Trainer on the Up issue 45_Jerkins feature.qxd 28/03/2014 07:52 Page 1
Trainer on the up
W
ALAN McCABE
HEN Equine Products’ Enda Kelly visited Averham Park Racing Stables he was immediately struck by the efficiency with which the yard was run and the quality of the horses in training; he was also impressed by the friendly, hard working and energetic attitude of McCabe and his team. Therefore, he felt McCabe to be the perfect trainer to feature this issue. Alan uses Equine Products Free Flow – a completely new herbal product which helps remove excess fluid and toxins quicker and has been found to assist the maintenance of the circulatory system. Free Flow contains a unique blend of natural herbal extracts including bearberry, marshmallow root, cornsilk and juniper, combined in a palatable gel base in a handy 1 shot syringe. McCabe has just trained his 300th winner with Raizin’ Hell triumphant at Southwell earlier this month, following a string of successful horses including Fratellino and Caspar Netscher. Alan has a great winner/place record with 39% of his horses coming in the top 3! After an early career as an apprentice jockey to Noel Meade before riding
for David Elsworth, Alan McCabe went on to work for Goldolphin, spending two years breaking yearlings in Dubai. In 2003, when David Loder left Godolphin to set up on his own, McCabe went with him as head lad, progressing quickly to assistant trainer. He successfully completed his training modules in 2005 at Newmarket and, the following year, became trainer for Paul Dixon at Dixon’s Retford Yard. McCabe was offered the opportunity to set up his own operation and he moved to Averham Park Racing Stables in 2009. PHOTOS: TONY KNAPTON
Who has been your greatest influence as a trainer? I'd have to say my greatest influences have been David Elsworth, David Loder, and Sir Mark Prescott. I spent 12 years with David Elsworth, during which time he trained horses such as Desert Orchid, Cavvies Clown, and Barnbrook Again in the winter, and Indian Ridge, Dead Certain, and In the Groove during the summer – probably one of the best dual-purpose trainers in my lifetime. David Loder was brilliant at nurturing young horses to bring them to their full potential and Sir Mark places his horses to perfection.
What has been the most useful and advantageous piece of advice given to you with regards to training? The most advantageous piece of advice I was given was not to change anything when things aren't going as well as they should be. It's always tempting during a lean spell to start looking at your regime and wondering what you should do differently to improve matters but if you've enjoyed good times employing the same methods, you should resist the urge to do things differently. Form ebbs and flows, and you need to just follow your instincts and stick with your original plan – things will always turn back around.
What advice would you give to a trainer staring out on their own? Any trainer starting out on their own needs to know that you are only as good as those around you – staff, owners, and horses. There can be a temptation to rush headlong into filling a yard, but if you fill it indiscriminately you'll probably end up regretting it. Scrutinise those who want to send you horses and don't be afraid to turn away poor horses or people you have doubts about. Employ people you trust and who know what they're doing. And resist the urge to own the horses yourself! Legs here and there quickly mount up.
If you could spend the day with any other trainer, who would it be? I'd like to spend a day with Mike de Kock. He manages a huge number of horses on a global scale and is a truly international trainer. It's very impressive how he keeps such a string of high-quality animals and has mastered the intricacies of various racing authorities around the world with such success.
What piece of training equipment could you not live without? Razin' Hell winning the 32red.com Handicap at Southwell
44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 45
The one piece of training equipment I couldn't do without is a telephone.