Our amazing time in Ireland has come to an end. We saved my favorite part for last. I love heading to the track in the morning to watch early training in America. We had the pleasure of joining Paddy Twomey and Donnacha O’Brien for morning training at their respective yards.
It would be hard to say that Paddy Twomey is a trainer on the rise, as he is already among the top group of trainers in Ireland, with two G1 winners last season. It’s not hard to see the differences from American training as we walked into Paddy’s yard. He has four automatic walkers that can each hold 10 horses, which he can use for warm-up or cool-down. We watched 20 fillies head out to train that included about 50% stakes winners. They started with a canter on a half-mile sand and fiber track before heading to a five-eighths wood chip gallop. All the fillies galloped once before looping back around, with three groups of three organized for working five-eighths with the remainder just completing another gallop. Paddy sent us off to Donnacha’s with some coffee and pastries, which were much appreciated.
We headed to Donnacha’s to see our Royal Ascot winner Porta Fortuna . It was a great pleasure for us to get to see our filly in action as she prepares for her next start, which will likely come in August. There is so much work that goes into any win (and a fair amount of luck), and it was great for our partners to see this work in action. Donnacha has a mile track, with horses galloping five-eighths twice similar to Paddy’s. Donnacha also has a grass gallop for speed work. Porta Fortuna’s groom, Justin Bergen Maher, had her turned out to perfection when we headed back to the barn after training. She had her Royal Ascot winner’s blanket on as we took turns with pictures and gave her plenty of attention. We are now almost two weeks from her victory at Ascot and it still feels a bit like a dream.
We capped off our night with an outstanding dinner at The Bishop’s Buttery at Cashel Palace. This was the cherry on top of an unbelievable trip and was our last chance to spend time with our partners before everyone heads their own way in the morning. It gives us plenty to look forward to our next Taylor Made Partnerships event in Saratoga next month.
There are so many people to thank, especially the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing team of Charles, David, and Sandra, who helped us organize our trip and gave us so many great suggestions. I would also like to thank the team at Coolmore, Paddy Twomey, and Donnacha O’Brien, who took time out of their busy schedules to show us great hospitality and patience in answering all of our many questions. The teams at K Club and Cashel Palace delivered service that I’d never experienced at a hotel, and will be must-stays during my future trips to Ireland. My European contact, Mark McStay of Avenue Bloodstock, joined us for large parts of our trip and helped organize many of the small details.
The last two are the most important. Molly Hyer is our brand coordinator/event planner/anything else that needs doing. She took on the brunt of planning our trip, and putting up with me during the process, which isn’t easy. And the final thank you is to all of our partners who entrust us to create unforgettable experiences for them (along with some winners). The last two weeks with a Royal Ascot winner and a trip to Ireland will be tough to top. Thank you for your trust and faith in us, we couldn’t do it without you.
This is the fifth in a five-part series.
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