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| Staff Writer |
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Behind every successful horse there is a strong owner. We quizzed Cool Silks co-owner on Midnight Sands’ Super Saturday run and his racing career, their other stable stars and the history of Cool Silks
Successful businessman and chairman of Scunthorpe United football club, Peter Swann has celebrated many victories as the co-owner and syndicate principal of the Cool Silks Partnership, including Prince Of Lir’s Gr.2 Norfolk Stakes win at Royal Ascot and Sands of Mali defeat over Harry Angel to win the Gr.1 British Champions Sprint Stakes. He was suitably disappointed when his stable star was not able to contest the 2020 Gr.2 Godolphin Mile due to the pandemic.
Here the successful syndicate owner, reveals everything about Cool Silks, his aspiration for Midnight Sands, how he plans to celebrate the win with the other members of his syndicate and who are his other stable stars.
Q: Please tell us about your earliest racing and most fond memory of racing – either as a racegoer or as an owner?
A: I have always had an interest in horses from an early age and 22 years ago an opportunity to take that and move it to a level of ownership arose and I began to work with my Mother-in-law (Barbara: who had that same passion and interest. We began with Swann Racing and our journey as owners started with a few very ordinary horses and has seen our passion now grow, to involve the family and reach the heights of group winners amongst our achievements.
Q: Please tell us more about the Cool Silks Partnership. (Who are the partners, how did you come up with the quirky name, how do you celebrate after a win and any anecdotes around Cool Silks
A: Cool Silk partnership was formed in and around 2013 after we traded with several guises prior to that period. We had built a stable and training facility, achieved over 55 winners in a season, but found the intricacies of running such an establishment difficult. Cool Silk is named after two horses we had in training, Cool Sands and Sahara Silk, probably two of our favorite horses who had been successful primarily on the sand and all-weather tracks. I decided we needed more of a direction and I moved into buying breeze up horses, yearlings and we would buy, run, and sell in the same season where possible to give us a workable strategy.
We tend to celebrate with a glass of something and celebrations have always been passionate, as our first group winner shows in 2016 with Prince of Lir at Ascot.
Q: Midnight Sands was spectacular at Meydan on Super Saturday. Did you have any concerns before the race? And do you have any for his World Cup debut?
A: We certainly felt a little apprehensive before the race, rather than nervous, as we had to rearrange the last 12 months with him due to the Covid pandemic. He was in great form last year, having won 5 straight races in Meydan and we all were very confident he would run a big race in the Godolphin Mile, which had been the plan when sending hm to Doug Watson the year before. Going to the USA with him was a reaction to not being able to run in the Carnival final day, so it was a bit of a gamble. He has a fantastic pedigree being a Speightstown and the dam out of a Shamardal mare, so the move out to America was a gamble, however if he had won a graded race, he would have run in the Breeders Cup Dirt Mile and probably sold in the states after that. I think we are all looking forward to his world cup debut and he deserves his favorite status.
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Q: How did you celebrate the Super Saturday win?
A: We were all watching from separate parts of the country and it was a bit strange, but we had a toast to him and just kept watching the race over and over until his achievement sank in!!
Q: What are your plans for Midnight Sands after DWC night?
A: We are planning a teams or zoom call, with all the family, whilst the race is on.
Q: Who are your other stable stars? And what races are you likely to attend with them this year, with or without the travel restrictions?
A: We have had such a great run of results since 2013 and usually our horses are bought, raced and sold so there are not many like Midnight, but we do have a few nice horses for the coming 12 months.
Faora, a filly out of Hard Spun, unbeaten 3-year-old who we purchased at tattersalls breeze up sales and with Richard Fahey here in England. Very talented filly and will be targeted at the Ascot meeting over either 6f,7f or a mile!!
Stone Soldier, who has recently moved to Archie Watson has won 3 out of his last 4 on the sand at Southwell, rated In the high 90’s, with form on the grass he will be aimed at soft ground races and possibly the early Ascot meeting in April. With a high sand rating it would not surprise me to see him out in Meydan next year! We have several Prince of Lir two-year old’s and the brother of Summer Sands waiting in the wings and of course we will be at the breeze up sales once again in April, looking for the new stars!!
Q: You have been associated with two sports at the highest levels. Who is the person/persons that inspires you and why?
A: I am quite a driven individual and its difficult to pick any individuals that have had a profound affect on my path, but I would probably say, in no order, there are a few individuals who in different ways, be that drive, success, persistence, attitude or personality have made an impact at some time in my life. Ian Botham, Alan Shearer, AP Mcoy, all of whom reached the top of their game being both individual stars and team players, sometimes that is the hardest thing to do I any sport. I would like to mention someone who, although a great sportsman, showed extraordinary battling qualities whilst maintaining a tremendous amount of dignity during his fight with Prostate Cancer. Ray Clemence was a superb footballing Icon who did not forget where he came from and he will be missed greatly.
Q: What is the most iconic race you have always hoped to win?
A: Our aim was to just try and win races, but also enjoy the thrill of getting a horse to the track, which can be the hardest part, so winning our first group race in 2016 was the initial target and achieved through Prince of Lir who won the Norfolk Stakes. After having a mixture of 200 winners since starting our journey in 1998 to have a group winner in 2016 was amazing and even more so because, all the family were there to enjoy and celebrate the win.
We then bought Sands of Mali at the Ascot Breeze up sales and proceeded to win the Group 2 Gymcrack stakes at York. That took us to the Breeders Cup in 2017 and although the mile trip was just beyond him, he was only beaten 3 ½ lengths and it was a tremendous trip. We then returned in 2018 and won a couple of group races on our way to Ascot where he was just touched off in the commonwealth cup, after which he just could not get a performance on the board until October when we finally got our first Group 1 win in the British Champions Sprint at Ascot. Now at stud we have several mares gong to him, so watch this space!!
Our targets now our even higher than we could ever imagine, but with some more luck and good judgement I would love to win a race at the Breeders cup, Everest in Australia and of course on finals day at the Carnival in Meydan. The latter seems a lot closer now with Midnight’s performance and I cannot praise Doug Watson enough for getting him ready for last Saturday. It has been a fantastic team effort from Matt Coleman, Brendan Walsh and all the stable staff that have looked after him to be in this position. We have won over 350 races in our time and 61 breeze up winners amongst those, but we do not forget how difficult this sport is just to get one winner.
Q: What sales do you attend annually and what is your process for buying horses? What drew you to buying Midnight Sands?
A: It was important when we decided to move into the breeze up market that I had all the bases covered with regards putting as much information together about the horses we would buy. We had a vet on board in James Given, who was one of our trainers and Matt Coleman was our ears and eyes for the behind the scenes contact with Consigners and a superb judge regarding horses. That team has been very successful for us and I am very pleased that my son Chris shares the same passion and is now fully on board with the team.
We continue to support horse racing and even through these difficult times the sport has managed to keep the public entertained throughout the pandemic and should not be forgotten for that.
Matt phoned me whilst at the Arqana Breeze ups and had identified a horse very much within our parameters, US pedigree, strong and good mover. Whilst bidding we felt we perhaps were starting to pay too much for him and pulled out of the bidding. He came up unsold and I asked Matt to go back to the consigner and offer just under our last bid and fortunately the rest is history and Midnight Sands was that horse!!
Q: What have been your two life lessons during lockdown. How did you feel as an owner when you couldn’t watch your horses race during this period of quarantine?
A: I am not sure if those lesson are finished yet, but it is important to remember what drives you and who drives you. You must give thanks and praise to the people who help you achieve anything in life, regardless of how small or large that achievement is. We would not be where we are without the contribution Barbara made in the early days, that is not forgotten, and we have now built a strong base to work from because of that commitment.
It is very difficult as an owner to not be able to go and see your horses run, wherever that maybe in the world. Owners are the life blood of the sport and without their support horse racing would not be where it is today, so the continued support of these owners whilst the pandemic has disrupted the sport, should not be forgotten when we get back to a form of normality. We love the sport as a family and it is a huge part of our lives, so a win at the Carnival even on a live stream, means just as much as being there!!