High Achiever Hungry for More

There seems to be something about the life of a journeyman jump jockey that equips one with many of the life skills that are required to become a top-class flat trainer. In Britain, the likes of Richard Fahey, Roger Varian, Tom Dascombe, Clive Cox and David O'Meara all plied their original trade with varying degrees of success before elevating their training careers to the upper echelons. In Ireland, Ger Lyons has trodden a similar path and having hung up his riding boots after a 50-win career, he has, over the last 20 years, built up his Glenburnie Stables from scratch to be one of Ireland's top flat yards. 2015 was his most successful season to date, with 65 winners and over €1.6m in prizemoney, figures that put him in fourth position in the Irish trainers' championship.

While delighted to be where he is, Lyons admits, “It puts pressure on us to be in the top three this year because if you're not improving each year then others will overtake you.”

Like most who start at the bottom, Lyons would train anything he could get when he started out; flat horses, hurdlers, chasers, they all came alike and it was over jumps that he notched his first Grade 1 victory when Big And Bold won the then Powers Gold Cup at Fairyhouse in 2002. He made a decision soon after that to concentrate on training flat horses amid suggestions from fellow trainers that he was 'mad' to try and take on the battalions of Ballydoyle, Weld, Bolger, Oxx, etc. But, Ger Lyons had a plan.

Extremely single-minded and confident in his own abilities, Lyons decided the only way to develop a business that could eventually take on the establishment would be to avail of the lucrative Hong Kong and American markets for horses with proven smart form.

“I actually hated training jumpers,” said Lyons. “I got no buzz out of it as the timeline of events for me was just too long. I thought to myself, if I'm going to work this hard and put so much effort into it, I want to enjoy it. The selling angle to it was a means to an end. At the time Aidan [O'Brien] was and still is ruling the roost. I was finishing second to him quite a bit and I thought, well they can't buy Aidan's, but they can buy mine. We had to do that firstly to survive and also in order to build up the kitty to go back to the yearling sales to reinvest, hopefully in a better type of horse each year. It has taken the guts of 20 years to get to this level.”

When asked if he has moved away from that modus operandi Lyons countered, “Not necessarily, but if you want to buy off me now it might cost a bit more.”

One of the reasons for this is the quality of horse that Lyons has sold on to other jurisdictions. Gold-Fun (Ire) (Le Vie Dei Colori {GB}) won a 3-year-old maiden at Naas in two runs for the trainer in 2013 when called Strada Colorato, before selling to Hong Kong where he has banked over €5m in prizemoney and was recently seen finishing a close second to Twilight Son (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}) in the G1 Golden Jubilee S. at Royal Ascot. He was originally a 10,000gns yearling purchase by Lyons, therein lay the business model. Other ex-Lyons horses to become high achievers abroad include Santa Anita Grade III winner Pasar Silbano (Ire) (Elnadim) and Watsdachances (Ire) (Diamond Green {Fr}), winner of the GI Beverley D. S. at Arlington last year.

In Ireland, Gold-Fun ran in the now familiar blue and white colours of Sean Jones, who has become not just a major owner at Glenburnie, but also a confidante and friend of the trainer. His two young children are a regular sight at the races fully bedecked in their own racing silks complete with helmet and whip and you get the impression that one of these days they will be getting a leg up in the parade ring instead of just looking the part.

“I'd love to win a Group 1 in those colours, if anyone deserves it Sean does,” Lyons commented. “It's funny because we are chalk and cheese as people, he doesn't interfere in the training and I don't interfere in his business and it just works. He is a once in a lifetime owner for me and I'm very grateful for all he's done.”

Lyons and Jones have combined over the years to great success, mostly with yearlings that were bought at a working man's price. Stakes winners for the pair in recent years include Love Lockdown (Ire) (Verglas {Ire}), Dohasa (Ire) (Bold Fact) and Exogenesis (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), subsequently renamed Mr Genuine upon his sale to Hong Kong. Jones and Lyons also hit a home run with Cappella Sansevero (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), a 25,000gns yearling purchase from Tattersalls in Newmarket. Lyons trained the smart juvenile to win the Listed Marble Hill S. at The Curragh in 2014 en route to offering him at the inaugural Goffs London Sale. Qatar Racing paid £1.3m for the colt before seeing him run an unlucky second to The Wow Signal (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) in the G2 Coventry S. at Royal Ascot the following day, a result that still rankles with the trainer over what he felt was a less than vintage Jamie Spencer ride. The result however did little to hinder the burgeoning alliance between Lyons and the Qatar Racing team, headed by Sheikh Fahad Al Thani.

Recalling how this relationship was formed, Lyons explained, “David Redvers rang me up [back in 2010] to ask if a certain horse I had would suit his new client. I said it would and they bought him and thankfully he went and won and was placed in a few group races before we sold him to Hong Kong.”

The horse was called Wade Giles (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}) before a name change saw him become Destined For Glory under which he landed the G2 Cathay Pacific Jockey Club Mile at Sha Tin for trainer John Moore in 2011. Further success came for Lyons and Sheikh Fahad's Pearl Bloodstock in 2011. It was their Lightening Pearl (Ire) (Marju {Ire}) who provided the trainer with his solitary Group 1 victory so far, when winning the G1 Cheveley Park S. at Newmarket in 2011.

“I was very black and white with Sheikh Fahad from the beginning, we had a plan and we stuck to it and thankfully it's working out,” continued Lyons. “They give me the opportunity to train Galileos and other beautifully bred horses, so I'm glad to be one of a number of trainers they use. But now they've sent Joseph [O'Brien] a horse, so that will really keep the rest of us on our toes.”

For someone so forthright with their opinions, Lyons claims he doesn't usually do interviews, though he was happy to make an exception for such an esteemed publication. One of the reasons for this, was his early adoption of social media and a website which, among other things, aims to keep the public informed over running plans and the well-being of his string. Lyons was probably the first Irish trainer to use Twitter and his openness to such tools sees him provide a blog on his website whenever he has a runner. For anyone familiar with his blog, they will know that Lyons also utilizes it to air any grievances or bug bears he may have about Irish racing issues, ranging from going descriptions to race planning.

Concluded Lyons, “To be honest, I was getting annoyed at being misrepresented by some journalists that would ring me up to ask how a horse was going to run, so in the end I decided to write it for all to see and it seems to work better. It also gives me the opportunity to get some things off my chest.”

Lyons had high hopes of adding a second Group 1 win to his CV at Royal Ascot, however Endless Drama (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) got bogged down in the G1 Queen Anne S. behind Tepin (Bernstein). The trainer still retains his faith in the imposing 4-year-old and along with a powerful squad of juveniles, including the likes of Psychedelic Funk (GB) (Choisir {Aus}) and G2 Railway S. winner Medicine Jack (GB) (Equiano {Fr}), surely that elusive second Group 1 win will not be long in coming.