Inside Track: Racehorse ownership is a volatile business

There must be about 100 in our racing syndicate, spread all over the country. When we bought former English-trained and -owned Volatile Analyst a few years ago we thought we had a good one, especially after he had finished fourth in a big-field handicap at The Curragh.

About 20 outings later, expectations hadn’t been matched by success. A few placed efforts, but nothing to give win punters among us reason to keep our dockets safe.

It has happened time and time again that when a horse changes stables, experiencing a new environment and perhaps a change of feeding – maybe a boiled egg for breakfast instead of cornflakes – that they turn a corner.

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Volatile was one of a number of horses first-time trainer, Stephen Thorne, housed at his Rush, Co Dublin, stable when he set up shop in the second half of last year.

The oracle has worked. Kicking off his new career in splendid fashion, Thorne has had a dozen wins, two of them provided by the Analyst.

The most recent was at Dundalk last Friday week. Maybe because they had given up hope, none of the other syndicate members were there.

It was therefore left to me and a member of the latest generation to stand in for the presentation. Master Ben accepted the trophy.

Hopes of a quick double were dashed last Friday night. Running in a distance he wasn’t accustomed to, and having taken a bit of a hiding from the handicapper, our lad could only finish fifth, albeit only a little over two lengths off the winner.

Trainer Thorne is thinking big. In the pipeline is a possible run at the big Lingfield meeting that takes place each year on Good Friday. I know, not the greatest of activities for the day that’s in it, but that’s the way the game has gone.

Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore, arguably the world’s foremost trainer/jockey combination, had a runner on Friday night’s Dundalk card, their first of the year on Irish soil, but though long odds-on, Mount Kilimanjaro could finish no better than third.

The stand-out feature for many came when Patrick Smullen rode 20/1 shot, Grappa Nonino, to victory in the 6.30. The jockey’s name would sound familiar to racing folk – yes, he’s son of the late champion jockey of the same name, who in a glittering career rode many winners at the Dundalk. This was junior’s first ride.

Appropriately, the winner is trained on The Curragh by Dermot Weld, who would have had charge of the many winners ridden by the lad’s father.

Beginning this afternoon is the biggest National Hunt festival of the year. They go to post for the first race of the Cheltenham programme at around 2.30, and it will be heads down after that for the next four days.

Constitutional Hill is as good as past the post, the experts say, for the Champion Hurdle, and they won’t listen to defeat for Galopin Des Champs in Friday’s Gold Cup. We’ll see.