katie walsh

A busman's holiday NH jockey Katie Walsh is developing a pretty successful sideline as a breeze-up consignor. Lissa Oliver meets the lady who pinhooked the dual Group 2 winner Caspar Netscher

TH E BOUNDLESS ENERGY of Katie Walsh hits you as soon as you meet her. Everything about her is fast, from her conversation to her job, so i f s little wonder that she exhibits such a sharp

tactical mind when galloping along at breakneck speed on a racecourse.

It's hard to imagine her relaxing so it comes as no surprise to learn that her free time is given over to more of a busman's holiday than a hobby. Katie might be well known as a jockey, but she is already carving a name for herself as a pinhooker and breeze-up consignor.

"Dad did some pinhooking years ago," she

There's nothing like riding a winner but to see Caspar Netscher's successes, especially for his owners

Charles and Zorka Wentworth, it's great for them n

says, "then he got busier with the N H yard and stopped. It's something I'd always had an interest in and wanted to do, and two years ago I decided to try it and see how I got on."

Dad, of course, is Ted Walsh and Katie is

Three of this year's draft: (left to right) the Kheieyf ex Mandolin colt ridden by Marta Pisarek, Dutch Art ex Applauding colt with Walsh, and a colt by Authorized out of Plenty Of Action ridden by Anthony Clifford

quick to credit him with help and guidance. "I had Dad with me and he was a great help," she acknowledges, but I suspect Dad would acknowledge just as easily that Katie knows her own mind and has the confidence to run with it.

Given her N H background, producing two-year-old breeze-up horses might be considered a strange choice for Katie to make, but don't be fooled by her pretty young exterior, there's a wealth of knowledge and experience behind those sparkling eyes.

"Basically it's the turn around," she explains. "It's so hard buying N H store horses, i f s such a long wait with them and a lot can go wrong with them, and I don't really know yet if the N H breeze-ups are working out. I buy yearlings specifically for the breeze-ups, ifs completely different"

Katie hasn't been tempted to extend her pinhooking skills to foals as "they change so much from foals to yearlings," while she adds that she feels she needs to know a bit more.

"I've not enough experience yet Starting out with the yearlings is the only way to gain experience."

That experience with yearlings has been greatly enhanced by the success of her 2011 Tattersalls Breeze-Up graduate, Caspar Netscher, but it wasn't plain sailing from the off.

"I started two years ago and that didn't work out as well, I think I still had a 'stores head* on me and I was looking at the wrong

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katiewalsh

Katie's first aim is to ensure her horses are all "nice rides" appreciating through her race riding how important it Is for a horse to carry Itself well

type of horse. Last year went really well though, and this year I've definitely bought more of a Flat horse."

Katie bought three to sell last year and will be hoping to sell six this year. In 2011, she sold a Dalakhani at Goresbridge and a Peintre Celebre in France, but it was the Dutch Art colt who turned a handsome profit (bought for 25,ooogns and sold to trainer Alan McCabe and agent Tom Malone for

65,ooogns) at the Tattersafls Craven Breeze-up that really put her emerging venture in the spotlight.

Caspar Netscher won three from his ten starts at two, including the Gimcrack Stakes (G2) and the Mil l Reef Stakes (G2), and has only twice finished out of the prize-money. "He might create a bit more buzz for me this year," hopes Katie.

So what is the biggest buzz for her - riding

a winner or selling one? "There's nothing like riding a winner,"

she smiles, "but to see Caspar Netschefs successes, especially for his owners Charles and Zorka Wentworth, i f s great for them. I got a great kick out of watching him win the Gimcrack, I didn't think I'd get so much of a kick from it."

Caspar Netscher has not onfy proved a great advert for Katie, but his busv campaign

Caspar Netscher breezing at Newmarket last spring, e ran just 14 days later and went onto pick up nearly

£150,000 in earnings. He is entered in both the English and Irish 2,000

Guineas with an "ncblgRtiflHil'1th" Greenham Stakes

illustrates perfectly her skill as a breeze-up consignor. He sold at Tattersalls on April 14 and just three weeks later was making a winning debut at Beverley on May 10.

"It was fantastic of Alan McCabe to get him home and have him ready to run straight away," Katie points out "Many would think a horse needs a break after all the pressure of being prepared for a breeze-up sale, but Alan obviously felt that Caspar didn't need i t "

More to the point, he didn't need it because Katie has the balance just right when it comes to getting her horses ready. Naturally, she prepares the horses herself at her home and workplace, Walsh's yard.

"It's great to have the facilities at home, I do the N H horses first then I go and work with my own six. I love i t I break them myself and teach them what I can and my aim is to get them to be nice rides," she explains.

"I evented for years and I like to do plenty of flat work to build up their muscles and make them good rides. I know from myself, when I'm jumping up on horses in the parade

Caspar Netscher was always a little gent and very easy.... when people came to look at him I'd tell them I thought he'd win his maiden and

maybe improve from there

ring, you really appreciate a horse who has nice manners and knows how to change legs.

"Caspar Netscher was always a little gent and very easy. Everyone wants to sell a nice horse and when I had him I always thought he was nice. When people came to look at him I'd tell them I thought he'd win his maiden and maybe improve from there, but never in your wildest dreams could you say he'd win a Gimcrack."

Viewing a horse with someone like Katie

seems an obvious advantage, but she admits being so well known can also have its drawbacks.

"There's a risk people think I'm just selling cast-offs, but because of Caspar Netscher they can now see that I'm consciously selling. I'd hate to sell someone a horse that was disappointing. My aim is always to sell, and at the end of the day that's what you have to do.

"A profit is nice, but you have to be realistic. I don't want to be facing bringing

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katie walsh

A family affair: above with dad Ted and mum Helen, and, below, at the sales with sister Jennifer

one of them back home. Everyone would like to make a profit, but it doesn't always work out and you have to hope the one good one covers the bad ones."

Caspar Netscher is among the many horses who have shown that improvement after the sale is normal, as Katie points out "the breeze-up isn't the raceday". Nevertheless, she feels a lot of pressure is put on the horses and their consignors.

"It's all about times. It's a lot to expect a young two-year-old to go out on his own, that's extremely hard for a start," she stresses. "For a two-year-old in April to be asked to gallop on his own and with people watching him, well a lot is expected of him.

"If they can do 20,21 or even 22 seconds people want them, but if they're doing 24 or 25 seconds, i f s a different kettle of fish, thaf s the reality. If s not about how they move, it's only about times. You don't really know how they'll go on the day until you put the squeezers on them, i f s a very fine line."

m jmATlE DOESNT WORK to the

™ Mr c 0̂** a t home, but has enough Wmm experience as a jockey not to SPvk need to.

l | k "My background, particularly ™ «™my family background, is a huge

help and Dad's experience doing breeze-ups before is a great benefit" she says. "I don't know everything and there are so many people with so much experience, such as Willie Browne. When you're with people like that the best thing you can do is stay quiet and listen and learn from what they say.

"Not everyone likes the same type of horse and it's hard to say what attracts me to a horse. If you look at mine at home now, every one of them is different they're all shapes and sizes. First impressions are important and I go by the individual. I certainly wouldn't claim to be an expert on pedigrees, far from i t for me it's down to the individual. There has to be something about them that you like, you have to love it.

"I like to look at them in the parade ring. When you see 25-30 yearlings walking round together you're onfy ever going to pick out three or four you like and maybe one yon want to buy. I wouldn't look at everything and if there's a stallion I don't like, I wouldn't look at any of his."

Sticking to budget might be difficult especially buying for yourself adding to the financial pressure, but Katie is realistic.

"If you love one and want him you have to go for i t If you've budgeted €15-25,000

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I'd like to train. Maybe the time will come when I won't want to see

one go and that will be the first horse I train

11 for one and i f s going for €30-35,ooogns, then you sometimes have to go that far, but basically, if it goes above your budget of €15,000, you may go to €16,000 or €17,000, but you have to draw a line and say, T m not going above €20,000' and walk away."

She also takes a practical approach to selecting sates.

"I have a Lawman colt who I bought in Deauvflle and hell be going back to France for the breeze-up at Saint-Cloud because of the French premiums.

"I bought a Kheleyf at Goffs, so heU be going to the Goffs Kempton Breeze-Up. There is a Dutch Art and an Authorized colt who were both bought at Tattersalls and they are going to the Craven Sale; I have a Jeremy colt to go to Goresbridge, white there is a sharp

Tamayuz for Doncaster." Katie speaks with such passion and

enthusiasm she hardly needs to add that she is "loving it at the minute!"

And she would need to be as the preparation and breeze-ups come at the busiest time in the N H year.

T m certainly not wondering what I'm going to be doing tomorrow!" she laughs. What about further ahead? Could this be a new career path?

"I'd like to train," she reveals. "Maybe the time will come when I won't want to see one go and that win be the first horse I train."

All the time she successfully juggles her "hobby" of pinhooking and career as a jockey, we wffl be hoping that day doesn't come too soon.

But if Katie Walsh proves even half as successful as a trainer, the switch wfll be far from racing's loss. •