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Del Mar's own, Emily Hufford has a really fantastic article on Del Mar Trainer, Paddy Gallagher. Care of Mary Shepardson, we are very happy to have been given this article for our many fans who follow Del Mar racing. We hope our fans will enjoy this exciting look at one of the more interesting trainer's out on the coast. ..... Story by Emily Hufford - Del Mar Publicity Dept. *Note - If you turn on your sound and speakers, you should hear pleasant Stick News Music in this article !* 8/09/05 - Del Mar, California The following article is a Del Mar publicity department story. It was sent to www.TheStickHorseRacing.Com for immediate release to the fans. The comments and news contained in this headline are those of the author's, and should not be considered to be the shared view or opinion of the owner of staff of www.TheStickHorseRacing.Com A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A RACEHORSE TRAINER: PADDY GALLAGHER *Photo courtesy Benoit Photo via Del Mar
By Emily Hufford Well before sunrise, trainer Patrick Gallagher is awake and at his barn at Del Mar racetrack - armed with his cell phone, a steaming cup of coffee, and an arsenal of carrots. The native of Ireland awakens between four and five in the morning, arriving at his barn near the clubhouse turn shortly afterwards. The carrots arent for his own consumption, of course, they are for his 35 horses in training. While talking to his grooms, who comprise most of the 20 employees in the barn, Gallagher speaks excellent Spanish despite a distinct Irish brogue. He walks up and down the barns center aisle, checking each horseıs condition - feeling their legs and looking them over - before rewarding his charges with a carrot. The horses have come to expect their treat and stand still for the examination. By 6:00, the familiar smell of McDonaldıs breakfast sandwiches and the sharp aroma of liniment fill the air, and Paddy is taking sets of two to three horses to the racetrack to jog, gallop, or work. Gallagher often leads his horses, which are easily recognized in the trainerıs eye-catching red saddle towels and bandages, as well as the occasional yellow earmuffs, while astride his hefty stable pony. As they pass, friends call out cheerful morning greetings and trade jokes. Morning is a light-hearted time, as it has to be for a community of people who work together 365 days a year. Outside the rail of the track before they begin exercising, Gallagher stops his set and either he or his exercise riders lean over and give each racehorse another carrot. I dont know what it is about carrots, Gallagher says with a smile, but the horses just love them. They respond to it. It is not uncommon to see Gallagher with his cell phone seemingly attached to the side of his head, as owners gather outside of his barn every morning to watch their horses train. They wait anxiously for their prized animals to be led out of the barn, and Gallagher must approach his clients as a school teacher would approach parents. He treats all owners equally and generously spends quality time with each of them before taking another set of horses to the track. There is always something to be done, even in a rare moment when the cell phone is not ringing. The horses need new shoes every month, and sometimes a horse might have to be shipped out to a farm for rest, or is shipping in from Europe to begin a United States campaign. Once a week, Gallagher must send his stable star, the 3-year-old filly Three Degrees, to the track late, after regular training hours, for a turf workout. It isnıt until noon that Gallagher is finished for the morning, after entering horses in future races and calling jockey agents, veterinarians and other racetrack personnel. He drives home for a quick sandwich and perhaps a relaxing walk on the beach near the racetrack before returning for the dayıs races. The stable almost always has a horse running on the card, and before the race, Gallagher arrives in the paddock alone, still packing the ever-present cell phone, to meet with owners while his entry visits the nearby receiving barn before making the walk over to be saddled. The trainer and a jockeys valet then carefully saddle the horse while assistants and the groom soothingly rub its neck and head. Its important to keep them quiet, Gallagher said. A racehorse is an athlete and they can have good days and bad days. Once the horse is on the track, however, matters are out of Gallaghers hands. I always feel a little nervous, he admitted. You just want the horse to run well, or at least give a good performance, for the ownerıs sake. That is really the most important thing; I just want the owners to be happy. He sits quietly in the clubhouse and watches his horse warm up, visually appraising how the horse is acting, as well as how the rest of the field is behaving. After the race, Gallagher must return to the barn to ensure that the horse emerged in good condition, and only when the horse is resting comfortably in his stall is Gallagher able to return home. Often it is very late in the day before he can leave and he tries to be asleep by 10 p.m. The next day, the process starts all over again. Owner Ro Williford has six horses with Gallagher, and says: In all the time Ive known Paddy, he hasnt taken a vacation. But, when you spend hundreds of thousands on a horse, you want someone like him. He totally cares about each horse, and he isnt partial to one or the other. He treats them all equally. The life of a trainer is a whirlwind of constant activity, which can cause them to spend as many as 13 or 14 hours at the track, every single day of the year. Gallagher, as a bachelor, can attest that there isnıt much room for a social life, and he admits with a grin that he rarely goes out at night unless an owner invites him. Although the long hours and daily dedication can become a grind, it is worth it to find and train horses of top quality, such as Three Degrees, who is expected to start in the Del Mar Oaks (Gr. I), on Saturday, August 20. An Irish-bred herself, Three Degrees won the Honeymoon Breeders' Cup Handicap (Gr. II) earlier in the summer. The gray 3-year-old filly has the potential to be a star, which is what itıs all about for a trainer like Paddy Gallagher. The preceding articles come to our web site directly from the publicity department at Del Mar care of Mary Shepardson. Thank You Emily Hufford and Del Mar for your articles.
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