DURING a lifetime working within the racing industry I always held a view that the owner was the one person who didn’t get enough attention. He or she is the lifeblood of our sport and without them we wouldn’t have the horses, trainers or jockeys. Since handing in my license last year, I have taken on a new role looking after owners at the Curragh and Roscommon racecourse.

My late father Dessie [Hughes] was a leading jockey before turning his attention to training. He enjoyed just as much success at the latter discipline and I have fond memories of going racing as a child. Chow Mein winning the Galway Plate back in 1985 is one day in particular that sticks in my mind. In those days we had no Sunday racing in Ireland so every summer the whole family would go pony racing with my brother Richard [Hughes]. He later went on to become champion jockey in Britain and is now a successful trainer.

My own involvement with horses was confined to helping out around the yard and taking part in hunter trials during the winter months. After leaving school I continued my association with racing and went on to spend three years working at the Weatherbys office in Naas. I then got married and moved to the UK, where I spent the next 20 years rearing my family. In 2007, I moved home with the kids, built a house and went to work for my dad.

Initially I started off in the office doing administration but as the days went on, I found myself spending more and more time in the yard. We always thought that dad would train for years and never retire. The intention was that I would gradually take more responsibility so that he could stay at it until a ripe old age. In truth, we never expected him to go when he did and when that day came it was a huge shock to us all.

Following his death, I was basically thrown into the training, as we had entries the morning before he died which were due to run the next week. After sitting down as a family we decided that I would give it a go and see how it went. To be fair to the Turf Club they were absolutely brilliant in the circumstances, ensuring a smooth transition. Despite the baptism of fire, I went on to enjoy great success as a trainer, sending out Lieutenant Colonel to win two Grade 1 hurdles and Thunder And Roses to win an Irish Grand National.

GAVE IT EVERYTHING

I trained for three years, worked hard, gave it everything I had and reaped the rewards. However, at the end of the day training is a numbers game and, for a variety of different reasons, I just didn’t have the horses. I knew what I needed just to break even and what was required in order to make it viable. After crunching the numbers, I came up 12-15 horses short of making the business profitable so was forced to take the difficult decision to shut down the yard.

Having mulled over the options for six months, when I finally made the decision to retire – it all happened very quickly. It was just at the end of the Punchestown Festival, so horses were going out to grass and we were ready to shut up shop for the summer. Within two months, all the lads had been relocated to new jobs and the last of the horses left the yard. Suddenly I was faced with the prospect of being unemployed at 47, having to start all over again and begin a new chapter of my career.

Initially I was unsure of what lay ahead but then one afternoon Dave Keena approached me at the races. He told me that none of the tracks had a designated person who catered for the needs of the owner on racedays and that it was something to look into. Following our conversation, I approached a couple of racecourses and basically started from there. I have already done some work for both Roscommon and the Curragh, and I start at Down Royal next month. Having long held the view that the owner is not being catered for sufficiently I am now in a unique position to change that. Gone are the days when an owner has the time to come down and see his horse at the yard every Saturday morning. These days they are far too busy and only get to see their horse when it runs. With that in mind, I want to try to make the whole raceday experience as special as possible, not just a five-minute wonder. Be it a drink in the lounge, request for extra tickets or casual chat, I want to do all I can to add to the occasion.

It is no longer enough for the man or woman who pays the bills to just turn up at the stiles, hand in their AIR card, spend five minutes in the parade ring, watch the race and then go home. We have to make it a day to remember; one which they will want to tell their friends about, which in turn will lead to new blood coming into the game.

I am hoping to get a few more racecourses involved as it is something that I feel very passionately about. In the longer term, I would love to roll it out and bring it to every track in the country. With my extensive knowledge of racing I feel I am uniquely positioned to talk to owners and offer them an extra insight.

Race sponsors are also often overlooked and I want to include them as well; they should be brought into the parade ring, introduced to owners and trainers; made to feel that they are getting value for their investment.

I honestly think I have never been as busy and my kids are certainly glad that I have more time to spend with them. I have also been looking after three injured racehorses here at the yard; a passion of mine that I am now finding more time for.

Not every trainer has the time or space to oversee the rehab of such animals but I am thoroughly enjoying it. My three patients are recovering well so hopefully I can take on a few more in the months ahead. This past week I have been helping out Sean Cooney of Botanica at the Dublin Horse Show; again it is a relatively new experience for me. Down the line I see myself veering more towards the PR and corporate side of racing; or indeed of any business that would benefit from my expertise.

Sandra Hughes was in conversation with John O’Riordan