Ross Tumilty

I'm from Newry, Co Down. I come from a show jumping background. I was show jumping ponies from school right up until I was 16 or so. As time went on, I went and did my apprenticeship to become a farrier. I did my apprenticeship with Shane Cullen and he had been shoeing for quite a few racing yards and, over time, I got friendly with them. I started asking them if I could come in and ride out a wee bit on a Saturday morning or somewhere local where I could ride out and then go on to my work. I rode out for the likes of Stuart, Ben and Ross Crawford, and Liam Lennon.

It sort of progressed from there and I went for the licence after that. It was something that I always wanted to go and do was get the licence. I don't have a racing background and my family didn't have a whole pile of land and there's no gallops. There was nothing like that. I was seeing smaller trainers doing it and maybe getting odd results here and there. I looked into it a wee bit more. I just wanted the Restricted National Hunt licence just to get me going. I enquired about what needed to be done. I then tried to find a yard as local as possible to where I'm from. Danescroft Equestrian Centre in Lisburn ticked the boxes - two gallops, a swimming pool, a walker and a nice big indoor arena. Leah Knight and Michael Dobbs there are very good to me. They are building a fantastic place there at the minute. There are facilities there for seven or eight horses, but I'm a restricted trainer at the minute. I do want more owners and I do intend to go into it in a bigger way. Maybe the dream would be the next Gavin Cromwell! Baby steps.

I'm up with trainer Gary McGill in Maghera, Co Derry at the minute (as a farrier). Gary and his sons Dara and Oran keep me going. They are starting to get plenty of horses back in themselves. I didn't really know Dara much until I got my licence. He obviously rode Custers Mistake my first winner at Downpatrick (in April 2024). From then on, the two of us gelled and he would be a good help in terms of working horses together. The two of us keep each other right, he would keep me right more than anything! We have struck up a good relationship since and he has a very wise head on his shoulders for his age and has a massive future ahead I have no doubt.

First Track Winner

It was a real buzz getting my first track winner with Custers Mistake in Downpatrick. I knew Brendan (McNeill, owner), through being a farrier for his wife. I just got talking to Brendan who had a few horses in training over the years, so I knew he might have been interested. When I went to him and told him that I got my licence and asked would he have any interest in buying a horse, I already had Custers Mistake picked out and bought. Fair play to Brendan, as I didn't even have a runner at that stage, but he didn't think twice about it. He had never won on the track, but he had won two point-to-points (Ballychane and Durrow). That was pretty much why I was interested in buying him. I saw that he had ability of some description. He is a Flat-bred horse but he won a point-to-point on heavy ground as a six-year-old, so I knew there was something there. I ran him in Fairyhouse on New Year's Day (2024) and he was my first runner. He pulled up - the ground was very, very heavy and I was probably trying to figure him out a wee bit and get my own bearings. Second time, he went back to Fairyhouse and saw there was good improvement in him and he still wasn't right. Took him back and tweaked him a little bit here and there, and changed the ground to run him on better ground. First-time cheekpieces on and he was a different horse in Downpatrick. The buzz of the first winner is incredible. It shows you are doing something right.

Drumnasoo came from the Crawford brothers off the back of Custers Mistake winning in Downpatrick. I had a very generous client at the time, Karen Millar, and she decided to invest off the back of that win which I was very grateful for. Drumnasoo was second in a hunters chase at Down Royal behind Ballyphilip (May 2024) for the Crawfords. He won a point-to-point for me at Kirkistown in February. My uncle got me a real nice horse from France, he's a three-year old. He is broken and riding and has been turned out again. There's a five-year-old by Flemensfirth as well. I love the three-year-old and I have a lot of time for him. A real nice big 17hh horse. I have owners for both of them. All things considered, I'm not exactly a proven trainer. I'd be thankful for my uncle buying a horse. I had a steady round of shoeing gathered up and then when I got the first winner I had a buzz for it. The shoeing has stepped back a wee bit from seven days (a week) down to three or four just on the back of maybe pushing on to get more horses. If you are away galloping or at the vet, your day doesn't be long going in.

Well Handicapped Over Fences

Custers Mistake came home from Wexford (victory in a handicap hurdle this month) sound as a bell but he had been in a long time, he had probably been in about a year. He's actually having a nice wee holiday at the minute. He'll not be out for too long. He's in the field there at the minute enjoying that weather. I'll give him another week or two depending on the weather and then take him back. You would imagine he would go back to fences for the simple reason of his mark. On paper you would think he is well handicapped over fences, but I took him to Bangor-on-Dee (in April) and he just didn't seem to be in love with the fences. It is probably the right route to go you would imagine, we will try it, but he also has the options of hurdles on heavy ground. He's up a bit (in the handicap) now over hurdles, so you could maybe sneak him into a nice hurdle race and aim for a bit of prize money. He has let me down before, but it is nice when it all comes together. The horse was bought to try and get me going. It is good to see why I kept at him and persisted. It was nice to see him improving.

I have recently taken out my Flat licence as Custers Mistake was working really nicely and it is an option as he is handicapped on the Flat as well. There's also a couple of people I have been talking to that would be edging to get a horse. I wouldn't have a whole lot of experience in terms of Flat racing, but the licence is easy carried. Training horses full-time and making a living out of it and keeping a few winners coming in would be the dream. It all comes down to horses and results. My partner Rosie is due a baby in January, so she might have something to say if I keep pushing on with the horses! She has been very supportive of the whole thing with the long nights and early mornings. We'll see what happens closer to the time.

Ross was in conversation with Michael Graham.

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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.

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