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After a quiet summer in the yard, trainer Sarah Dawson is confident her two stars Pretty Boy Floyd and Magic Sea are in line for autumn success.

The Banbridge handler saw a virus spread through her yard during the summer months but believes the lay-off may prove beneficial for her prized assets who are much more adept at soft running.

Buoyed by the string of encouraging results earlier in the year for the JP McManus-owned Floyd, Dawson reckons he’ll be able to take the step up in quality in stride this autumn.

“In the spring when Pretty Boy Floyd had soft ground, he was in the money nearly every time out,” she said. “So we’re hopeful he’s got up to a very high mark now.

“He’s in the premier handicaps which are very hard to win but we’ll be very hopeful that he’ll definitely pull one out of the bag.”

 

As for the seven-year-old Magic Sea, victorious most recently over hurdles at Bellewstown in 2020, Dawson revealed her hopes of an exciting future as he prepares for a change of focus. 

“He’s won one race on the flat and two over the hurdles but he’s now beginning his chasing career,” she said.

“We’re very hopeful of him being ready for the end of September and we’ll really be expecting him to win a couple of chases before Christmas.”

Dawson is among the trainers hosting open mornings, allowing the public to see a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse at the inner workings of the yard.

A change in approach in recent years has seen her opt for quality of quantity with respect to her fleet, something she is keen to put on full display next week.

“We have a lovely selection this year of young horses that I'm very excited about,” Dawson added.

“What we've done the last few years is cut our numbers and improve the quality of our horses. “Literally from the stage of unbroken three-year-old national hunt store horses to young flat horses that haven't run yet.

“So there’s a bit of a selection in the stage they are in their training so [people] can see the horses in the yard, on the gallop and screen over hurdles and fences, weather permitting.

“Everybody’s always welcome.”

To sign up for Sarah Dawson’s open morning on Saturday October 8th, click here.