Legendary Irish jockey and trainer Mouse Morris knows everything about the world of racing and he has aired his views on the upcoming Leopardstown Christmas Festival.
He recently spoke to Boylesports, who offer all Leopardstown Festival betting 2023 odds.
- Michael “Mouse” Morris was a former racing jockey in Ireland before taking out his trainer’s licence in 1981
- Morris says he wouldn’t want to be starting out again now, with spiralling costs and the dominance of the super yards in Ireland
- British affordability checks are concerning but the proposed watershed ban on gambling advertising in Ireland is a “much more serious”
The Leopardstown Christmas Festival is huge – you only get higher quality at Cheltenham
It’s a great racecourse, great prize money, great everything. It’s chalk and cheese from Cheltenham. You can’t get a higher quality meeting anywhere other than Cheltenham and Punchestown.
Foxy Jacks and Indiana Jones will be in the big handicaps and I will probably want something in the Pertemps qualifier.
Irish National Hunt racing is flourishing compared to the struggles in England
We have a lot of people with money who will spend it on the racing. I don’t know how the economy is going in England at the moment but money wise it is local people buying.
Ireland will stay dominant in my lifetime – I am sure about that. At least for the next ten years and that’ll see me out!
I wouldn’t like to be starting out as a trainer now against the dominant super yards
We are tipping away with a comfortable number. We have about 30 now but could do with another few all right.
Going up against the super yards is tough. I certainly wouldn’t like to be starting out now as a trainer, starting from scratch. The cost of the land, the cost of the gallops and having to always look out for new clients.
I fear for the industry in Ireland with their dominance
You have got to admire them [Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott, Henry de Bromhead] all. They have got themselves where they are. It’s not easy but they’ve proved themselves. Maybe we will all have to buck up to their level.
But I do fear for the industry in Ireland a bit. I don’t think it is conducive for the game for the public to see five horses from one yard in a race and five from another.
It’s hard to make a good living if you’re a smaller yard – it’s just a way of life for me
Not really [make a good living]. For me and small trainers it has to be a way of life which it is for me. At my level it is a way of life. It’s really hard to compete. I am sure they are making a very good living though.
The affordability checks in England are a concern – but what is happening in Ireland is way more serious
It is not for me to say what Britain should do but I am if it happens it would have a serious impact.
In Ireland we have our own problems. They are trying to ban advertising on TV between 5am in the morning and 9pm at night. Which would mean we wouldn’t be able to transmit our racing which is much more serious.
I barely remember my Grand National win in 2016 – I’d love to win it again
I would love to win the National again. That’s my big target, because I don’t remember much of the last win (when Rule the World won in 2016). I didn’t have to celebrate with alcohol because my adrenaline was pumping for a week after the race.
Foxy Jacks and French Dynamite would be the two I’d be aiming for Aintree next year.
It is the world’s most popular race, but you need to have a good horse now to win it. I have great memories of the place.
They had to make changes to the course at Aintree – but I’m not sure if it’s right for the race
It is the time we are in. They had to make changes but whether it is the right thing for the race I am not too sure. They are making them go faster and they’ve made the fences smaller. They will make it faster still when they bring the course forward.
I start looking at Cheltenham Festival horses eight months out
I started last August! Seriously. That’s when I start thinking about and plotting a course for a few of mine on how to get there. But a good few fall off the list.