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Christie “Spillers”
All
Tucked away in the rolling hills of County Fermanagh is one of the racing industry’s finest talents. Allison Matthews from John Thompson & Sons Ltd put her SPILLERS® riding hat on for the day to go and meet Northern Ireland’s Top National Hunt Trainer, and find out; “How does it feel to have six winners in one day?!”
On arriving at David Christie’s homestead it is clear from the outset that this place means business. Two large American style barns and an indoor horse walker is evidence of a busy yard that is capable of taking on more than a few potential winners. The stables are a hive of activity with Diane Sheridan, Camilla (Millie) Bayliss and Julian Higgins getting stuck into the daily mucking out, whilst pointing me in the direction of David who has the trainer’s trademark of a mobile phone at his ear!
As it is early in the season the yard is only half full, and a lot of the work at the moment is centered around getting horses in from the fields and giving them a make-over before the serious work begins. At full capacity David will be training up to fifty horses therefore he is relying on more staff to arrive to ensure there are enough hands to cope with the daily chores.
After our introductions David takes me for a cup of tea before my interrogations begin!
Q1. Was it always your dream to become a Trainer?
D.C - In my career as an amateur rider I rode 38 winners in point to points. Although I was a moderate jockey, I had to work extremely hard at it and never was convinced that it was my true calling. One thing that I was always intrigued by was the physical and mental aspects involved with being a successful sportsman. I have transferred this interest onto the horse, which has led me to a love for training and developing horses as top athletes.
Q.2. Is it all work and no play?
D.C - Yes! Last year when I approached Claire (McMahon) to ride for me, she stated that she wanted to be the Irish Lady Champion Jockey. I told her she would have to prove herself by winning six races. Of course she did, so we then had a real goal which left us with little time for anything else. Maybe in a year or two when we have the yard the way I want it to be I can ease off a bit.
Q.3. What is your usual daily routine?
D.C - I like to start riding out straight away at 8am. This will be possible when the two new workers arrive. We would ride out approximately 5 lots and aim to finish for 5pm each evening.
Q.4. When buying young horses what do you look for?
D.C - I would avoid certain Sires if I feel that their strengths don’t come through onto their offspring. Having said that I rely very little on bloodlines (more popular bloodlines have a much bigger price on their head), and would be more interested in the general look of a horse. I wouldn’t be put off if they had a curb/splint or a moderate front leg; my main priority is that they appear brave. Racing can be quite traumatic for a horse and they need a lot of guts to withstand that.
Q.5. What potential stars for the future should we look out for? (jockeys/horses)
D.C - Claire will certainly still be on the forefront of the racing scene, but as for horses that is a tough one. We have horses like Hersov, Howdy Doody, Penny Out and of course Fnan. These are really good horses that people may have heard of already, but as for young horses that have not run yet, I have a nice one called Topped Mountain who will run at the bumper in Sligo tomorrow evening. (Topped Mountain was placed 2nd at Sligo the following evening!)
Q.6. What surface do you prefer to train on? (sand/all-weather/grass)
D.C - In a perfect world I would choose grass - possibly living in Fermanagh doesn’t improve my chances there! I have both an oval gallop made of Wexford sand (which is 3furlongs for slow and steady work) and a woodchip up-hill gallop (this is also 3furlongs, and is up a very steady hill). It is horses for courses and each horse is trained on the surface that suits their physical attributes.
Q.7. Mares or Geldings?
D.C - This yard has a 30/70 ratio, either can be a winner.
Q.8. Hay or Haylage?
D.C - Haylage. If I was unsure of the quality of my haylage I get it analysed to ensure that it is up to standard.
Q.9. Plaited or Unplaited?
D.C - Always plaited. You have to show that you are willing to put the extra effort in. Although Martin Pipe still does ok!
Q.10. What has been the highest point of your life as a trainer so far?
D.C - That is a very difficult question! (after some deliberation as to whether it was when he won 6 times in a row at the one race meet, or when he had 10 consecutive winners in a row)
For me personally, due to a variety of factors - excellent owners and a special horse - it was when Finoel won at Cork. It was his sixth win in a row (which hadn’t been done for 50years) and he was the first horse from Northern Ireland to win in the county of Cork. I was ecstatic for the horse, the owners and myself, which made it a very special occasion.
Q.11. How do you top that? What are your future aims and ambitions?
D.C - First and foremost I will aim to maintain my track record. From there I will improve my standards and win better races to try to become a Grade 1 Trainer. I would also love to win the Foxhunter at Aintree. I walked the course last year with Claire and anyone that thinks the fences are getting smaller needs to take a closer look! Winning that would be hard to beat.
Q.12. How important is your horse feed in maintaining horse health to achieve these ambitions?
D.C - Horse feed is hugely important in keeping your horse in top condition from the start of the season to the end. It is hard on them when they are racing and you need to feed something that you know will maintain performance. I have been buying SPILLERS® from Ivan Nicholson of Equestrian Farm Feeds for years. In all that time my horses always look just as fresh at the end of the season as they do at the start.
Q.13. What features do you look for when buying horse feed?
D.C - I don’t particularly go for feed with a high protein or starch levels as I find this doesn’t allow for them having “easy” days. From a management point of view, if you always feed high starch levels you have to worry about issues such as “tying-up”.
Q.14. Do you use different feed for horses at varying stages of training?
D.C - I use SPILLERS® Lay-Off Mix at the start of training as it will not overload them with starch. When they are in full training they are on the SPILLERS® Racing Range, including the HDF® Power Mix and Cubes. I then give them a break over Christmas and I always put them back on to the Lay-Off Mix.
Q.15. If you weren’t a leading Trainer, what would David Christie be?
D.C - I don’t know! I love the training of them, the work required to get them to the stage where they are ready to win races, but, if I didn’t have to race them I wouldn’t! Winning makes it all worthwhile and puts the reason behind what we do and why we do it well, but it doesn’t make it any easier to watch them going round that racetrack!
With the morning nearly over I thought I had better let David get on with training winners. As I watched David, Millie and Julian exercise three of the horses around the sand gallop it was apparent that if David thinks that he is only an average jockey I can only imagine how modest he was being with regard to his training talents!
I would like to thank David, Diane, Millie and Julian for allowing me to disturb their day and wish them all the best for the forthcoming season from John Thompson & Sons Ltd and SPILLERS®.
Allison Matthews is Sales & Marketing Administrator for John Thompson & Sons Ltd. Allison graduated with a BSc Hons Equine Science in 1999, and since then her experience has included being Head Groom for the Olympic Show jumpers in Sydney and exercising Point to Pointers for Wilson Dennison & Colin McKeever.
Thompsons can be contacted on; 028 9035 1321 OR
SPILLERS® Key Account Manager; David Mathers - 07776248955
Mr. D. Christie
Leginn House
Levaghy
Enniskillen
Co. Fermanagh
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