Performance Review

July 2026

Our horses have been running well in the main this summer so it was important to convert that form into winners in July. Thankfully, we had a hat-trick over the course of the month that included a really nice Curragh maiden winner.

It was lovely to train a winner for Valmont and Ballylinch Stud with Rebel Move, a filly who tries hard and was entitled to go close after a cracking second at Limerick on her previous start. I thought Billy Lee gave her a good ride and he had a willing partner.

The plan is for her to run in a fillies’ handicap over the same trip at Gowran Park next month. She was raised 1lb to a mark of 79 for her win at the Curragh and hopefully she’ll be competitive again.

A win for Rebel Move at The Curragh

It’s already been a great year’s work for Happy Henry and he continued his good spell with another win at Bellewstown this month. Leigh Roche has been getting a great tune out of him and the horse deserved to pick up another handicap.

He wasn’t beaten all that far when fifth in an 18-runner sprint at the Curragh off his new rating - he’s climbed 23lb over the course of the season so far. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do later in the year when there’s an ease in the ground, because he’s got big feet and hopefully those conditions should suit him.

Another win for Happy Henry at Bellewstown

After going close at both Fairyhouse and Dundalk to begin the month, Bella Colombia certainly wasn’t winning out of turn at Killarney under a good, strong ride from 5lb claimer Sam Coen. Like Happy Henry, she’s been very consistent and seems to be in a great place at the moment.

After running her twice in four days, the plan will be to allow her a little more time before heading to Leopardstown for a mile-and-one-furlong handicap in August. She’s now won two on the all-weather and another on the grass, so fingers crossed we can keep picking up races with her.

Bella Columbria wins at Killarney

It looks like Dandy Land is finding her feet in handicaps and she backed up a good third at Bellewstown by only being beaten three quarters of a length in second at Down Royal. That should set her up nicely to head to Naas on the August Bank Holiday weekend for another five-furlong handicap.

Skydance’s maiden-winning form at Leopardstown has got a big boost since the spring, with the runner-up going on to win the Oaks at Epsom, and we stepped her into Group 3 company for the Valiant Stakes at Ascot. It was a solid run in third, but we probably didn’t see the best of her with the way the race unfolded. The winner got a brilliant ride in front and maybe our filly didn’t quite get to open up as we’d like.

She’s still a lovely type for Al Shira'aa Racing and we’ll keep an open mind about the second half of the year for her; she’s got some nice entries.

Chapel Lane is one I think there could be more to come from in time, when he fully matures. He’s only a three-year-old and came home well to finish third in a handicap at Leopardstown during the month. That run was over seven furlongs and I think getting back up in trip on good ground will see him to even better effect. He’s still growing and is only going to get stronger.

The handicapper didn’t miss the run of Miss Romagna when she finished third in a mile-and-a-half fillies’ maiden at Limerick. She’s gone up 7lb to 75, so we’ll have to go for another maiden next and she how she gets on. There’s an option we’ll give her an entry for at Gowran next month. The more she settles, the better she’ll be.

Serendipia is from a Niarchos pedigree that we know very well, being out of our Matron Stakes winner Fiesolana. She did some good late work when third at Gowran on her last start and hopefully she’ll take confidence from that going forward.

It was a tough watch for Navy Waters when she finished fifth in a premier handicap at the Galway Festival, never managing to get clear daylight and still not beaten all that far. Fingers crossed there’s a big one in her when she has a bit of luck on her side for her owner-breeder Miceal Sammon.

Lastly, we possibly didn’t have everything fall ideally for Jancis when having a crack at Group 1 company in the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket. I think if we had ridden her a little more quietly - with a view to picking up blacktype - she’d have been a lot closer, but she still wasn’t disgraced in fifth.

I hope we’ll have some nice targets with her in the second half of the year. She’s an example of how patience with horses is absolutely everything and Arturo Cousino has been fantastic to give her the time she needs.

We always have one eye on the future and I think we’ve still got some nice two-year-olds left to run in the second half of the season. In the meantime, hopefully we have another good few weeks ahead, with our horses in the type of form they’re in and everyone working hard in the yard to get the best results we can.