The Irish trainer Jessica Harrington reveals how she is fully clear from cancer, how Jetara will be her big hope at the Cheltenham Festival this year and her friendship with Nicky Henderson.
Irish trainer Jessica Harrington says Jetara will be her biggest hope of a win at this year’s Cheltenham Festival.
Jetara is 14000/1000 in the Cheltenham betting to win the Mares’ Hurdle, a race that could also feature Brighterdaysahead and Lossiemouth at the head of the market.
In our exclusive interview, Harrington also discusses her recent recovery from cancer, her friendship with Nicky Henderson and why Cheltenham organisers have “shot themselves in the foot” with changes to the handicap races.
How is your health?
I am completely clear, I had another scan last week and I am absolutely perfect. We got through it, we gave it [cancer] a kick in the arse.
How important were the horses in your recovery?
They were great. They helped me get up every morning and horses are a great therapy as well!
It has been 40 years since you started out – how have things changed?
It never gets any easier. As I always say, you have to keep re-inventing yourself every year and coming up with new ideas. When you start off, you have aims and if you reach them then you might think “I’ve made it”, but you never make it. You always want to be better the next year.
I am very lucky with my family around me. Emma, Richie and Kate are my back-up.
You have been a pioneer for female trainers and have been very successful at Cheltenham – is it still the big one for you?
Yes, it still has a lot of very good memories. I got sent a link last night of the whole thing of Moscow Flyer, the year he won the Arkle. I hadn’t realised what a competitive race it was, he was about 6-1 that day, and how he won it so easily.
It was quite fun looking back at that.
Was Moscow Flyer the best you’ve trained?
Listen, he was brilliant. I have been very lucky to have good horses, Sizing John, Supersundae and lots of others. I have had some great ones all the way along, and some great Flat horses too and that’s what I have now, mainly Flat horses.
My balance is 90 per cent Flat, 10 per cent jumpers. My heart loves jumping but the Flat is the commercial and the National Hunt is the love.
I have about 140 horses in the yard now, I can have up to 200 if I want.
No thoughts of winding down yet?
Oh no, it is a family business, and it would carry on perfectly well without me! Kate is my assistant trainer, Emma runs the back office, and Richie runs the syndicates, does all the maintenance, and also works part time for Punchestown.
Is Jetara your best chance at Cheltenham?
She’s going to run in the Mares’ Hurdle. I don’t know if Lossiemouth or Brighterdaysahead will run it but we came to the conclusion that we might as well go for that. The owner said I’d rather be second or third to them than go anywhere else.
She seems to be in great form and has come out of that race well. Until the day comes, we hope she will run a good race.
What do you think of the changes to the Festival handicaps?
I spoke with Nicky Henderson about how British horses had to run five times to get into handicaps, which was quite crazy and as the Irish run them more than the English, they will get into handicaps more and so the authorities have shot themselves in the foot.
You have a great friendship with Nicky Henderson going back many years
I do. I rang him the other day to commiserate with Sir Gino. I usually ring him when things are going badly! When they’re going well, everybody rings him.
Is it more challenging for female trainers?
When I started there were very few and there are still very few of them now. I think it is challenging but it shouldn’t be, we should be treated as equals and sometimes you have to forget you are a woman, believe you are a trainer and get on with it.
What are the other issues in racing that you would like to fix if you had a magic wand?
The biggest challenge is probably cash flow as a trainer. You have to be careful between balancing getting enough money in and keeping the business going. Everything has gone up, labour, feed, the lot, general maintenance, and it is very easy to get out of sync. I think that is the biggest challenge, running the business.
Then you have to run the owners too and keep the horses coming in, and then you have to have good horses, or you won’t have winning racers. It’s like a hamster on the wheel!
It is, to me, the biggest change is the running of the business. Everything I have ever earned has gone back into the business. We have all our own gallops. We never seem to stop spending money on the place! You have to. My yard was not purpose built. It has grown up around an old cattle yard.
What is one thing you’d change?
I would like more prize money, for it to be increased so that you can attract an owner, so if you win a race and get placed twice then it pays for itself for a year.
I look in envy to Australia, you can attract people because they have a lot of syndicates, who have a horse, X amount of people are involved and if he wins one race or two races then your expenses are covered. It’s not so much the buying of the horse, it is when you have it and the return on the prize money.
You can win a maiden, OK it is a bit better here in Ireland now, but all racecourses should be at least worth £15k to the winner then it would be a great start.
I know the top races are worth a lot of money but if we could keep the bottom up, as well as the top up, that would be great.
Are big owners part of a dying breed?
There are a lot of people willing to be involved. I have a few owner-breeders and they are the backbone of my business.
Tell us about your friendship with Ronnie Wood
I have had horses with him for over 25 years. I have got one for him at the moment.
I met him through a mutual friend, he had his stud with a couple of mares, and the first horse I had with him, we managed to win a race and then we bought another for him, and she won on the Flat and over hurdles.
One year he had a small colt and he won an award for the Small breeder of the Year in Leinster. That was great fun because he was able to come to the awards ceremony.
He started keeping horses when he bought a house in Ireland about 30 odd years ago. Probably his best was Sandymount Duke who won many races in his career.
He was great as an owner. Unfortunately, he was still on a few bits and pieces then, but I got him to the Curragh one morning as he hadn’t been to bed so we got him out there to see his horse work one morning! He would come here for supper. I still talk to him, because he has a house over here as well and a stud farm at Sandymount. When he’s over I usually go and see him.
He is also a great artist. I have one or two of his paintings. He did a lovely one for me of Moscow Flyer which I have. He is such a talented man.
It’s funny given the Swinging 60s, we now only drink coffee.
Is it tough going up against the dominance of Irish super yards?
It’s not easy. It’s the same on the Flat though, every year, our ambition is to get ahead of the O’Briens. But we end up in the same position, Aidan [O’Brien] first, Joseph second, me and ger either third or fourth. Ger and I laugh about it, but we won’t get ahead of them
Joseph is amazing. It has taken me 40 years to get to this point and him only five!
