| TRAINING |
STA RTING OUT
the latest update from new trainer – Gavin Hernon
APRH
Saturday 18th August 2018, a dream start and a day that will live very long in the memory.
T
o win a Deauville maiden, an hour before the hammer starts to fall on some of the best-bred yearlings in Europe would be a special moment for most trainers. I still need to pinch myself to be sure I’m not in a dream to have won the Prix Des Etalons Shadwell with my first runner. Icefinger is a horse we have always thought might have a touch of class. We had given him Group entries before his
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race but we might opt for a Listed race to allow him grow up. His very relaxed manner at home just meant that it took him a bit of time to come to hand. Despite our belief in him, I never thought he would be able to beat nice horses who had experience in regarded maidens at the first time of asking. That day was a nice way to culminate the start-up phase of our yard. I firmly believe that the authorization and licensing process in France is the best grounding one can get. That said, it still doesn’t quite prepare me for what comes next. Establishing a company in France and getting all the necessary paperwork in place isn’t the most straightforward and this is probably an area where France lags behind other neighbouring countries.
Admittedly, through August most of Europe takes the month as a holiday which adds to the timeline to do anything. It probably doesn’t help that I’m wired to prefer spending time outside with the horses. I am fortunate that I have an excellent accounting firm in Equicer guiding me through everything step by step and now we’re fully set up and running. Even my bank account got held up in the bureaucracy so I’m grateful to my suppliers for their patience. I feel it is necessary to say that Olivier Delloye of France Galop is an exception and his help throughout has been nothing short of phenomenal given his busy schedule and without him, Icefinger