Philip Rothwell looks ahead to open morning

A behind-the-scenes look at both a successful yard and a historic country house are set to be available when Philip Rothwell opens his doors on August 31.

The Tinahely-based trainer, who saddled 42 winners last season, is welcoming members of the public and prospective owners for an open afternoon with a difference.

In addition to a look at the yard and a string of horses in his stable, guests will be treated to a tour of the nearby Coollattin House, the largest country house in Ireland which boasts 117 rooms and has a link to President John F Kennedy, through his sister Kathleen.

“It is two miles over the road from our yard and some friends of ours have purchased it,” Rothwell said.

“They are willing to let me take guests over there after the open event for a tour of the building, the history of the house and the history of racing in the area to add to the day.

“Before that, we’ll ride out one lot of horses and our nutritionist, dentist and physio will be there to do walkthroughs and answer any questions about life in the yard.

“Whoever wants to can then join us at Coolattin for a glass of wine, sandwiches and canapes.”

Rothwell has run open mornings before but this is the first he has put on with the support of Horse Racing Ireland’s Ownership team, with the trainer keen to seek out those interested in getting involved in syndicates or outright ownership.

He insists making dreams become reality at relatively modest prices is an achievable prospect, citing his belief that there will be plenty of stories in the mould of Hewick – Shark Hanlon’s €800 purchase who has gone on to land lucrative races both at home and overseas – in the years to come.

“We want to encourage people to get involved in a wonderful sport,” he said.

“The hospitality at the races has gone up 10 times, the facilities have gone up 10 times, the crowds this summer have been brilliant.

“What was stopping us getting horse people involved in horses was the raw materials were too expensive, it nearly became elitist.

“If you went to an August sale 10 years ago, €10,000 would only buy you four legs and a beating heart. Now, if someone gives you an order of somewhere from €5,000-10,000, I’d like to argue you could come back with a horse that could win a Grade 1 at Cheltenham.

“Now is a very positive time to invest because there are more opportunities for people to get involved, it’s more affordable and we can bring new people into the sport.

“There is an overpopulation of high quality horses, which means we all have a chance of finding one.”

Rothwell is certainly content with the quality of this season’s stable and has had nine winners already.

Matching last season’s total will be a challenge but he is hopeful of some landmark victories in the coming months.

“Captains Nephew could run in some of the bigger Handicap chases this winter,” he said.

“Union Park could step up and be seen running in some of the good Handicap chases in England.

“I think we’re putting together a stronger team of horses for this winter than what we had for last winter but my expectations are lower.

“We had a very good team of handicappers last year who won a considerable number of races but those horses have gone up in ratings now so it will be harder to achieve what we achieved last year.

“However, I feel we can train well over 20 winners. We have horses who can target one or two bigger races and the goal is to try and win a big pot somewhere.”