Fahey Looks To Life After Ribchester

Trainer Richard Fahey enjoyed a memorable campaign in 2017, his 200 winners including the four-time Group 1-winning miler Ribchester (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}). That one's departure for stud duties has no doubt left a gap in the stable, but when questioned by TDN's Chris McGrath, Fahey expressed optimism ahead of the 2018 flat season.

TDN: Well there's no getting away from it, Richard. Two hundred winners in Britain last year, so you had terrific strength in depth as well. But there's a great, big Ribchester-shaped hole in the middle of the team for 2018, isn't there?

RF: Look, of course we'll miss him. He was a guaranteed Group 1 horse and they're hard to find. But he's gone where he has to go. I mentioned him to John Ferguson before he ever ran, rang him on the morning of his first race. And lo and behold, he got beat! I couldn't believe it. But you do tend to find the better horses run a bit greener than you'd think, because their work is so easy at home. So I rang John again afterwards and said: 'I still think he's a good one, but you'd better sit on the fence.' Of course he then ran second in the Gimcrack and they were straight on the phone. He was the type of horse that in three strides he could be doing 35 mph, and that just put the lads riding him on the back foot every time. I think they did well, William [Buick] and James [Doyle], because you couldn't ever get him to relax once he was in the stalls. I think he was getting better with age and if he was still in training this year he'd have been better again.

TDN: As it is, it's time to turn the page. How did you find the restocking process at the yearling sales?

RF: Somebody asked me the other day what was my biggest fear in racing and I said it was the price of horses—especially young stock, untried stock. Only five, six years ago you could buy a nice colt for 30 or 40 grand. That same horse is nearly 100 grand now. So we do have to work harder at it. And it is worrying that we'll go to a big sale and find ourselves tyre-kicking. We got two out of Book 1 this year, after looking at maybe 150.

TDN: So if you can't simply spend more, what do you compromise on?

RF: We know we can't afford the Galileos. We know where to go and where not to go. You just have to give up on something—but as long as you buy a nice horse, and a sound horse, I think you've got a chance. And I think that's where we get lucky: we still will buy an individual. Doesn't matter what he's by, every stallion can get a good horse. But he has to be sound anyway: Peter Easterby always told me that. One you can train. I see horses at the big sales making 300, 400 grand, and I wouldn't have them gift-wrapped. Whether I'm right or wrong, I don't know. It's everybody to their own.

The beauty is you don't know where the good ones are coming from. If it were just down to pounds, shillings and pence, I'd be out of business. But luckily we're still here and surviving. Look, I'm in a privileged position. We can buy up to maybe 100 grand. That's a lot of money. Except in the racehorse world, it's nothing. And most of the good ones don't come up for sale, anyway. So we have to try and buy something no-one else wants.

But that's the best part of my job, I think, and probably the most important: going out and finding these horses. It's like Premier League footballers: the ones that cost £60 or £70 million, everybody can pick them out. It's finding the academy players, or somebody from the lower leagues. That's the bit we work hard at. Touch wood, every year we come up with decent horses; so something is working right. Can I put my finger on it? I don't know, but we're doing the groundwork, we're working hard at it. I keep notes on every horse that goes through the ring, and if one comes out and wins I want to go back and see the book. Nine times out of 10, it will be because we couldn't afford it—but if one slips through I'll go back and ask why.

TDN: And how are the yearlings you did manage to buy shaping up, as a group?

RF: It sounds silly after what I've just said—but when I look at this year's batch, I'm amazed how well we've done. Because they're a good bunch of horses. We were going to have a bit of a sort-out on the grass, of the early ones, but after the snowdrifts last week it's saturated up there. So I'd be guessing about the Brocklesby! But overall I've been delighted. At this stage, of course, they're all flying machines. You'd know if one is completely no good, but touch wood we haven't got to that stage yet and they're all coming up as well as they should be. I've just short of 100 on my list here—so there must be four rockets in there, mustn't there!?

TDN: After seeing them at the sales and breaking them, do you like any of the first-season sires in particular?

RF: We'd be quite sweet on Garswood (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}). I know we trained him, which sort of swayed us, but it think we've ended up with eight. Garswood was a great-minded horse, he probably didn't even want to be a racehorse he was so laid-back, but on his day he was a very talented one. We'd be pretty happy with them.

TDN: And what kind of shape are you in with the older horses?

RF: We'd have some empty boxes this year, now. We had a big clear-out: I think we sold about 70 in Newmarket and 10 at Donny. But not just a clear-out, we sold some nice, progressive horses. The thing is, I used to buy and sell second-hand horses. It was fantastic, because we were guaranteed winners. I remember going to Newmarket and buying 33 second-hand horses. And I think all but two won. We bought a Chester Cup winner, we bought a Magnet Cup winner, it was brilliant; it got me going. But when I was finished with them, I was finding they were riding horses; there was no value in them at all. So I had to buy untried stock, yearlings, potential. Before, lots of people wouldn't buy off me—but we're selling winners now, so I'm hoping that will help trade. Because a lot of my owners are working men and they need a return. Now we sell lot of horses to Hong Kong, to Australia, to America. And horses I felt might struggle here because the system doesn't cater for them, but could do well in Saudi Arabia or Bahrain or Qatar.

TDN: That said, you've still got a big string. Perhaps you could pick out a couple of quality names among the quantity?

RF: I know it was a bit of a shock to other people when Sands Of Mali (Fr) (Panis) won the Gimcrack—but it wasn't to us. He has wintered extremely well, we're very happy with him, and we're sticking at sprinting. He bombed out in the Middle Park for no reason whatsoever, I haven't a clue what happened that day. He was just never at the races. And in America he didn't stay, after leading them into the straight. I certainly haven't given up on him and anyone who does is nuts.

I thought Great Prospector (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}) was the real deal, so I'd have to say he was disappointing [only seventh in the G1 Dewhurst S.]. He's rated 106 even so and could still progress into a nice horse. Forest Ranger (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}) is now four, and he's a good hardy horse. He might seem a bit of a twilight horse, just a few pounds short of winning at group level, but he's grown and matured and we've gelded him so hopefully that might help.

TDN: Any you might pick out as well handicapped?

RF: Brian The Snail (Ire) (Zebedee {GB}) has had a wind operation. He won his first three, and has always worked a good horse. If he came back, at 95… because he's definitely a Pattern horse at home. He just needs to get his confidence back now.

To me Growl (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) just had an unlucky season and I don't think he's a back number by any stretch. It's not very often you can say a horse is well treated off 103, but he has been as high as 114.

TDN: Will you have your usual hand for the Lincoln?

RF: Yes, but it looks a strange race this year. I'd give old Gabrial (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) a chance once again. You're finding in the bigger handicaps now that the ones maybe with a few pounds in hand don't get in. You've almost got to be badly handicapped to get a run, and nearly a Group 2 horse to be well treated.

TDN: Operating on such an industrial scale [298 individual runners last year], how do you keep on top of individual horses' ups and downs?

RF: To be honest, the system here runs itself by now. Whether I'm here or not, we know exactly what's happening. We're very lucky with extremely good staff. Touch wood, we're one of the few who don't seem to have a problem that way. I worked for some hard men, and just feel a lot of trainers would rather slag a fella than praise him. I'd rather be the other way round. Giving people responsibility is a big thing, as well. I'm not trying to make them feel good—I want them to be good. Because any trainer who thinks can do it all on his own is destined for failure, I'm afraid.

TDN: And finally, going back to where we started. A couple of years down the road from now you'll doubtless be training your first Ribchesters. How proud are you now to be training sons of horses you made?

RF: If you'd have said to me 10 years ago that I'd be doing that, I'd have said you're nuts. We've been lucky: in the last few years, we've made five stallions. Ribchester, Wootton Bassett (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}), Mayson (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), Garswood and Birchwood (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) have all gone to stud. I think Mayson is a right sire, we've had loads of success with him, it amazes me more people don't want them. And Wootton Basset was a hard sell after he retired. Nobody in England or Ireland wanted him. But he was champion 2-year-old in France so we got a couple of bits of interest over there and I'm delighted for the guy who has him: Nicolas [De Chambure, of Etreham] has done a fantastic job, the horse looks like he's improving mares and is really going the right way.

Of those five horses, one was bred but four were bought and between them cost less than 300,000gns. Which is brilliant, really. But my job is to keep the luck going. It just leaves you hungry to go and find the next one.