April 2026

We got off the mark for the new turf season here at Rathbride thanks to a smart maiden winner at Leopardstown in the first half of the month.

Skydance had already picked up Group 2 and Group 3 blacktype in a productive two-year-old season last year, so getting a winning bracket over a mile was very important for her. Billy was cool on her and they got up in the nick of time. This filly is by Night Of Thunder and has a beautiful pedigree for Al Shira'aa Racing, so I’m pleased for everyone involved that we’ve now got this first step completed with her.

She’s rated 106 and I think she’s entitled to step back up in class again for some nice targets. The form of the maiden looks strong too, with the runner-up winning the Group 3 Salsabil Stakes by a wide margin on her next start.

Skydance wins at Leopardstown

A week later at the Curragh, it was great to see Stag Night notch the sixth win of his career in what looked a competitive five-furlong handicap. He carries Amanda’s colours so I’m only glad to keep his very fussy owner happy… She’s been threatening to pull him out of the yard on numerous occasions!

Stag Night got a 7lb rise for winning and that takes him up to a mark of 96 at the age of eight - just 1lb off his highest ever rating from a few years back. The runner-up has upheld the form since too, finishing second and fourth in a couple of listed sprints at Naas.

It’s been well documented that our horse has issues with his feet, so we have to manage him as best as we can and keep him on soft ground. Last year, I eased off him during the middle part of the season but I won’t be doing that this time around. It’s harder to get him fit again if we do that. We’ll keep him ticking over and aim to run him when finding soft ground.

Stag Night's sixth win of his career at the Curragh

The median auction maiden we ran Sanctijude in at Gowran Park during the month has been working out a strong race. She finished third behind a gelding and colt, both of whom have both gone on to win next time out. Hopefully our filly can build on that run, and we’ll bring her back against the girls for a seven-furlong handicap at the Curragh next month.

I thought Bella Colombia shaped well enough when third in a mile handicap at Limerick. That was her first start back on the grass after a winter campaign at Dundalk, and hopefully she’ll get her turn again in due course. She seems to enjoy getting a strong pace to aim at and travelled strongly into the race here.

From a fairly small number of runners over the course of the month, we were glad to get up and running for the season with a couple of winners. Hopefully we can build on that into the summer months and have our horses continue to represent their owners well.