Downey invests in his own field of dreams

Pat Downey could be described as a brave man as he plans for the future from his field of dreams. Three years ago he decided to expand his equine business into the realm of horse training. That decision was augmented by an investment of more than €500,000 into his facilities at Knowth on the Meath / Louth border. Downey's involvement in the equine industry is no surprise as his parents enjoyed some high profile victories in the past. A 1985 Galway Plate victory with the Tom Morgan-ridden Chow Mein was just one of many memorable highlights. "My parents had a some good horses which won on the track going back over the years and that Galway Plate victory more than 25 years ago was definitely one of the highlights, there were other big race wins at places like Punchestown," Downey told the Meath Chronicle last week as he reflected on his own modest successes in the point-to-point field this year since he took out his licence to train. "For many years I concentrated on foaling, breaking and some pre-training, that was the core business for a long time, but more recently some of my customers suggested that I should train some of the progeny for them. "It didn't involve too many changes to what we were already doing here, but I decided to invest in the facilities about three years ago, probably not the best time to start expanding. "At this stage I have 16 horses in the yard solely for training, but they're all from people who have been involved with horses for a long time. That's slightly different to the breed of owner that appeared during the boom years of the economy. "A lot of the horses I have would have been foaled here and that's probably a bit different from the norm also, but it's a case of so far, so good," added Downey who played football and soccer locally for Slane and Rossin Rovers. Downey has a great enthusiasm for the job, but he is also quick to highlight the crucial role which good staff play in any training operation. "I have some very good staff and that's vital, I have two guys from Pakistan and they are superb, I also have Jason McKeown and Robbie Colgan who look after all the schooling and the serious work. Robbie is one of the most under-rated jockeys in the country and Jason is a top man as well. "It's a case of steady and slow at the moment, I suppose, I've had a handful of point-to-point runners, but there are two winners in the yard now. "Sanmare, a six-year-old mare that's owned by three lads from Curraha, won at Farmaclaffley in Armagh for Jason McKeown last month and everyone was very pleased with that. "Then there was Brega Queen, she won at Tyrella at the end of January, also for Jason, so on that front things are going well. "I've only had one runner on the track, I haven't ventured too far either as it was at my local track at Navan where Robbie Colgan was on board a six-year-old called Larkin in a couple of maiden hurdles. "The challenge will be to find some improvement with Larkin, I'm optimistic that we can achieve that when the ground improves, hopefully. "Of course another challenge is to keep the business going, to keep the staff working and to do that you need good owners, I'm lucky in that respect, I think we're at the bottom of the cycle now and hopefully things will pick up generally," he suggested. Downey also highlighted an area of growing concern in relation to the welfare of horses which is a major concern across all strands of the industry. "A lot of people have horses which they bred a few years ago and were unable to sell, an option for them would be to send the horse to me and we will get it ready for a point-to-point. "If we can get the horse to win a point-to-point it is a much more marketable item compared to an unraced four or five-year-old, the only other alternative for some owners would be to put the horse down. "It's an alternative for a responsible owner to consider and it won't take too long to find out if a horse has any real potential anyway. "There's also the welfare of the horse to be considered, I've seen horses that have been let out in fields and forgotten about, they deteriorate very quickly, even some of the older racehorses go that way. "And they can be re-trained as sport horses or even for someone who just wants to ride a horse as a hobby or pastime, there are lots of options that can be considered. "I have two ex-racehorses here, they're doing cross-country and dressage and the owners are enjoying it, I'd even say the horses are enjoying it also," he said. Although he won't have any runners at Cheltenham this year, Downey is looking forward to the annual festival which he has attended regularly. However, he wasn't too impressed with the treatment meted out to Jason Maguire by the Doncaster stewards a fortnight ago. "Jason didn't merit anything other than a severe caution, it's not something that he had been in trouble for before. "I'm delighted that the ban was reduced and that he will be able to ride Peddlers Cross in the big race next Tuesday, I think he will take all the beating. Big Zeb is there to be beaten in the Champion Chase, but my banker for the meeting is the Willie Mullins-trained Quel Esprit in the four-mile on Wednesday. "Gift of Dgab could be one to watch in a handicap for Tony Martin which would have Michael O'Leary smiling, for a change. "I'd love to see Noel Meade win the Gold Cup with Pandorama, but the ground will probably beat him, if it came up soft he'd have a good chance. "I won't have anything for Cheltenham, that's for sure, but I hope to have a runner in a bumper at Fairyhouse at Easter, it would be nice to get that first winner at a local track, but I don't mind where it is," he concluded. Pat Downey may be contacted at 086-2668539.