Principal Jockeys: Johnny Murtagh, Keagan Latham, Danny Benson, Gary Philips
Notable Wins:
- Star Appeal Stakes (Bible Black 2011, Mister Tee 2009)
- Cheveley Park Stakes (Lightening Pearl 2011)
- Go And Go Round Tower Stakes (Lightening Pearl 2011)
- Desmond Stakes (Future Generation 2011)
- EBF Summer Fillies Premier Handicap (Future Generation 2011)
- Brownstown Stakes (Berg Bahn 2010)
- Rochestown Stakes (Clondinnery 2010, Love Lockdown 2009, Irish Jig 2007, Akanti 2002)
- Cork Stakes (Rain Delayed 2010), Sunbury Stakes (Dohasa 2009)
- Birdcatcher Nursery (Beat Surrender 2009, Roisin’s Star 2002)
- Sirenia Stakes (Love Lockdown 2009)
- Golden Fleece Stakes (Perfect Symmetry 2009)
- Amethyst Stakes (Summit Surge 2009)
- Intikhab Trophy (Summit Surge 2009)
- Carlingford Stakes (Fiery Lad 2008)
- Goffs Sportsman's Challenge (Pasar Silbano 2008)
- Curragh Stakes (Pasar Silbano 2008)
- Sweet Mimosa Stakes (Elletelle 2008)
- Ballycorus Stakes (Summit Surge 2008, An Tadh 2006)
- Queen Mary Stakes (Elletelle 2007)
- Surrey Stakes (Howya Now Kid 2007)
- EBF Premier Nursery (An Tadh 2005)
- Ulster Derby (Green Lassy 2004)
- Michael McNamara & Co. Builders Premier Handicap (Amourallis 2004)
- Powers Gold Cup (Big-And-Bold 2002)
- Fairyhouse Juvenile Hurdle (Spirit Dancer 1996)
Based in Dunsany, Co Meath, Ger Lyons has been relentlessly increasing his number of winners in recent seasons and he is now unquestionably one of the most high-profile trainers in Ireland. 2011 was his best-ever season both in terms of number of winners trained as well as the fact that he gained his first ever win at Group 1 level by saddling Lightening Pearl to win the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket.
Early Days
Ger was born in Co. Kildare close to the yard of Peter McCreery and having worked for him as a youngster, Ger further his education by spending six months working as a work rider for top American trainer Carl Nafzger. He then made his way to Britain where he rode over jumps, partnering 50 winners prior to being forced to retire due to suffering a horrendous injury in a fall at Newcastle in 1989. Having married Lynne in 1992, he soon returned to Ireland to begin a new career as a trainer.
While Ger has
concentrated on the Flat in recent seasons, he proved himself to be more than
capable of training National Hunt horses in the early part of his career. Undoubtedly
his biggest success under National Hunt rules came when he saddled Big-And-Bold
to win the Grade 1 Powers Gold Cup at Fairyhouse in 2002. Other notable wins
over the jumps came with Spirit Dancer in the Grade 3 Juvenile Hurdle at
Fairyhouse in 1996, Deanery Nellie in the Bewleys Hotels Bonus Bumper in 2003
and Royal All Star in the Pertemps Handicap Hurdle Qualifier at Leopardstown in
2004.
Making An Impact On The Flat
Not long after the start of the new millennium, Lyons began to enjoy a steadily increasing level of big-race success on the Flat, with the highlights being when Akanti won the Rochestown Stakes at Leopardstown in 2002, Roisin’s Star won the Birdcatcher Nursery at Naas in 2002, Green Lassy won the Specsavers Ulster Derby at Down Royal in 2004 and An Tadh landing the European Breeders Fund Premier Nursery at Galway in 2005.
Lyons’ increased success did not go unnoticed, with him attracted a number of more prominent owners and this increased ammunition resulted in an improved strike rate in stakes races from 2007, which was something of a break-out season for Lyons. In the early part of that summer he sent a number of horses to race in England, resulting in City Of Tribes winning a handicap at Chester and Howya Now Kid winning a Listed race at Epsom. However, both of those wins were eclipsed by the performance of Elletelle, who gave Lyons a memorable first winner at Royal Ascot by winning the Queen Mary Stakes under Johnny Murtagh, a win that raised the profile of the yard even further. 2007 was also significant for the Lyons yard as in August of that year the all-weather track at Dundalk was opened and that venue would prove to be a very happy hunting ground for Lyons from the very first meeting.
Group Race Glory
2008 saw the Lyons yard make further headway up the Irish training ranks. Consistent success at Dundalk laid the foundation for an excellent campaign, with the remarkable Fiery Lad winning five races there including the Listed Carlingford Stakes. Pasar Silbano was the yards other star performer that season, winning the Listed Curragh Stakes and the valuable Goffs Sportsman’s Challenge at the Curragh later in the season. Elletelle also paid her way by winning a Listed Sweet Mimosa Stakes at the Curragh in July and Summit Surge won a valuable handicap at the Curragh before winning the Group 3 Ballycorus Stakes at Leopardstown.
Summit Surge went on to ensure that the 2009 campaign started off in the perfect style, with him winning the valuable Intikhab Trophy at Nad Al Sheba in the UAE in February and the Group 3 Amethyst Stakes at Leopardstown in May. However, 2009 was very much about the juveniles for Lyons, with him sending out Perfect Symmetry, Mister Tee and Love Lockdown to win Listed races, with the last-named performer going on to add a Group 3 success to his name at Kempton in September. Beat Surrender also got in on the act by winning the valuable Birdcatcher Nursery at Naas in October. Lyons’ excellent season was rounded off by the win of Dohasa in the Listed Sunbury Stakes at Kempton in December.
Disappointment Followed By Triumph
Lyons continued to saddle stakes winners in 2010, with the win of Berg Bahn in the Group 3 Brownstown Stakes at Fairyhouse perhaps being the highlight. The win of Clondinnery in the Listed Rochestown Stakes at Cork in June was also notable as it was Lyons’ fourth win in the race in the previous nine renewals of the race. The season was also notable for the arrival of some new high-profile owners into the yard, with Lyons having his first runners for Sheikh Mohammed and Pearl Bloodstock. While Lyons’ season may have looked satisfactory if slightly below expectations to an outsider, privately Lyons was not happy with how it had went, blaming changes he had made to his gallops for what he considered a disappointing year. With the problems solved, Lyons had high expectations for a much-improved year in 2011 and he was very much proved right.
2011 delivered on all expectations for Lyons. Not only did he saddle record tallies of individual winners and wins, the big-race successes also continued to flow. Future Generation was one of his star performers, winning the valuable EBF Summer Fillies Premier Handicap at the Curragh in June and the Group 3 Desmond Stakes at Leopardstown in August, but the highlight of Lyons’ year unquestionably came at Newmarket in September. Lightening Pearl, one of the first batch of yearlings sent to him by Pearl Bloodstock, stamped herself as a high-class juvenile by bolting up in the Group 3 Go And Go Round Tower Stakes at the Curragh in August and delivered on that promise by winning the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket in September. Winning a Group 1 on the Flat in an exceptionally difficult feat to achieve and securing a win at that level very much consolidated Lyons’ position as one of the top trainers in Ireland.
With a Classic campaign to look forward to with Lightening Pearl in 2012 along with plenty of other promising young horses, Ger Lyons looks set to remain at the top end of the Irish training ranks for many years to come.
Updated December 2011.
