Trainer Open Morning

Patrick Harty hopes a double header of his yard’s open morning and an afternoon’s racing at the Curragh will prove a dream ticket on August 27, writes Paul Martin.

Harty Racing, a joint operation run by Patrick and his father Eddie, is based at Mulgrave Yard on the edge of the famous track and the pair are welcoming the public as part of a nationwide series of open days giving a glimpse behind the scenes at yards across the country.

Pat Smullen Race Day is taking place at the Curragh after the open morning and Harty is planning to invite a string of suppliers and syndicates to make the day an informative one for those looking to sample life at the stable as well as anyone interested in pursuing ownership options.

“We’ve got a lot planned,” Harty said. “We have a number of our suppliers on board to come in and showcase what they do, so there will be an educational aspect to the day alongside everything else.

“Our bloodstock agent, Ross Doyle, will be here and do a bit of a talk about what he likes to see in a horse when he’s going to buy it.

“We’ll show off a couple of horses who have done well for us and hopefully that will instil confidence in people who are maybe thinking about getting into racehorse ownership but aren’t sure how to go about it and who to trust to give the job to.”

Harty is particularly interested in speaking to potential syndicates, an ownership option he sees as playing a ‘much bigger part’ in racing moving forwards.

“It provides a way of people getting into the industry without a major outlay of capital,” he said.

“Everything is getting more expensive nowadays, so being able to go and buy a horse might not be possible for a lot of people but perhaps a smaller share in a syndicate might be.

“It’s a lot of fun, too. You can meet some great friends and really enjoy the experience.

“We have two horses this year for a new syndicate called Elite Owners Ireland. They recently celebrated their ‘birthday’, so to speak, and they had a winner with Midnight Fire, his second run for us this year, at the Curragh.

“There’s a photo of us afterwards and everyone had enormous smiles. The owner’s room was jam-packed – I don’t know how they had enough champagne to go around!”

The Hartys are enjoying a successful summer so far, with a highlight arriving at the Galway Festival when Evening’s Empire won the Irish EBF Auction Series Maiden – a race which already meant a lot to the family.

“When Eddie started training in 2004, he won that race – his second ever winner and his first at Galway – in the same colours, my grandmother’s colours, with a horse called Bixarre.

“Eighteen years on, we won the same race, in my grandmother’s colours, in my first full season with a training licence. It was a special moment.

“We’d like to show her off at the open day along with Coralillo, who also won her maiden, but we haven’t decided yet. They are both entered for Stakes races that day and we don’t want to do anything which might interrupt their preparation.

“We’ve had five flat winners this season and it would be great to get to double figures. It would be even more special to get a Stakes win, that would announce us as trainers in Ireland for people to take note of.”

To register your attendance at the Harty Racing open day, click here.