1,000 winners and counting - Michael Halford is still excited about what's next

Nearly 40 years after acquiring his training licence, Michael Halford has replaced Copper Beech Stables with a joint-venture with Tracey Collins on the Curragh. The historic Conyngham Lodge is being expanded and renovated as the trainer moves his racers into the picturesque venue.

“We are very lucky to be training in a place as historic as Conyngham Lodge, a wonderful location with great history to it. I feel very fortunate to be in the yard and associated with the Collins family,” Michael says.

Michael’s training facilities have moved across Kildare and success has followed with him as he continually established himself as one of Ireland’s leading trainers. The journey to sending out over a 1,000 winners has been a family endeavour of course, a milestone he reached in 2018 that was made all the more special by the presence of his loved ones.

Michael recalls, “It was Platinum Warrior winning the Gallinule Stakes at the Curragh. That was a great milestone to train a thousand winners, particularly on the Curragh as it is our home track and it's probably the best grass track in the world. That was a big day for us, all the family was there and the kids so that meant a lot.”

If there was ever to be 1,000 of them, there had to be a first and Michael reminisces on it fondly as he trained and rode 2/1 favourite Kath-Der-Mar to win a bumper at Wexford on July 2, 1984.

“We kicked off on the right note with Kath-der-mar, she got the ball rolling for us,” Michael smiled.

His ventures into life on the saddle were successful early on and despite having ridden nearly 50 winners, the soon-to-be trainer always saw being in the action as merely a fun added interest to racing.

Michael entered the competitive business of Irish horse training at the age of 21. After jobs moving between compiling pedigree research for Goffs and a stint in the prestigious Wetherby’s across the pond, Michael was approached by Don Kelly about a job in the yard of now legendary trainer Noel Meade.

“I was up there (with Meade) for a spell and Don approached me about a yard that he had a couple of horses in and asked if I would be interested in training them. So that's how I stumbled into it, young and innocent, I was 21 so I just said ‘right’ and I am at it ever since, for my sins,” Michael explains.

The journey was far from an overnight success to use Michael’s own words but he maintains that it was always a labour of love.

“At that age you have an awful lot of energy. I also had a lot of good friends that would come in and ride out for me. At 21, you think you are invincible and I was never afraid of hard work, I just got stuck in and the biggest thing was that I was doing something that I really enjoyed. It didn’t really feel like work to be honest, it became more of a way of life,” Michael says.

That way of life began first in a rented yard in Birdcatcher stables in Brownstown for Michael before building Seven Springs in Pollardstown a few years later.

An early break for Michael came with the arrival of a horse,Cockney Lass, owned by his father  Michael snr. and a friend of his. The horse would win her two-year-old maiden at the Curragh in the first year of Michael’s training, as well as earning a place finish in a Group race. 

The promising filly would be sold to another man on the Curragh, Dermot Weld. Cockney Lass would go on to win a Tattersalls Gold Cup for Weld but Michael was more than happy with the sale than got his business off to a strong start.

“The way you look at it, and it’s still the same to this day 40 years later, when you can’t afford to keep these horses you are glad to see them going on and doing well for other people. Trading has always been a huge part of what we do, naturally you’d prefer to keep them and train them yourself but you have to live as well. It’s quite hard making a living on just training fees alone,” Michael explains.

The connection between the Halford’s and the Weld’s was far from localised to the sale of this promising filly, Michael’s dad had worked as a farrier for the Weld’s for many years. It would be another shared connection that would come together for what Michael reflects on as perhaps his most poignant win in racing.

“We have had a lot of good days along the way, not necessarily all the big days either. Any wins you have with your family are always special. I trained a winner for my father when he was quite ill,” Michael recalls.

“In Galway, Katiymann, he won there on day and it was such a special win. My father was poorly at the time and he was an Aga Khan horse. He had been with Dermot Weld and we bought him unraced. My father had a long association with the Weld’s of course and he always wanted to have a winner in Galway. That win was special in its own way, as well as to have my brother Paul there with us too.” 

Amongst all of his success, changing of residence and trials and tribulations, Michael hails the aforementioned stories for shaping the career he has today. A couple shy of 20 years ago he received perhaps the biggest piece of news to date after being approached by Pat Downes to become a trainer for the Aga Khan.

“I was delighted (to be asked) and we have trained for them ever since. It was and still is a great honour to train such lovely horses for such successful world-class owners. It’s terrific,” Michael says.

“It’s hugely important to us, to get the support of these people is an acknowledgement that you are doing the right thing and it is a great advertisement for us. When you are training for these owners, have longevity and last in this business, you are doing something right. It supports you and gives you that confidence that you are on the right track.”

The perspective did change surrounding the Michael Halford yard and not long after Aga Khan partnership and subsequent success with horses such as Dirar did more opportunities arise. More quality racers arrived from elite thoroughbred horse racing stable Godolphin and with that came more triumphs.

“The first horse that they (Godolphin) sent us was a very good horse in Casemento. She won a group 1 and then we had the Royal Hunt Cup win at Royal Ascot with a horse called Portage. They were two very memorable days that came from that partnership,” Michael says

In business and mixing it with many of Ireland’s elite trainers and owners since 1984, Michael is now continuing his journey back where it started on the Curragh as he adds more names to the growing list of winners from his new racing home in Conyngham Lodge.