How did you get Sydney Cruiser?

I owned her dam, The King’s Miss, who never raced due to sore shins that she developed while in training almost 10 years ago. I first put her in foal to Imperial Monarch. She had a colt the following year that I later named Boston Brahmin. He ran very well in his first bumper but was very ground dependent and, when at long last it looked like he was going to win, he fell at the last hurdle fracturing his shoulder. I took him to Anglesey Lodge to be operated on but he was never totally sound again. He is enjoying his life at our farm with three other retired horses.

The mare’s second foal was a filly by Altruistic and her third foal was another filly by Gamut.

I have a friend who keeps cattle at our farm. He told me one day that his son, Declan, who lives in Sydney, Australia wanted to buy a racehorse in Ireland. I didn’t pay any heed to him. The following year he gave me the same story and said that Declan was home and was on his way up with his fiancée, Erica, to look at one of my thoroughbreds to buy. I told them they were crazy but they said it was one of their dreams and picked the Altruistic filly who had already been broken in.

I told them racing is an expensive hobby but if they wanted to try it, I suggested that we become partners and share the cost of the horse and the expenses. They said that would be great as long as they could name her and they did, Sydney Cruiser.

Your accent is certainly not Irish. What brought you to Ireland?

I came to Ireland for the first time in 1980, to hunt with the Galway Blazers and the North Galways. I grew up in Concord, Massachusetts which has a popular drag hunting pack called the Old North Bridge Hounds. While in Ireland, one day during a hunt, I met a local doctor who had trained in Canada and he asked me what I did for work. I told him that I was a teacher that worked with dyslexic children. He said, “Boy, do we need you here!”

When I returned to the States, I asked my boss who published educational material if I could set up a teaching service for dyslexics in Galway, and he said to give it a go. A few months later, I ran a small ad in the local paper, “Dyslexia, poor reading, spelling reversals,” and a box number and I never had to advertise again. I have had a brilliant career of working with children and training teachers and am still teaching even today.

I later bought a renovated cottage in Craughwell and eventually married and had two children. I had always wanted to farm and bought a small piece of land which I rolled over during the Celtic Tiger to a larger farm which we now live at in Athenry. We have kept suckler cows, sheep, and every sort of horse over the years. My daughter, Amory, still hunts my last horse, Inis Free, who is now 19 years old. We have hosted the Blazers’ point-to-point and the local pony races over the years but are now happy to keep a few broodmares, young horses and dry stock on the land.

How did you pick the trainer?

I knew we needed a trainer who could have her ready to run six months later when Declan and Erica returned for their wedding. I have had horses in several other racing yards but when I asked my two children, Amory and William, who both work with horses, they each recommended Ciaran Murphy in Mullingar. Charlestown Racing has been the perfect fit for what we needed. Ciaran has big, roomy stables, grass turn-out almost every day and excellent schooling facilities.

He answers the phone, sends videos and talks to us about different jockeys, claimers, tracks and distances. I think the best recommendation that I can make is that Sydney Cruiser comes home looking happier and healthier than the day we dropped her off. I currently have two other horses in training with Ciaran, a three-year-old gelding by My Dream Boat and a five-year-old mare by Westerner.

Was Sydney difficult to train?

Sydney Cruiser did not run well in her first two bumpers and four maiden hurdles but, after a two-month break, she came back stronger. By the time Declan and Erica returned for their wedding three months later Sydney Cruiser placed fourth at Ballinrobe at very good odds making the best man at their reception offer the mare a special toast in his speech. She ran well for the rest of the summer, placing in almost all of her runs.

This past year, she had a good fourth in her first run at Naas before Declan and Erica returned again but then ran a few disappointing races that we attributed to her coming irregularly into season. We tried routine scanning but nothing worked. Finally, Ciaran made the suggestion of putting her in foal. When I asked what stallion he would recommend and he said Martinborough, I said that would also have been my choice. So Sydney will be retired at the end of the next month and become a broodmare.

Does Sydney Cruiser have any quirks?

Sydney is not a particularly fast mare but has the heart of a lion and will keep trying every inch of the way, causing her to become very nervous in the parade ring before a race so that a half-circle to a circle with two people leading her is all she can emotionally take. She is a tough mare and luckily has stayed physically well and injury-free for us. She is in the lowest grade of racing but she has given us three years of fantastic enjoyment.

The King’s Miss’ other filly by Gamut, Belle Of Boston, we also raced this year using Declan and Erica’s colours but she didn’t have Sydney’s heart or ability. She has just been sold in the last month to Oliver Townsend who will be using her for breeding. I should mention that I also bred The King’s Miss once more to Altruistic and she had a colt foal. It’s always nice to have a full-brother to Sydney waiting in the wings.

Do you have to breed a racehorse to fully enjoy them?

I don’t think you have to breed a racehorse to fully enjoy them. Four years is a long time to wait for a National Hunt foal to race. I get as much pleasure watching my three-year-olds gallop around the fields, lengthening their strides and jumping over the odd muddy spot, or a patch of prickly weeds, before sending them off to a trainer to begin their transformation into a racehorse.

What was it like to win in Sligo with Sydney Cruiser?

I think disbelief followed by utter joy. It was particularly special knowing that Sydney Cruiser was in foal and would not race again after this year. Ciaran had said she had been unlucky not to win a race sooner having come across some highly-rated horses in her races. It was certainly a dream come true for Declan and Erica to win with their first racehorse and may our dream continue with our two other horses in training!