A decade since the sale of Designs On Rome (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) to Hong Kong where he became the winning machine in Group 1 and collected more than 5 million euros in prize money in that jurisdiction, Pat Flynn is predicting his latest Far Eastern export is Starspanledwaves (Ire) (Sparkling banner {Aus}) is destined for a similarly bright future.
Flynn has trained for over 40 years and is perhaps best known for sending the hurdles winners of the Supreme Apprenticeship Montelado (GB) and French Ballerina (Ire) into the years. 1990.
The 66-year-old revealed that the sale of Starspangledwaves, which is said to have hit a six-figure profit, will eliminate the financial difficulties that come with training racehorses for a living over the next few years but he admits that he was confused as to why his yard had become so out of date lately.
“We’re still playing football after 40 years in the business, that’s not a bad achievement in this game and I’m very proud of that,” – Pat Flynn.
From a peak of 65 horses at a time, the County Waterford trainer explained that he currently only has 25 horses in care and said that Starspangledwaves proves he can still get the job done. as good as anyone else in the profession.
“What I can’t understand is why I don’t coach two-year-olds more,” Flynn said. “I have a really good opportunity for Hong Kong and we do what it says on the tin. No horse has ever entered this yard and looked down on us after it left. If we have a good enough horse, we win. I know the time of day for horses and have had countless good horses over the years. I don’t know why we’re not supported. It was a tough game.”
Facing cold winter mornings just got a whole lot easier with a horse of the caliber of Starspanledwaves to look forward to. After a solid debut at Curragh, gelling ramped up in a five-feather maiden at Dundalk in October and then netted Flynn a big buck when Gaelic Bloodstock jumped in to make it. a deal for customers in Hong Kong.
He explains, “I remember when we sold Designs On Rome to Hong Kong, I told John Moore it was going to be one of the best horses they had ever seen. Maybe he thought to himself, ‘this bastard must be crazy.’ Anyhow, it turns out he’s a serious horse down there.
“Starspangledwaves wasn’t too far behind him. He’s a different kind of horse but he’s a fair machine. He is extraordinary. We had him run on bottomless ground at Curragh, which he absolutely hates, and he still finished 5th when he debuted there. Well, he won’t apologize at Dundalk afterwards and Conor [Hoban, jockey] said he had never won a race so easily in his life before.
He added, “We’re still playing football after 40 years in the business, that’s not a bad achievement in this game and I’m very proud of that. We didn’t complain and had some lovely horses passing by. A lot of people have struggled since I started and it hasn’t been easy but it made it all worth it.
“We make a lot of money for Designs Of Rome and we make the same thing for Starspanledwaves. We have a very good price. But I’m stuck with my gun. I knew he was a serious horse and I told the agents not to bother me until they made a realistic offer. They have a very good horse to look forward to in Hong Kong and I can see it in the top five and six hairs there. When you get a good horse, you need to get a good price.
Starspangledwaves didn’t sell as an aspiration but has established himself as a top prospect with his track record. In doing so, he continues the growing trend of Flynn maximizing the potential of a horse that has at one point fallen through the cracks.
“Where are all the people who know we bring the Starspanledwaves to Orby all the time? Thank God they weren’t there that day anyway! We also sold a very good horse to Australia last year, All In The Mind, which we brought to the Royal Ascot auction but we were unable to sell it. “Thank God we didn’t because it worked out in the end when we worked out a privacy agreement. It’s a similar story with Designs On Rome – we bought him from Moyglare Stud for €10,500 outside the ring at Orby in 2011.
“I can remember my hands shaking as we walked out of the office after buying him. I told my wife that I was looking to buy the best horse that ever appeared in our yard. So what does all that mean? The three horses that I did very well have all been taken away and not sold, your horse can’t be sold, you won’t die in the water.”
He added, “I think Starspanledwaves will do very well there. He has an extraordinary stride and is an easygoing person. He gallops like a leopard and I can tell he can go to the top. Over five and six feathers, he can be a serious force.
