As the tail end of Storm Jonas turns from snow to rain and lashes the Lambourn Valley, the shoulders of work riders are hunched firmly forward in defiance of the wind. At the high point of Berkshire's rolling downland, which on brighter days perfectly illustrates England's green and pleasant land, stands a trainer for whom the turf season can't come quickly enough. His success last year, however, lends a spring to his step even on the bleakest of days.
Harry Dunlop has spent a lifetime involved with top-class winners. He grew up in Arundel where his father, John, trained multiple Classic winners for some notable owner-breeders and served his training apprenticeship with Henry Cecil and Nicky Henderson–each masters of their trade in their respective codes–while his brother Ed has collected major racing trophies the world over. Last November, in his ninth full season with a training licence, Dunlop planted his own flag at racing's summit when Robin Of Navan (Fr) (American Post {GB}) landed the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud.
When not busy marshalling the troops in his 50-strong stable– the busiest the yard has ever been during Dunlop's tenancy–he can be forgiven the odd fretful moment over his Classic hope as winter drags ever on.
“There's been quite a bit of box-walking,” admits Dunlop's wife Christina, whom he met while billeted at Cecil's Warren Place in Newmarket.
She refers of course to the trainer and not the stable star, whose only vice appears to be his keenness to take small chunks out of Dunlop's arm as they pose for photographs.
As the yard's first Group 1 winner, this errant behaviour is overlooked and 'Robin,' as he's known in-house, has also been allowed to retain his box in the 2-year-old yard instead of moving to the main yard, having expressed a slightly rock star-like tendency for having his own way.
Reflecting on his success in Paris, Dunlop says, “It's our greatest achievement to date and it's really exciting for the whole yard. We've come close in the past with a second in a Group 1, but that's nothing like this. And it's not just Robin to look forward to either–we have some nice older horses, like Memories Galore (Ire) and Early Morning (Ire), which we haven't always had as quite often we've lost horses to the sales, but it's lovely to have these progressive types who've improved as they have done.”
A notable progression in Dunlop's training plan has been his adventurous sorties into northern France in a bid to take advantage of that country's better prize money and lucrative premiums. He explains, “It was sparked by a conversation with Ed Player of Whatton Manor Stud, who has horses in France. I bought a horse called Sir Patrick Moore (Fr) for not very much money and he turned into a group performer. He won his maiden as a 2-year-old at Newbury and then we took the view that we'd stick to the French premiums instead of running him in the Coventry [at Royal Ascot], which we could have done, and that really showed us just how valuable the French premium system is.”
That son of Astronomer Royal (Fr) was a €16,000 yearling and was subsequently listed- and group-placed in France as well as being runner-up to Olympic Glory (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) in the G3 Greenham S. Sold as a 3-year-old for €145,000 at Arqana's Arc Sale, he was exported to Chris Waller's Australian stable and has been renamed Weary (Fr).
The path to France has been well trodden in the last four years and will doubtless continue to be. Dunlop's stable is currently home to 15 French-breds, and plans are firmly underway for a small satellite operation at Deauville's La Touques racecourse.
“We're very much a British-based training operation. The races in England are just as important,” he stresses. “But we had a very good meeting at Arqana's October sale with the director of the racecourse at Deauville and we were allowed to apply for some boxes at the course. We can then target some races there, perhaps with some of the lesser horses who we wouldn't want to run up lots of travel costs for, but they can still race there for some good prize money.”
Robin Of Navan will remain based at Windsor House Stables, but certainly has plenty of potential big-race targets in France, including the G1 Prix du Jockey-Club. Looking ahead to the Flat season, his trainer says, “He's probably got to run in a trial, though he's already earned the right to run in a Derby. He doesn't need to run in a trial to prove himself–we know he's worthy of that grade.”
He adds, “In France there are a lot of 3-year-olds who will appear early on this year and may be superstars. So we may look at a trial there to see where we are, and I'd also consider the Sandown trial. Of course we want to win a Classic but I think we've got to be a little bit clever as well and see what other group races he could win.”
The chestnut colt, owned in partnership by Peter Deal, Richard Foden, Mike and Shirley Crosse and Sir David Sieff, will not be restricted solely to racing in the country of his birth. “He'll be given an entry in the English Derby and he could even end up being a Leger horse if he stays,” offers Dunlop. “He's actually a very straightforward horse once he's in full work. He can get a bit fresh but it's a long season so I don't want to get him galloping just yet. I kept him going quietly though the winter without any pressure on him and he's done well mentally and physically for it. He looks like a proper horse.”
Derby dreams aside, plenty of the other residents of the stable are occupying the trainer's thoughts, including the aforementioned Memories Galore (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). The 4-year-old dual winner is owned by Cristina Patino, who breeds and races under the name of Windflower Overseas Holdings and has been a staunch supporter of the family, her horses including the Ed Dunlop-trained Snow Fairy (Ire) (Intikhab {Ire}) and Big Bad Bob (Ire) (Bob Back), whose racing career was overseen by John Dunlop.
“He's quite a good sprinter and hopefully he's strengthened up again for this year,” says the youngest of the training clan. “He needs to improve again but I think he could be competitive off his mark of 85.”
“We also have Storm Rock (GB), who is a nice little horse and will hopefully be entered for the Lincoln–he won quite impressively at Leicester in soft ground at the back end of last season.”
Prior to Robin Of Navan heading the list, a Teofilo (Ire) filly by the name of Roz (GB) was the first to advertise her trainer's talents on the main stage when she ended her juvenile season by finishing runner-up in the G1 Shadwell Fillies' Mile, having already scored at listed level.
“She was terrific and was owned by our landlords, Charlie and Mary-Anne Parker, who also own Crimbourne Stud. They are really enthusiasts and always very keen to get involved,” says Dunlop.
As well as being the rider of Robin's 'minder', the solid and saintly cob known as Boris, Christina also handles the important business of trying to attract new patrons and liaising with existing owners. Her background in sports marketing means she is a naturally good promoter of the stable. She says, “Harry was born into racing but my first experience with racing was working in Newmarket for the IRB [International Racing Bureau] so I come at it from a slightly different angle. The most important thing is to make it fun for the owners and to make sure they feel included with what's going on. We have a lot of owners who have been involved with us from the start and they follow every horse in the yard, so any winner is celebrated by many people and I like to think that they all feel involved.”
The close-knit racing community of Lambourn packed the streets to welcome home its Grand National winner Many Clouds (Ire) (Cloudings {Ire}) back in April. A Classic winner from the historic yard in the heart of the village would be guaranteed a similarly rousing reception, and not just from those connected to the increasingly successful Dunlop stable.
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