A vision for success: the breeders who helped build Charlestown

From Dot Love’s arrival from Denmark to Ciaran Murphy’s emergence as one of racing’s most exciting young trainers, Charlestown Stud has been built on horsemanship, vision and the support of breeders and owners who believed in the Mullingar operation.

Fifty years of Charlestown Stud is a story of horses and people, of generations and a shared passion for the sport of horse racing.

Dot Love started the Mullingar operation and, half a century later, she has watched Ciaran Murphy, once a talented young rider at the yard, take the business forward with his own vision, enthusiasm and training knowledge. The experienced gained during 20 years as her assistant is invaluable.

For Love, Murphy’s move towards the Flat has been one of the defining developments of recent years.

“Ciarán got this vision of the Flat and it’s worked out really well for him over the last five years. Before this, we were delighted to have so many point to pointers, and delighted to go National Hunt,” she observed.

Dot spotted Ciaran's ability from an early stage.

“He was a very good rider, a great eye for stride, brilliant at the events," she noted, before quipping: "The dressage now would perhaps not be the hottest point!”

It was more than his ability on a horse that convinced her, though.

“You get the feel for it when you ride yourself; then you can develop and watch your horses work. This new gallop, for example, has been very different looking, but now it’s just right. He has a great vision and he also has been to other yards, seeing what works and what suits," she said.

Murphy, meanwhile, has never forgotten the lessons he learned at Charlestown from Dot Love and Joe Moorhead, who was a major influence before his death.

“As regards horsemanship and all that, it was crucial to me. Dot and Joe Moorhead, who was here before he passed away, were pivotal. Joe lived here and he was a great mentor; between himself and Dot, just as regards horsemanship and the right thing to do with horses, and that type of thing. The fundamentals were right from day one. There were lovely building blocks and then you obviously need to learn on your feet yourself as you go along. But you need to be around good people. From day one, that was a major plus to me,” he said.

Love also recognised the patience and passion Murphy brought to his work.

“When I met him first I saw certain traits. He had great passion for horses and extraordinary patience with them. It wasn’t just ‘win, win, win’. He brought them on the right way. That he definitely has. And that’s necessary. Horses are not machines. From the beginning he had the wish for it and the feeling for it and he’s streets ahead of me now. He’s done it,” remarked the 2013 Irish Grand National-winning trainer.

Murphy also knows the game has changed dramatically and that competing at the highest level now requires more than simply producing winners.

“It’s different times too and you have to grow and develop, and things have changed," he notes.

“There’s so much more to it now; it’s all different. There are big competitive yards and you’re trying to compete with them. Quality is key. It has changed so much, even in the last decade. If you want to get on now, building relations is so important. Relationships with owners, potential owners, vendors. Getting the right horses into the yard," he said.

That personable approach and ability to build relationships is something Love believes Murphy does particularly well.

“Ciarán is very good with the owners. They all speak highly of him. When I meet other people, that’s something they observe. I wouldn’t be near as good. That is definitely a strength of his,” she said.

Murphy reinforces the importance of making those connections: “We do realise how crucial that end of it is.”

The progress of the last year has been particularly encouraging, with the vision of improving the quality of horses at Charlestown beginning to become reality.

“It’s like, it was the vision we had two years ago. That we were slowly getting horses of lesser quality out of the yard and getting more quality in. And we didn’t sort of think that it was going to happen so quickly, that we were going to get up and running like we have. But in the last six months, we can see that coming to fruition. And we’ll be hoping to develop that even more. But it does take time. We’d be pleased now with the way it’s going,” said Murphy.

Among those who have come on board are major owners, including JP McManus, with Murphy also pointing to the growing confidence of established owners and trainers.

“Loads of people came on board in the last year who we wouldn’t have expected. We’d have multiple horses with Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott. And they’ve come to us maybe with one horse or whatever. So it’s a lovely compliment to the place here that they have actually decided to come and test the water, if you like. Most of them have delivered for us this year, which has been fantastic.”

But Murphy is equally keen to acknowledge those who were there before the bigger names arrived.

“The loyal local owner breeders have got us up and running. That has been so important to us. The Salome Brennans, the Louis Van Becks, the Sean Reillys, the Susan Breedons. The late Liam Gavin. There are so many of them; they were the ones who gave us the start we needed and sent us, sort of, homebreds. We were point to pointing with them, or got them to the track. Every winner for them counted so much. That was a hell of a start," he observes.

“We had the support of them straight away.”

There is a wonderful symmetry in the Charlestown story. Murphy rode Love’s first winner at Kilbeggan - I'm On The Line - and, many years later, became the leading trainer there.

“You would never have ever thought that when we started. I mean, to get the winner that first day in Kilbeggan was like winning the Grand National. Unbelievable,” Love said.

Murphy admits the journey from that first victory at the local track has been a little surreal.

“You couldn’t visualise it. The horse we bought ourselves, a cheap horse. And the fact that he won was quite amazing. And then to get back so many years later it is remarkable. This year was fantastic. But it’s lovely for the future too, that we have done that no matter what happens," he remarked.

“It’s just that it’s local. I think it was really appreciated that it was local too. We had a lot of local owners who owned the horses this year that won in Kilbeggan and they got a huge kick out of it. It meant the world to them. Like Pat McCormack, the owner of Soldante; he’s from Kilbeggan originally. He was telling me when he was a young lad, he was painting the posts at the side of the fences at Kilbeggan Races. He’s literally going to Kilbeggan 80 years. And he had runners there over the years, and now he’s actually had a winner in Kilbeggan. That’s fantastic.

“It totally makes his life, which is amazing for him. And he bred that horse himself.”

And that, for Love, brings everything back to one of the most important foundations of Charlestown’s 50-year story.

“The breeding - that’s very important. Sheila Gavin and her late husband, Liam; they bred winners here too. Unfortunately, Liam passed away, but she’s still doing it and is involved, and has them on grass and comes in to see them, and goes to the races, which is great for her. And they had that home-bred winner (Killian’s Garden),” she added.