Philip Polly I'm a Downpatrick man through and through, in County Down, hence the colours of my silks. My nanny Polly was a Fitzsimons and her home place was in the middle of Downpatrick Racecourse right beside where Paddy Turley's house and yard are now. Horses have been in my blood for generations. My grandpa Willie Polly had Novello Allegro (12-time winner in his career) and he was among my first memories of horses. He passed away in 1992. In one of his memorial races at Downpatrick, a few years after he passed (May 2000), a young Jerry Hannon was given an opportunity to commentate on his race which helped to kick off his incredible career. He's the voice behind Irish racing now as well know. I rode ponies up until I was 11 or 12 years old, I broke my wrist and I never went back. It was an injury that probably interfered with other sports that I was mad about at the time. From Business to Backing the Racing Community In general, I support a lot of sports clubs locally and Downpatrick Racecourse would be one of them. Ruth Morrison and Richard Lyttle have done an amazing job with the facilities and the track is always in some order. My uncle Colum helps out in the weigh room with food for the jockeys and press. Ruth approached me earlier this year about sponsoring the stableyard canteen on race days. It was an absolute no brainer for us to support it. The stablestaff are the backbone of the Irish racing community. I see it all the time in Noel Meade's stable and Gordon Elliott's yard which I have visited regularly over the past number of years. That sponsorship was through CosyGroup which I own and is based in Downpatrick. We have businesses involved in replacing conservatory roofs, insulation, solar panels, builders' merchants and a building company. I have been going to watch horse racing in Downpatrick since I was a nipper. My granda was a big supporter of it. The whole area means a lot to me because my family have a lot of history here. Racing was always in my blood and that's why I got back into ownership in March 2020. I rang Paddy Turley on the way to Cheltenham asking to buy a couple of racehorses. We all know what happened next with lockdown, but I went to Paddy's which is about a mile from my house and I bought two horses - one was Mig Des Taillons and he won three times for me that year (Down Royal, Fairyhouse and Musselburgh). I never got to see him live at a track because of lockdown restrictions. The highlight of that year was watching one of his wins in a bar in Vilamoura with my family and friends, and I'd say that really ignited the bug. Living the Dream: Ownership Highs and Racing Triumphs Noel Meade put an advert on Facebook at the end of January 2022 selling Pinkerton. He had just won his maiden hurdle (in Thurles) and had previously won his bumper (at Down Royal), so I left a message for Noel to ring me which he did and we agreed a price. I asked him to send me an invoice and I remember him asking me if I wanted to see the horse first and I said 'no, it's grand - I trust you and I'll be down in a few weeks' time when I get a chance'. I'm sure Noel thought I must have been nuts! That's the way I do business, I'd be very straight and I don't really mess about. Pinkerton ran a couple of times and I asked Noel to look out for another one for me and we ended up buying Affordale Fury out of the ring at the Cheltenham Sales off Gary Murphy. At that time, one of my friends said to me that every time I had a hangover, I bought a racehorse! No wonder Noel and Peter Nolan, my bloodstock agent, take me on the beer the night before a sale now! Affordale Fury was the first horse I witnessed live as an owner in October 2022 and it was in Ballybrit, Galway. It has since become my favourite and luckiest track. I had a few winners that year with Nicky Richards and Danny McMenamin. Danny actually gets married next weekend and I'm heading over so it should be some craic. We actually sponsor a few jockeys - Danny is one and Caoilin Quinn, jockey for Gary Moore, is another. They are both Downpatrick lads and we also sponsor Sam Ewing. There is a theme going on with these sponsored jockeys - they are all redheads and I normally go for blondes! Affordale Fury went on to finish second in a very hot Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival in 2023. He was beaten by a length with a very young Sam Ewing on board. He actually got a late call up the day before as Bryan Cooper had just retired from race riding. It was great to see Bryan get out in one piece and he's doing really well now. Sam got the opportunity and took it and the rest is history now with Sam. I was there and we were 150/1 and I was on heavily each way. I walked into Paddy Power the day before in Cheltenham and I asked for a price and they gave me 80/1. I had a few quid on and they laughed and asked me if I really thought the horse had a chance. I told them to back him. Then 2024 was my biggest year in racing to date. Pinkerton won for me after two years of owning him. He had been hitting the bar and getting touched off in big handicaps. He won at Tipperary (beginners' chase) in early April and then delivered me a very special 40th birthday present in a handicap chase at the Punchestown Festival. He won in a photo finish beating Saint Roi, owned by JP McManus. He was actually one of the first people to congratulate me after just beating his horse in the photo finish. Everyone is there for the love of horses and the enjoyment it brings - win, lose or draw. The photo of JP and I sits very proudly on my kitchen wall. Afterward Peter Nolan, over a glass of champagne, suggested going for the Galway Plate and that is where the plan was hatched. Noel was firmly on board. I was probably on cloud nine and ready to go wherever they wanted to go! It is fate sometimes that you meet people in life and the luck that Noel and I have had in a short space of time has been incredible. It is hard to believe at times. He means a lot to me. We actually booked Danny to ride Pinkerton in the Galway Plate (July 2024). Sam was attached to Gordon and he wouldn't let him go. We had Danny's flight booked and I was in a big meeting about a development and planning. I would never look at my phone in meetings, but I saw three missed calls from Noel and missed calls from my office and my wee brother. I have never done this, but I excused myself out of the meeting. I went outside and Noel said to me on the phone that he thought he had another jockey. He said he had Donagh Meyler who had won the Galway Plate before (Lord Scoundrel in 2016) and knew the track. He said he wanted to give Donagh the opportunity and I said to him to give the opportunity to whoever he thought would have the best chance of winning the Galway Plate, but he needed to ring Danny. I'd say Donagh gave Pinkerton the ride of the year, to me. That sunny day in Ballybrit we landed the Galway Plate and my mum was there, Kelly my fiancee was there, my wee brother and a good few friends were there. My family being around that day meant the world to me. We were eating steaks at midnight and I've never done that before! That was the time we got into the restaurant. To win that race is what dreams are made of. When I set out buying racehorses, I never thought I would end up doing that. We drank it in for a day or two! A few months later I threw a big party in Navan Racecourse for all the staff in Tu Va stables to thank them - a special mention to Emma Connolly, Les and the real boss, Derville Meade. From the first day I turned up at Tu Va, they have made me feel very welcome. I have the easy job, I just pay the bills and stand and watch the race. Everybody else is working. Even after the party, Neil Ryan and Emma had to go to Cork the next day. Affordale Fury will be back out in the autumn time. I suspect we will be trying to aim him for our favourite track Galway to get his season going. He's probably my best horse in training, so the future is bright. He has been runner-up in two Grade One races, just by a length at Cheltenham and then Gaelic Warrior beat us in Punchestown (April 2023). We've got a nice team of horses including Kaptain Bay and Game On. I don't think Pinkerton will ever be topped, but it won't be for the want of trying. It is a joy to be a racehorse owner. It is my vice, it gets me away from my work and business life. It gets me away from all the stresses and day-to-day life pressures. It is very enjoyable and the racing community do look after you very, very well. It is always a smooth operation. Philip Polly was in conversation with Michael Graham. About Michael Graham Michael has worked in horse racing journalism for more than 15 years, having also written a weekly betting column on Gaelic football and hurling for a newspaper. He is involved in writing the My Racing Story features on this website. He spent a year in South Africa completing a Diploma in Business Administration and also studied Newspaper Journalism in Belfast. He enjoys playing 5-a-side football on a regular basis. View Latest Articles by Michael Graham
