Principal Trainers: Pat Flynn, John Murphy, Harry Rogers
Notable Wins:
- Give Thanks Stakes (She’s Our Mark 2010)
- Alleged Stakes (She’s Our Mark 2010)
- Meld Stakes (She’s Our Mark 2009)
- Kilboy Estate Stakes (She’s Our Mark 2009)
- Victor McCalmont Memorial Stakes (She’s Our Mark 2009)
- Nijinsky Stakes (Navajo Moon 2008)
- Desmond Stakes (She’s Our Mark 2007)
- Hurry Harriet Stakes (Baby Blue Eyes 2007)
- Stillorgan Premier Handicap (Baby Blue Eyes 2007)
- Challenge Stakes (Galistic 2007)
- Netjets Celebration Stakes (Danehill Music 2007)
- Ridgewood Pearl Stakes (Pout 2006)
- Cork Stakes (Moon Unit 2004)
Early Days
Danny was raised in a family which had no background in horses and is from Avondale in County Waterford. After completing his secondary school studies, his father heard a radio advertisement that trainer Pat Flynn was looking for an apprentice who hadn’t necessarily any experience in racing, so Danny applied and has been there ever since.
Attached to the Pat Flynn stable since the mid-1990s, Danny rode his first winner on Lady Oranswell in the Derrinstown Stud Apprentice Handicap Final at the Curragh on October 18th 1997, a reasonably valuable race at that time. The Curragh was also the scene of his second triumph which came aboard Right Job in the French Furze Handicap on the opening day of the Flat Season in 1998.
Right Job scored again under Danny at Cork the following month, while a successful association with Kate Emily saw the him notch up four victories over the course of the season. Danny quickly lost his 7lb claim in October that year and a fine tally of 22 in his first full season helped him to finish in sixth place in the Apprentice Championship. However, with the Flynn stable out of form the following year, Danny went through a bit of a barren spell and notched up just five winners, but the year 2000 proved more fruitful with a respectable total of 14 winners all told. Danny was riding for many different trainers at this stage and his ability to do light weights was a major plus for him as he gained more and more experience.
Climbing The Ladder
Trainer Pat Flynn has always been one to do well with his handicappers and the likes of Ballintry Guest, Boley Lass and Dromhall Lady were placed to win numerous races over the next couple of seasons with Danny in the saddle on the majority of occasions, resulting in his claim being reduced to 3lbs in 2001. In 2003, he rode the Harry Rogers-trained Moon Unit to win her first race at Navan and the following April, the same filly gave Grant his first listed race victory when taking the Cork Stakes at the Mallow track. It was around this time that he also started riding for John Murphy and the pair combined for a notable victory with Liss Ard in a maiden at the Curragh on Guineas weekend. Later that year, Danny partnered the same stable’s Pout to a win in a nursery at Fairyhouse.
A Claimer No More?
Danny actually lost his claim after riding his 75th winner at Laytown in 2003, but a change in the rules season meant he got his 3lb allowance back for the start of the 2006 season as the threshold level was increased to 95 winners. In 2004, Danny went to Australia on a working holiday and spent a couple of months riding at Murray Bridge Racecourse, which is an hour’s car drive from Adelaide. He rode work for around fifteen different trainers and actually partnered five winners during his stay which he described as a ‘great experience’.
The 2006 season went well for Danny and he enjoyed the biggest win of his career at that stage when riding the John Murphy-trained Pout to a shock 40/1 success in the Group 2 Ridgewood Pearl Stakes at the Curragh on 2000 Guineas Day. Indeed, this memorable victory came just one hour after riding Crookhaven to finish a creditable eighth behind Araafa in the Boylesports Irish 2000 Guineas, his first ride in a Classic race. Danny rode three winners at the Galway Festival, one of which came on the Pat Flynn-trained Always The Groom in a handicap which was Grants 95th winner, thus resulting in him losing his claim and becoming a fully-fledged jockey.
Life As A Fully-Fledged Jockey
Many riders struggle in their first season as a fully-fledged jockey, but in contrast, Danny Grant enjoyed his best-ever season in 2007, helped is no small part by the return of the Pat Flynn stable to top form following a quiet period. He opened his pattern race account for the season when riding the David Wachman-trained Danehill Music to victory in the listed Celebration Stakes at the Curragh on July 1st. Less than three weeks later, he rode the Pat Flynn-trained Galistic to win the listed Challenge Stakes at Leopardstown. The following month, Grant and Flynn enjoyed an especially memorable day when the completed a pattern race double at Leopardstown with She’s Our Mark winning the Group 3 Desmond Stakes and Baby Blue Eyes winning the Listed Hurry Harriet Stakes.
2008 saw Pat Flynn’s fortunes dip slightly and Grant also had a somewhat below-par season, but that didn’t stop him riding a big-race winner in the shape of the David Wachman-trained Navajo Moon in the Listed Nijinsky Stakes at Leopardstown that June. It could have been very different if things had fallen right for him on the Flynn-trained She’s Our Mark, as he twice rode that mare to finish in the frame in Group 3 events that season, as well as finishing an unlucky second in the highly-valuable Tote Galway Mile at the Galway Festival. In addition to that, Grant came close to a first Classic success on the John Murphy-trained Tuscan Evening in the Irish 1000 Guineas, finishing second behind Ballydoyle's Halfway To Heaven, but being demoted in controversial circumstances to fourth place. However, 2009 would see his, Pat Flynn’s and that mare’s luck very much change for the better. Before then, Grant enjoyed a very successful stint in India during the winter months, claiming the Champion Jockey title out there.
Back To Top Form
With Flynn right back to top form in 2009, Grant came back to his personal best and enjoyed a very successful season. The star of the season was unquestionably the aforementioned She’s Our Mark, who proved herself to be better than ever as a five-year-old, winning the Listed Victor McCalmont Memorial Stakes at Gowran Park in May, the Listed Kilboy Estate Stakes at the Curragh in July and the Group 3 Meld Stakes at Leopardstown just 11 days later. For all the success he enjoyed on that filly, it was anything but a one-horse season for Grant, with the resurgent Worldly Wise providing him with two notable successes in handicaps and numerous other Flynn-trained horses providing him with wins at a slightly lower level.
2010 started off on a low note for Grant, as he has had to serve a month suspension due to failing a drug test the previous October, a result which was allegedly caused by Grant using contaminated medication obtained during a stay in India. That ban resulted in him not returning to action until April 11th, but he made the best possible return, winning the Group 3 Alleged Stakes at the Curragh on his old friend She’s Our Mark in his first ride back. Indeed, that mare very much proved to be his most lucrative partner that season, with her finishing in the money in Listed (twice), Group 3 (twice) and Group 2 (twice) company as well as winning the Group 3 Give Thanks Stakes at Cork. As well as She’s Our Mark, he enjoyed a lucrative campaign on other Pat Flynn-trained horses, resulting in him recording his best seasonal tally of winners since 2007.
Info supplied by Horse Racing Ireland - Updated January 2011
