“Age is just a number” is a sentiment that rings particularly true for Capture The Drama, a remarkable gelding who continues to defy his years on the racing circuit. His recent victory at Clonmel last month is a testament to his enduring spirit and zest for the sport. As his owner, the decision to retire him has always been hinged on his own willingness to continue. Judging by his performance, it seems this seasoned campaigner still has plenty of racing left in him.
The passion for horses and racing runs deep in the family. My father, who had a significant interest in both greyhounds and horses, was a constant inspiration. During the 1970s, my sister Imelda held a permit, allowing our father to run a few horses under her name. Over the years, he also had horses in training with notable figures such as Buster Harty, the Browne family, Michael Conheady, Mike Neville, and John Brassil.
My own introduction to the equestrian world began at Burke’s Riding School in Ballycar, County Clare, where I learned to ride. This was followed by participation in hunting and show jumping. During my teenage years, I attended boarding school, which limited my involvement to school holidays. During these breaks, I would ride out for Michael Conheady. Both Michael and the Lynch brothers, Pat and John, imparted invaluable knowledge to me over the years. They are exceptional horsemen, always generous with their expertise. I also actively participated in hunting with the County Clares hunt, an activity I continued until quite recently. For several years, I was also an active member of the hunt’s committee.
Racing served as a profound shared interest between my father and me throughout his life. It was through him that my love and fascination for horses truly blossomed. In my late teens, I participated in a few point-to-point races, but my riding career was limited to these occasional ventures.
After completing my studies in Galway, I joined the family’s car rental business. In 1981, I ventured out on my own, establishing a successful transport and warehousing company, which has been my full-time occupation ever since. My brother, Karl, subsequently took over the car hire and executive travel aspects of the family business.
In 1991, with most of the horses my father had previously owned either sold or retired, I decided to purchase a mare named Dego Dancer. My father was quite ill at the time, and I sought a horse that would maintain our shared interest in racing and provide him with something positive to anticipate. As we didn’t have a permit at that time, I trained Dego Dancer in collaboration with a family friend, Patrick McAllen. Tragically, my father passed away just a few months before she secured her first of three victories for us.
By the time Dego Dancer’s first foal, Dego Dante, arrived, I had obtained my own permit. Following the mare’s success, I went on to train her offspring, Dego Dante, to win at Cork in 2004. He had been my inaugural runner as a trainer three years prior and had achieved several placings before finally breaking his maiden. After Dego Dante’s retirement around 2010/11, my involvement in racing under rules became minimal. However, I continued to field a couple of horses in point-to-points, notably providing Robbie McNamara with his first two career wins on Commanche Crow and Gelato.
During those years, I fully immersed myself back into the primary business. I had acquired a farm in the late 1990s, complete with stables and a sand gallop. In a way, I consider myself fortunate, as the horses likely served as a financial buffer during the economic crash. Although I had made some property investments, the majority of my capital was directed towards the training venture.
Capture The Drama and Change The Rules, two horses I acquired on the same afternoon, were instrumental in my return to the racetrack. Capture The Drama won his point-to-point in April 2014, but it took another two years before he achieved success under rules. He proved to be a very challenging horse to train, but the wait was ultimately well worth it.
At home, we strictly avoid using whips on our horses, a practice I believe was crucial for Capture The Drama’s development. Had he been subjected to whip use, he might have become unmanageable. Both Capture The Drama and Change The Rules recorded victories within a month of each other in the 2015/16 season, resulting in a 100% strike rate from our runners to winners. Change The Rules won again the following season but was sadly lost after sustaining a severe leg injury from a cut on birch during a point-to-point, which led to an infection.
Capture The Drama went on to win five races in the 2016/17 season and an additional three in subsequent campaigns. However, despite numerous placings since 2018, he had not added to his tally of nine wins under rules. The horse was bred by Kate Rudd, who, along with her late father, consistently showed great interest in his racing career.
Horses such as Well Tom, Fill The Tank, and Gold Creek have also secured victories for us in later years. However, given his unwavering enthusiasm for training, we continued to race Capture The Drama. It’s difficult to gauge his age at home; he truly behaves like a much younger horse. We are generally gentle with our horses, and this is especially true for our older equine athletes.
Last week, on our way to Clonmel, we had been discussing the possibility of retiring Capture The Drama, primarily due to his recent form rather than any lack of enthusiasm on his part. I felt that point-to-pointing was no longer a viable option, and it was best to keep him engaged in training while he still possessed such a strong appetite for it. Competing off a handicap mark around 80 allows him to contest races against horses of similar ability, a stark contrast to open lightweights where he would face seasoned performers rated 140-150. As it turned out, Capture The Drama made a highly encouraging return to form, leading for much of the race and battling back bravely after being challenged. This performance clearly demonstrated that he is far from finished.
This year also marked a new milestone as Miss Cunning became my first official runner and winner on the flat. Capture The Drama had participated in the Students Derby the previous year, but that was a specific engagement to provide Mark McDonagh with a ride in that particular race.
Miss Cunning was acquired for Jessica O’Gorman to ride under rules. Her father, Anthony, plays a crucial role in our team, and I wanted to provide Jessica with more racing experience. The victory of Miss Cunning at odds of 40/1 on her debut for us at Dundalk in February came as a genuine surprise! She subsequently went on to achieve a second win at Listowel under jockey Jake Coen. The current plan is to return to Dundalk over the winter, where Jessica will hopefully have another opportunity to showcase her talent.
