Gigginstown remove horses from two trainers BY JOHNNY WARD 7:34AM 24 MAY 2016 GIGGINSTOWN House Stud have taken their horses away from trainers Tony Martin and Sandra Hughes. On the day his brother Michael's airline Ryanair posted record full-year profits, Eddie O'Leary of Gigginstown confirmed disappointing results from their horses with Martin and Hughes had led to the decision. Hughes, who took over her late father Dessie's licence and won the 2015 Irish Grand National for Gigginstown with Thunder And Roses, enjoyed Grade 1 success for the owners two seasons ago with Lieutenant Colonel. She trained ten winners in all in the maroon and white colours but has lost the five horses she had for the O'Learys. Martin, who reportedly loses a dozen, has saddled 24 winners for Gigginstown in the past five seasons, including at the Cheltenham Festival in 2014 when Savello landed the Grand Annual, and when Rivage D'Or won the Glenfarclas Cross Country in 2015. Dedigout won four Grade 2s for Martin and the O'Learys. Trainer Eoin Griffin also lost out recently when Gigginstown moved the useful Archive to Henry de Bromhead. Results business Eddie O'Leary told the Racing Post on Monday: "Michael rang both trainers to tell them we'd be taking the horses away for the summer and that they'd not be coming back. We're very much a results-based business." Gigginstown's main trainers in recent years have been Gordon Elliott, Willie Mullins and Mouse Morris, and they have run away with the Irish jumps owners' title for the past two seasons. Eddie O'Leary added: "We give the trainers who get us results due reward.
I can understand them taking their horses off Gangsta Martin as he has a had a piss poor season but Sandra Hughes cmon.She has only been a trainer a couple of seasons and has already won the Irish national for them.They really are a pair of ruthless bastards aren't they
I was looking at Sandra's strike rate stats yesterday afternoon by coincidence and it is a woeful 6%.
"We're very much a results-based business" what a ****er. Very harsh, especially on Sandra Hughes. They have hardly sent her their best horses but she at least managed to grab an Irish National with Thunder And Roses and also the Hatton's Grace and Christmas Hurdle with Sub Lieutenant. You'd hardly say the horses they have with Willie Mullins have been a great success (thinking of the likes of As De Ferbet, Tell Us More, Nambour, Stone Hard or Monbeg Rose). Their purchasing is more akin to JP McManus than Rich Ricci and they seem to buy their fair share of mediocre beasts. Blaming it on the trainer is no answer and they seem to be putting most of their horses with Gordon Elliot now (for whatever reason - maybe he's the only trainer who will have them?). Bad karma from Mr Ryanair.
