of the Teenoso mare Teen Ballet. El Grande is the third of just five foals out of his unraced dam who, in turn, was one of only two foals out of the Shareef Dancer mare Mountain Ballet. This is the family of Nashwan and Height Of Fashion.

McCrory (21), who was having his second racecourse ride on Monday, is in his third season pointing. He partnered his first winner between the flags when landing the older maiden for novice riders at Tyrella in early March on the William Gault-trained Lisnagreggan.

Mark started riding when he was 10 at the Corr family’s Moy Riding School outside Dungannon, progressing from there to ride out for Stephen McConville when he was 15. He spent two years at the Enniskillen Campus of CAFRE, on the foundation degree course in equine management, graduating early last summer. He now works at the Conways’ Glenbrooke Stables in Magherafelt and, if things go well, hopes to turn conditional in a couple of years.

WONDERFUL FACILITIES

Swedish-born Maria, who was previously based on The Curragh, has been resident trainer at Glenbrooke Stables since January. “It’s a wonderful place with great facilities,” she enthused. “There is plenty of land, great gallops and really well-built stables. We have just four horses riding out at present but there are 12 on their summer break, lots of youngstock to look forward to plus broodmares and foals.

“Things up here are completely different from The Curragh but the town of Magherafelt is really nice and, although I have only been here a short time, I already love the area. I am very grateful to Mr Conway for giving me this chance as I had trained only one winner when he employed me and had never even had a runner over jumps. I’m also very lucky to have such good staff as Mark and Stacey Horne.”

As a child, Maria’s best friend’s father was a trainer and her parents had shares in a few racehorses. She started riding out when she was quite young and rode as an amateur, partnering nine winners on the track and one in a point-to-point. “We only have four or five point-to-points a year, in the south of the country, and they are very much a hobby sport.”

Maria spent a year working in Ireland with the late Michael O’Brien before going to college where she studied Equine Science. She was just about to take out a trainer’s licence in her home country when she took stock of her future.

“Racing in Sweden is a small sport and while there is a dedicated community, there aren’t great prospects. “I love Ireland and decided to start out training on The Curragh. I had just two horses last season and won an apprentice race at Sligo in June with Excelli.”