Andrew Slattery on life in Dubai: 'It is a no brainer to come out here'

Andrew Slattery is a 24-year-old Irish jockey, and we’re used to seeing him on our Irish race tracks riding for his Father Andrew Slattery.

However, for the past few winters, the Tipperary man has headed out to Dubai to ride in some of the biggest races on the calendar at premier racecourses such as Jebel Ali and Meydan.

That decision has already paid dividends, highlighted by recent Group 2 success.

The good work doesn’t stop there, as Andrew also speaks about the change in riding style, the learning he has gained from riding in a different country, and the importance of building connections not only for himself, but for the wider Slattery team, who we’ve seen improve year-on-year with the level of horses coming through the yard.

What was the thinking behind heading to Dubai for the winter season?

I suppose the thinking behind it is, if you want to keep riding, there’s not enough racing during the winter in Ireland, actually, to stay at home.

There’s only racing one or two days a week in Dundalk, and here, you know, you’re riding for big owners, big owner-breeders. So there’s good prize money. It’s just opened an avenue to ride for new people and meet more people.

From a jockey’s point of view, how has riding abroad helped your development?

I would say it’s definitely improved me. Being away is definitely different, in life and on the racetrack.

But it’s tough leaving home because we’re so busy. Like, at the end of the day, all the lads are still there, you know, seven days a week.

They’re all working very hard. So, look, it’s a credit to my father for letting me go, I suppose, because it is a family business.

It’s definitely a big help being out here. It helps the business model at home, too. You know, I’m meeting plenty of people, and where we always produce horses and move them on, we’ve sold a couple of horses out here this year and they’ve won already. It’s good for the business model too.

Have you noticed a change in the quality of horses coming through the yard at home?

Yeah, 100%. In the last two or three years, quality has been getting better every year, and our numbers have been going up every year, winners-wise.

But the lads haven’t changed their whole training regime or anything. They’ve always been able to train horses; there’s just a nicer breed of horse coming.

The team at home has been quite successful in selling horses after they’ve won and run well, and from a jockey’s perspective, it’s not great for me because the nice horses are sold, but it is brilliant for the business.

Does being away from home play a part in the decision to ride abroad?

I would say my first year here, probably because it was a big change, I hadn’t experienced anything like it before.

But this year, my girlfriend is out here for the full season, and there are plenty of other jockeys here that I’ve become friends with over the last couple of years.

So no, we kind of all keep each other going that way. There’s always something to be doing, and we try to keep out of the apartments as much as possible, so you don’t really have too much time to think about it. Then when we’re racing, it’s business as usual.

How does racing on turf in Dubai compare to racing at home?

I would say with the turf racing, it’s definitely way different because they jump in a high tempo from the get-go.

It’s probably a little bit easier to ride a race in Dubai because you can, near enough, get the position you want all the time, whereas in Ireland they jump and can go for a furlong and then steady up, and you’re kind of left sitting where you jumped off.

And what about racing on the dirt at Meydan?

The dirt racing is a different ball game altogether.

It is very demanding. If you miss the break on the dirt, you miss everything. Every trainer you ride for over here is pretty adamant on getting the break and being as close to the pace as you can, because even though they go fast and the surface is deep, it’s very hard to make up ground unless they go too quick and stop in front.

But there’s a better quality of horse here in the last couple of years, and they’re not stopping - they’re keeping going. So the dirt is very demanding.

What is a race day at Meydan like compared to Ireland?

Meydan is the premier track here, and when you walk into it, it’s like walking into your Royal Ascot, your Goodwoods, your big festivals, the Derby weekend at the Curragh.

It is like that every single Friday. It’s very surreal that way and they put on a show every single week.

Then there is the other side of it too - the prize money is very strong over here. And Meydan usually hosts the premier events, and you can see that kind of money for Group races is nearly unheard of back home.

Tell us about riding in a Group 2 finish against Meydan and long-time friend and Irish jockey Ben Coen beside you.

So it was actually William Buick that came to me first, and usually, you know, you see the lads in blue they pick up outside you, and they’re gone.

You’re usually struggling to keep tabs on them. But it was nice to be able to quicken up with one of them. Then late on, I suppose Ben was ding-dong to the line with me, and we weren’t sure after the line.

Ben asked me, “Did I get him?” and I wasn’t overly sure.

It was nice to land that Group 2, and it was a great representation for Irish racing as well, that two lads were out here in the finish for a prestigious Group 2 on the calendar.

Is riding in Dubai now part of your regular winter plan?

Yeah, because as long as I can keep making more contacts and riding nice horses, you know, it’s a no-brainer to come here.

How important is building momentum and contacts when riding in a new jurisdiction?

It is extremely important. I’ve been with Bhupat Seemar for the last two and a half seasons since I’ve been over here. The more you show up here, the more people know you.

Bhupat has always been good to me. But just now it seems to be picking up a little bit more, so getting on nicer horses probably makes it a little bit easier to sell the jockey when you’re riding a couple of winners. And that big winner probably would have done that for me.

Finally, tell us about the horses you sourced and sold through the breeze-ups.

My father, Andrew, and his brothers Brian and William have done a really good job getting horses as yearlings and through the breeze-up sales and producing them, and it’s worked out here.

They bought a horse called Omaha Front in America, and I rode him when he won in Jebel Ali last Saturday.

They sold him at the breeze-ups in France, and we recommended him to the trainer I work for.

Flying Comet is another horse that we bought as a yearling and sold as a breeze-up, and he has won out in Dubai as well. So the lads have done a cracking job, and long may it last.

It was also great that at Jebel Ali last Saturday, it was an Irish race day and the race that I won was sponsored by Goffs and the rest of the day was sponsored by different Irish companies so that was very kind by all of them and it was hugely appreciated.