How did you get involved in racing?

I was a greyhound coursing man for a long while, and I got into horses about 10 or 12 years ago. I’ve been breeding greyhounds all my life, since I was five, and then coursing got banned in England so I came to Ireland. It was heartbreaking when coursing went, because my wife and I had a full kennel of dogs. That’s why we moved to Ireland for several years. The Irish coursing was different to the open coursing that we were used to, so we waned, and then a friend of mine said that he had a horse for sale, and I went and bought it.

It was basically through Pat Crowley and his wife Hazel, who have bought and pre-trained all of my horses, that I got involved with racing. I think he’s the best pre-trainer in Ireland, though I’m not biased! Pat starts with the horses and then they go on to Declan Queally. My father was involved in racing in his day, but not to the extent that I am. Once you’ve had a winner, you never stop wanting more. I think if you waited two or three years you might wane a little bit, but once you’ve had a winner you keep going.

I’ll Sort That was a cheap purchase at €3,500, how did that come about?

I’ve asked Pat several times how he came to buy him, because nobody wanted him on the day of the sales. Pat always says that he ‘just liked him’. He rang Hazel up to tell her that he was on his way home with a horse, and that was it. As soon as I saw him, I liked him straight away.

He’s bought me three horses, and they’ve all been winners so I can’t complain. Pat is just up the road from the Queallys and pre-trains a lot of their horses, so that’s how I got in there. I’ve also got two foals coming along, a yearling and a three-year-old with Pat. We bred one of them out of my own mare, and it was her first foal. I think Pat is such a good judge of a horse, if he said there was one for 25 quid, I’d buy it.

Did you make it over to Naas for the Grade 1?

No, I didn’t. I was over for the meeting before that got cancelled, and I had my grandson with me who is very keen on the horses, he loves racing. I had to bring him back home because he’s getting ready for exams with college. My intention was to come straight back again, but with the snow and everything in Wales, I couldn’t get across the country to come.

I watched the race on the television and I screamed it down!

I’m hoping that the weather doesn’t stop me going to Ireland soon to see the boys and thank them for everything. It’s the only race I’ve missed, other than his win at Listowel. In the last 10 years of owning horses in Ireland, I’ve only missed two or three runs.

I’ve got some very good friends in Ireland and it’s a long trip over on the ferry, but I stop at my daughter’s for a couple of days on the way home, and it all works well. When you’ve got a young grandson that’s very keen and loves his racing, it’s nice to take him over. My wife is very into it as well.

Were you confident going into the race?

It was a very, very good race, and the horse that was second, Sortudo, had beaten us 12 lengths before. I thought if we were second or third, I’d be delighted.

I didn’t actually speak to Declan (snr) at all two or three days before the race, so I didn’t really know what he thought, but he ran very well. I think he ran as well as I expected, but I didn’t expect to beat Sortudo. It’s easy to think that after being beaten so far before.

Do you know what’s next on the cards for him?

He’s got to go to Cheltenham now, because he deserves to go to Cheltenham. I’m not a Cheltenham fan. I live in England, but I wouldn’t take a horse there for the sake of running, but he deserves to go, and the trainer deserves to take him. It’s the best horse he’s had for a while and I’m very pleased for him.

It must be great to be involved with a yard on the rise.

Oh, it is. Whenever I’m over, I always go and spend a few hours in the yard. It’s a lovely family-run organisation, two brothers and a father. Every winner I’ve had has been ridden by a Queally. I think I’ve had 12 winners over the last five years. Tom Queally rode one at Tramore, and the rest have been Declan jnr.

I’m the happiest owner in the world! I don’t think I’d ever be an owner for a big yard. I’m a small yard owner and I love small tracks. I like the big tracks as well, when you win at them of course. It’s great, and they’re honest and down to earth people. I couldn’t be better off than I am with Pat and the Queallys.

With your experience in the greyhound industry in mind, what do you see for the future of horse racing?

It took 30 years to ban coursing in England from start to finish. I should think that racing has probably got another 35 years, looking at the same slope that coursing went down. When the animal rights activists stop something, they then want to stop something else. The mistake coursing made in England was making excuses and trying to make things better for them, instead of carrying on as we were.

I think coursing was going to go anyway, but I’m just hoping the racing industries stick to their guns and don’t keep giving in on little things to please those people. Once you give them something, they want something else, but there will always be people having a go at us, that’s for sure.

I think the biggest problem that we’ve got in country sports, is that we’ve got urban people telling country people what to do. They’ve got a little cat or dog around the house and think that’s how it’s supposed to be. They don’t believe that an animal can enjoy itself and be happy with the work they’re doing.

No owner is going to pay a trainer to be cruel to their horses, and if trainers didn’t treat them well, they wouldn’t run well and then they wouldn’t be in business. It looks like trail hunting will get banned in England this year as well. There’s no sense in it. There’s even talk of banning sports fishing.

Sometimes I’m glad I’m getting old enough that I shan’t see the end of it.