Under The Radar: Martin Hassett's five horses to follow

Martin Hassett is perusing the Orby Sale catalogue. 

“If I could get one of those,” he says, “Just one. We’re a small operation.” 

That may be so, but it is an operation that does really well with the horses that it has, that punches well above its weight.  

Take Navajo Point, for example. Raced just three times as a juvenile and just twice last year as a three-year-old. A fractured pelvis meant that he needed time.

This year, as a four-year-old, he has rewarded his trainer’s patience. He ran well in defeat twice at Dundalk during the summer, then stepped forward to win an apprentices’ handicap at Gowran Park under Paddy Harnett in early September over a mile, which was only just far enough for him.  He went back to Gowran Park last Saturday for another apprentices’ handicap and – ridden by Paddy Harnett again, and stepped up in grade and up in trip – he won again.

“We made a mistake going to Cork in between,” says his trainer. “We thought that the ground would be softer, but a mile on good ground, he was on his ear from the word go. He appreciated going back up in trip on Saturday.”

Navajo Point is the latest winner in a flat season that is going very nicely for the Tipperary trainer. Dmaniac got the season off to a fine start when he won a six-furlong handicap at the Curragh on the first day of the turf season on the heavy ground that he relishes, and Bynx, as versatile as she is game, won a two-mile handicap at Tramore in July. Then last month, the evergreen Harry’s Hill, Rockingham Handicap winner of three seasons ago, won another five-furlong handicap at The Curragh, his third win at the Curragh and the 10th win of his career. He is on track for the Joe McGrath Handicap at the Curragh on Sunday.

Martin Hassett’s own career took him to Coolmore, where he spent 36 years and learned lots.  He combined training with his work for Coolmore: up early in the morning to do his own horses before heading off to Fethard. He decided last year, though, after a serious health scare, that he would go one hundred percent into training himself. It’s working too. And a bowl of porridge every morning.

He sent out Moonverrin to win the Grade Two mares’ bumper at the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown last February.

“That was the best moment of my life so far in racing,” he says.  “For us to have a winner at the Dublin Racing Festival.  It was unreal.  A Grade 2 winner.”

She was unbelievable last season. She won nicely in Cork and then she was brilliant in Leopardstown. We’ll start her off this season hopefully in a mares’ maiden hurdle, and we’ll go from there. We’ll stick to novices.  The ground was just too fast for her at the Cheltenham Festival, and she wasn’t actually beaten that far.  She was back up with Ned (Morris, owner/breeder) for a few weeks.  We’re looking forward to seeing how she progresses this season. She’s electric to jump, too, and we just don’t know how good she is.

She hasn’t raced yet. She’s a full-sister to Moonverrin, and it’s great to have her. For us to have a Grade Two winner, and for Ned then to send us her full-sister, it’s great. She’s cantering away there now, and we’re looking forward to getting her going.

He’s out of Mary Frances, who won four times for us, on soft or heavy ground over distances from 2m5f-3m. She was tough, and he’s quite like her. He’ll start off in bumpers.

He finished third behind (King Edward VII Stakes winner) Causeway in a maiden at the Curragh at the back-end of last season, and he finished third behind Highwayman in a maiden at Killarney in July.  We were disappointed at the time, but then the winner goes on to win the St Leger!  He’s a big horse, he’s 16.3hh, and we’re giving him a little bit of time now.  He should be back out before Christmas.

She was well beaten at Listowel on Sunday, but you can forgive her that. She has run four times now at Listowel, and she has never been at her best there.  We thought that it would be different this time, but it wasn’t.  The track just doesn't suit her.  She came out of the race great though, and the plan is to run her again in a mares’ handicap chase at Roscommon on Monday. She’s great, she’s such an honest mare. You’d love to have a few more like her.  She’s brilliant to jump and she’s in great form.