Under The Radar: Rory Devine's three to follow

Rory Devine was hopeful enough going to Gowran Park last Saturday.  He thought that Build A Bridge was in good form.  The Blue Bresil gelding had never run in a chase before, he had never run in a point-to-point, but his schooling had been good and the conditions of Saturday’s race suited him well: a beginners’ chase for horses who were rated 110 or less over hurdles.

The plan had always been to go over fences this season, but he was so well in himself in the late autumn that they decided that they would start him off over hurdles.

“The lads just got in touch with me and asked me if I would take him,” says Rory now.  “The So Be It Syndicate.  There are four of them in it, and they are all good lads.  I don’t know, we were doing okay, they’re local lads, and I suppose they just thought that they would give me a go.”

Build A Bridge had his first run for Rory Devine in a handicap hurdle at Punchestown in mid-October and, racing off handicap rating of 90, he won well.  Four days later he ran again at Limerick under a 7lb penalty, and he just came up short, just giving best to Kome Dans Un Reve with the pair of them finishing clear.  Then it was off to Gowran last Saturday for his chasing debut.

“We were delighted with him the whole way at Gowran,” says his trainer.  “He just got in tight to the second last fence on the first circuit but, apart from that, his jumping was very good, and he just came away from them in the home straight.  Danny (Mullins) gave him a lovely ride.  Hopefully he can build on that too now.”

Build A Bridge impressed at Gowran

That was a second winner from three runners that week, coming, as it did, six days after Thru And Thru had won a seven-furlong handicap at The Curragh on the final day of the turf flat season.

“It was great for Thru And Thru to get her win on the board.  To be honest, I thought that she would have been winning before now.  We have always liked her.  We ran her over a mile at Navan in early October, and it looked like she wanted further.  Then we ran her over nine furlongs at The Curragh, and she didn’t get home.  Back down to seven furlongs last Sunday, that seemed to suit her well.  And she loves that soft ground.  She didn’t really get soft ground this year.  We’ll give her a break now.  If she hadn’t won at The Curragh, we might have gone over hurdles with her, but we’ll leave her off now and bring her back early next season when hopefully the ground will be still soft.”

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Now based in Bagenalstown in County Carlow but originally from County Tyrone, Rory Devine started riding in pony races for his two uncles when he was still in school.  He left racing for a little while after pony racing, he worked as a plumber for a couple of years, before returning to racing and taking out his amateur licence in 2005.  He rode for Pat Gillespie and James Lambe.  He rode in point-to-points for Ian Ferguson and Warren Ewing before moving from the north down to Carlow and riding as an amateur for Tom Mullins.

“Tom was very good to me,” he says, “and it was through Tom that I got to know Willie and Patrick and Tony and Mag.  All the Mullins family were very good to me.  Willie gave me a few horses to pre-train when I was getting going.”

When he stopped riding, he worked for Wilson Dennison and he was assistant trainer to Colin McKeever before he moved back to Carlow and started to ride out for Shark Hanlon and Barry Fitzgerald.  All the while, though, he was building towards taking out his own licence to train, which he did in May 2025.

“I rode a horse for PJ Kavanagh when I was in Barry Fitzgerald’s, Rock Of Ireland.”

He ended up training Rock Of Ireland too, he won on his first run for him at The Curragh last March. 

“His year-younger half-sister is She’s A Nation, and PJ very kindly asked me if I would pre-train her.”

She’s A Nation made her racecourse debut at The Curragh on Irish Derby weekend in 2025.  Rory Devine only had his licence for just over a month, he hadn’t had a winner, so it was obviously a huge thrill when the Sioux Nation filly came clear of her rivals inside the final furlong, five lengths clear by the time she reached the winning line.

She’s A Nation followed up by finishing third in the Group 3 Denny Cordell Lavarack and Lanwades Stud Stakes at Gowran Park the following September.  She didn’t run again last season, and she was fairly well beaten in each of her two runs early this season, in the Group 3 Park Express Stakes and in the Listed Victor McCalmont Stakes.  But her trainer gave her a break after that, and she is on her way back.

“She’s coming along nicely now.  She did a nice piece of work just there earlier today, and we’re looking forward to getting her back out now.”

Uncle Goalie was fourth in a strong Curragh handicap at the start of November

Uncle Goalie won on the flat at Leopardstown in August and followed up at The Curragh in September.  He finished fourth in a premier handicap on the final day of the turf season at The Curragh off a mark of 87.  Antrim Coast won his beginners’ chase at Fairyhouse last month.  It has been a really good year so far for a fledgling operation.

“We’re re-stocking.  We bought a few yearlings, we have a few new National Hunt horses.  We’re lucky that we have some very good owners, and my wife Donna and my sons Eoin and Daryl are a huge help.”

Building for the future.

THREE TO NOTE

Build A Bridge in action at Gowran (Pic: Healy Racing)

Build A Bridge

We were obviously delighted with his win at Gowran there on Saturday.  We’re local to Gowran, the owners are local, so they got a great kick out of that.  Build A Bridge came out of the race really well.  There’s a two-and-a-half-mile handicap at Punchestown on New Year’s Eve and he could go for that.  He’s only five, he’s 16.3hh, he’s still filling his frame.  We’re looking forward to seeing how he develops.  He has the option of going up in trip too.  We’ll see.

Uncle Goalie

He did really well last season, he won twice and he was never out of the first four in six runs.  He put up a good performance to finish fourth in the premier handicap on the last day of the season at The Curragh off a mark of 87.  He’s a tough little horse.  He’s been gelded now and he should progress from three to four.  We have the Irish Lincoln in mind for him at the start of next season.

She’s A Nation

She’ll always be a special horse for us, she was our first winner, on Irish Derby weekend.  It’s great that she’s on her way back now.  She’s a talented filly and she worked nicely the other day.  We have a 0-100 handicap in mind for her at Dundalk on 4th December.

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