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Principal Jockey: Pat Shanahan
Notable Wins:
- Isabel Morris European Breeders Fund Stakes: Pencil Hill 2007
- Woodlands Stakes: Dandy Man 2007
Tracey Collins had the best possible education in preparation for pursuing her career as a racehorse trainer having worked for her legendary father, Con Collins, since she could stand. Con enjoyed a fine training career that lasted over 50 years, with him enjoying his biggest success when saddling Princess Pati to win the 1984 Irish Oaks. He was presented with Horse Racing Ireland’s Contribution to the Industry Award in 2004, a year in which he celebrated Group 1 success with Chelsea Rose in the Moyglare Stud Stakes. While attending the first Curragh meeting of the 2005 season, Collins had a leg shattered when he was kicked by a horse in the parade ring. Despite that incident reducing his mobility considerably, he still often attended the races when time allowed, but following a short illness in January 2007, Con passed away. It was a few weeks after his burial that the training license was transferred into Tracey’s name and she embarked on her own outright training career.
Unquestionably the most talented horse that Tracey inherited from her father was the crack sprinter, Dandy Man. By the end of the 2006 season, the son of Lady Alexander, whom her father trained to win the Anglesey Stakes and the Molecomb Stakes in 1997, had already won the listed Danehill Dancer Tipperary Stakes as a juvenile and the Group 3 Palace House Stakes at Newmarket and the listed King Of Beers Stakes at the Curragh as a three-year-old. In between the latter two wins, he had been very unlucky indeed to be drawn on the wrong side in the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot, finishing first of his side of the track but only fourth overall.
With Tracey now at the helm, 2007 promised to be Dandy Man’s year. With another winter of physical development under his belt, he was expected to take high rank among the sprinters in Great Britain and Ireland. On his seasonal reappearance Dandy Man produced what was undoubtedly the most impressive performance of his career when winning the listed Woodlands Stakes by no less than 4½l without coming off the bridle. Unfortunately, that would prove to be his only win of the season and once again, the Royal Ascot would be the scene of another agonising defeat for the son of Mozart. Again drawn on the disadvantaged side of the track in the King’s Stand Stakes, he had to make much of his own running before staying on strongly to fail by just 1¾ to overhaul the Australian superstar, Miss Andretti, with the other Australian stars Magnus and Takeover Target in third and fourth. On his next two starts, he ran with great credit in Group 1 company, finishing fifth in the July Cup at Newmarket and third in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York, before he met with a narrow defeat at the hands of Benbaun in the Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh. He would have just one more start for Collins before being sold to race for Sheikh Mohammed, but he proved to be a lucrative campaigner for Collins’ and was the high profile performer that Tracey needed to kick start her training career.
Undoubtedly the other star performer in Tracey Collins’ first season as a trainer was the bargain buy Pencil Hill. Showing that it wasn’t just her father that had an eye for a bargain in the Collins family, Tracey bought the son of the first season sire sensational Acclamation for just 8,000gns at Tattersalls. Sent off at 33/1 on his debut in a decent looking conditions race, he overcame greenness and trouble-in-running to beat off the challenge of the strongly-fancied South Dakota by a short-head under Pat Shanahan. Despite the obvious promise of that run, many were not prepared to believe what they had seen and as a result, he was sent off at 12/1 in his next start in the listed Isabel Morris EBF Stakes at the Curragh in May. Having been held up in the early stages, Pat Shanahan produced his mount with a withering late run to lead inside the final furlong and such was the potency of his turn of foot, Shanahan could afford to ease his mount in the final 50 yards, coming home 1¾l in front of the subsequent Group 3 winner, You’resothrilling. He went on to finish a highly-creditable fourth to no less than Henrythenavigator in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, before disappointing on his only other start that term. Late in the season, Collins unleashed another talented performer, with Kyniska winning a maiden in good style at Naas before finishing second in the Group 3 C.L.Weld Park Stakes at the Curragh on her only other start that term, stamping herself as an exciting prospect for 2008.
2008 has brought increased success for the Collins yard, with Tracey already having saddled more winners than she did in 2007. The bulk of her wins have come in middle-range handicaps, with Lady Schmuck being a particularly lucrative performer for the yard, winning three of his five starts in sprint handicaps. However, in recent weeks, a handful of runners have emerged from the yard that could well prove to be the star performers of the future for the yard. The aforementioned Kyniska made her belated reappearance in the Group 3 Phoenix Sprint Stakes, acquitting herself very well indeed by finishing a close third to Snaefell. Turned out 11 days later to contest the listed Fairy Bridge Stakes at Tipperary and she again ran with great credit to finish a close third to Psalm. She is without doubt good enough to win a similar event and it would be no surprise to see her do so in the coming weeks and months. The other promising sort currently housed in the Collins yard is Girouette. A daughter of Dansili, she made an impressive winning debut in a maiden at Naas in July. From there, Collins sent her into handicap company at Dundalk and she failed by just a short-head to account for 12 battle hardened rivals. She is sure to improve again and could well prove to be listed class.
One thing is for sure, with Tracey Collins in charge, none of her runners will lack for skilful preparation in Conyngham Lodge.
Updated: September 2008
