Notable Wins:
- Minstrel Stakes: Redstone Dancer 2007
- Brownstown Stakes: Redstone Dancer 2007
- EBF Summer Fillies Premier Handicap: Redstone Dancer 2006 + 2007
- Ballyclough Handicap: Redstone Dancer 2006
- Cunningham Higgins Cars Handicap Hurdle: Euracert 2004
A
daughter of the legendary Curragh trainer, Con Collins, Sheena Collins
is certainly bred to be a racehorse trainer. Con enjoyed a fine training
career that lasted over 50 years with him enjoying numerous big race
successes with arguably the highlight coming when saddling Princess Pati
to win the 1984 Irish Oaks.
Having taken out her training licence in 1996, Sheena saddled her first runner with Double Colour in a novice hurdle at Navan onthe 21st December 1996. She did not have to wait long to make her first visit to the winners enclosure as just five weeks later, she sent out Simons Castle to win a bumper at Punchestown under Andrew Coonan. A month later, her tally was doubled by the win of Corn Abbey in a maiden hurdle at Naas under Fran Woods. A satisfactory first season was wrapped up by the win of the aforementioned, Double Colour, in a maiden hurdle at Listowel in late April. Sheena continued where she left off the following summer by sending out Cryptic Myth to win a bumper atDundalk as well as saddling her first winner on the Flat with Miss Hot Tamalli in a two mile maiden at Tramore.
Sheena’s first genuine stable star was undoubtedly the talented bumper horse, Biliverdin. A 14/1 shot on his debut at Gowran Park in March 1998, he looked set prevail when hitting the front with a furlong to run under Philip Fenton only to be short-headed in the final strides by the horse that would become the apple of Noel Meade’s eye, Cardinal Hill. The promise of that run was obvious and on the strength of it, he was sent off as joint favourite for the always competitive Goffs Land Rover Bumper at Fairyhouse the following month. This time, it was the turn of the Sheena Collins charge to come out on top in a photo finish with him just getting the better of the Aidan O’Brien-trained Hiwillieby a short-head.
Put away for the remainder of the season, Biliverdin didn’t reappear on the racecourse until the following February where he justified his price of 4/5, getting the better of Aonfocaleile by seven lengths under a strong Philip Fenton ride. From there, his target was the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival. The subject of a substantial gamble on the day that saw him sent off as the 11/4 favourite, Biliverdin had every chance with three furlongs to run but weakened disappointingly to finish 16th behind Monsignor. Following a similarly disappointing run in the Champion Bumper at the Punchestown Festival, he was sold out of the yard to continue his career inEngland.
Success continued to come at a similar level for Sheena Collins over the next couple of seasons with Simpany, Peace Keeping, Donturnurbak and Ryan’s Academy helping to keep the show on the road. 2004 saw an increased level of success for the yard with Heroism being a particularly prolific performer, winning twice and finishing second on four occasions during the course of the season. Euracert also paid his way during the season, winning two handicap hurdles during the summer months while the speedy two-year-old Rare Beauty won a maiden at Down Royal. The Sheena Collins yard failed to send out a winner during 2005, but they returned to winning ways during 2006 and it has been two horses in particular that have kept the yard in the headlines, Redstone Dancer and Lucky Heroine.
Purchased out of the Dermot Weld yard for 56,000gns in November 2005 having easily won a maiden at the Curragh on her previous start, Redstone Dancer took a few starts to acclimatise to the Collins yard, but once she did, the results were spectacular. On her fourth start for her new connections, Redstone Dancer made a mockery of her handicap mark to easily win the valuable European Breeders Fund Summer Fillies Premier Handicap at the Curragh. A 13lbs rise in the weights was not enough to anchor her and on her next start just under a fortnight later, she readily won a handicap atCork.
Now in foal to Refuse To Bend, Redstone Dancer made a highly encouraging seasonal reappearance at Naas in June, travelling strongly before blowing up and finishing third to the highly regarded Chariots Of Fire. She confirmed the promise of that run when winning the European Breeders Fund Summer Fillies Handicap at the Curragh for the second consecutive year. Four days later, she reached even greater heights when winning the Group 3 Brownstown Stakes at Leopardstown, giving Sheena her first win at pattern level. Just over a week later she returned to the Curragh to contest the Group 3 Emirates Airline Minstrel Stakes and duly emerged victorious by ¾l from Hard Rock City. With her time running out as she reached the permitted number of days that an in foal filly is allowed to run for, Sheena sent her stable star to Goodwood for one last hurrah in a highly competitive renewal of the Group 3 Oak Tree Stakes. Having missed the break slightly and not enjoyed the clearest of runs, Redstone Dancer ran on in typically game fashion to finish third beaten two lengths. While she is sure to be greatly missed by Collins and her staff, Redstone Dancer has more than played her part in the young career of Sheena Collins.
A full-sister to the aforementioned Heroism, Lucky Heroine made the perfect start to her career by winning a bumper at Kilbeggan in September 2006, quickening clear of her 14 rivals to prevail by no less than 12 lengths under James O’Farrell. Two months later, Lucky Heroine doubled her tally by prevailing in a winner’s bumper for mares at Punchestown by a head with O’Farrell again in the saddle. Absent until the following April, she lost her unbeaten record when running moderately in the Grade 1 Champion Bumper at the Punchestown Festival. A month later she showed that she had benefited from that run when regaining the winning trend by winning a fillies maiden over 13f at Wexford, benefiting from a fine ride from Pat Shanahan. While she was beaten on her handicap debut at Leopardstown over two miles at Leopardstown, appearing not to stay, she benefited from a drop in trip to a good third to Do The Trick over 12f at the Galway Festival, suggesting it will not be long before she regains the winning habit.
With that mare in such fine form and a number of promising young horses waiting in the wings, the Sheena Collins yard is sure to remain in the spotlight for the foreseeable future.
