John Quinn praised the star sprinter Highfield Princess (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) and described the G1 Flying Five-bound as the best he’s coached.
Highfield Princess was chasing Group 1’s third win on the spin as she lined up in the Flying Five S. on Sunday at Curragh, one of the iconic races of the Weekend Irish Champion, and Quinn, one The County Tipperary native has been based in the UK for most of his racing career, making sure the speed ball is what he trains best.
That’s not to say that Princess Highfield is always talked about with such accolades. She may be one of the fastest racehorses around, but the Highfield Princess will never make big bucks on sales, as she’s having a significant advantage ahead. However, Quinn has always had a soft spot for the way the dirty guy goes about her business.
He recalls, “She had good manners like a 2-year-old but was outdated. She’s a typical Night Of Thunder, she’s not exactly forward and pretty good about one, but, humorously, she’s a great motivator. She has great flexibility. You get some horses that aren’t right and they move horribly because they can’t move any other way. But this lasted. “
Quinn added, “This is the best horse we’ve ever had. We were lucky enough to have first-class Flats and a few first-rate divers.
“We had winners Cheltenham and Aintree, won the Queen Mary with Signora Cabello (Ire) (Camacho {GB}) and The Wow Signal (Ire) (Starsangledbanner {Aus}) won the Coventry S. and is a 2 year old Champion in France, so we are lucky to have some very good horses, but she is the best. She is a dirty phenomenon. “
And this prodigious thing sets an intimidating standard at Curragh on Sunday. She was the stellar winner of the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest in Deauville in August and even more brilliantly landed the G1 Nunthorpe S. in rare style at York. While Quinn isn’t confident, he’s expecting a bold performance from his steady star this weekend.
He said, “People in this Group 1, they are tough to win and the rain is coming and there are a few horses in there that will appreciate the ease in the ground. We just wanted to get her started on Sunday and start from there.”
Quinn will also be represented at Ireland Champions Weekend by Safe Voyage (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}), who runs in the Handicap “Sovereign Path” in Leopardstown on Saturday.
In Leopardstown, where Safe Voyage recorded one of the highlights of his career landing the G2 Boomerang Mile at this meeting in 2020, and Quinn was in the winner’s ring in Ireland during the season. this award when Mr Wagyu (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) landed the Scurry Handicap at Curragh in July.
In short, Quinn knows a thing or two about cashing in riches in the big home race, and when he returned home to the top contenders this weekend, he added, “I love Ireland – I think about Ireland every day. I’ve been in England for a long time but it’s nice to be back with beautiful horses. We just love coming back when we think we have a big chance.”
Along with being able to snag major prizes on the track, Quinn has earned a reputation as a good man for bargains and recalls how both The Wow Signal and Liberty Beach (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}) ) will win any beauty contest.
Even so, both horses raised the flag for Quinn Stables excellently and the trainer hopes to pick up a few stars in the future with desirable sales.
He said, “We’ve got five in Doncaster, that’s great, and Sean [son and assistant trainer] was at the Somerville Sale, where we’ve already rated some lower. The first racetrack I went to as a child was Edward O’Grady’s and my grandfather was a stock man so I’ve picked up a lot over the years. We like a horse with a lot of qualities and a bit of range. You’ll forgive a lot in a horse if you think you can train them.
“I love looking at a horse from the side and like something with a good heart and good hind legs. I’ve never had a good horse with a bad head – I’ve heard some people say they like a horse with small ears but I can’t register that.
“Like everything in this game, you live and learn but you want a horse with good strides, good bones and a nice look with a good eye.”
He added, “The Wow signal isn’t exactly up front but he’s a phenomenal horse. Liberty Beach is another beach. She was normal enough to look at and had a very normal family background, but when she walked into the yard I said to Sean, ‘I like the way it looks, she could be a racehorse.’ Princess Highfield is never going to make big bucks but she always looks like a racehorse and that’s what you want.”
