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| Staff Writer |
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“I’m sure people who know me right now would say that John’s keen to get his next winner. But that’s a good thing – that’s excitement, that’s hunger, that’s what you should be doing.”
John Hyde has seen four decades of experience in the industry and now as head trainer of Dubai Stable he is confident of the future of the sport in the region as he continues his racing journey
Born in Cork City Hyde would grow up in Ireland between his birth city and Kildare, which being horse country only helped fuel his passion.
“I lived there for nine years before I moved to America.
“I kind of had a childhood passion for horses around show jumping and racing. You know for the Irish, horses are second nature whether it’s Cheltenham, Royal Ascot or the RDS show jumping, just watching that as a kid intrigued me more so than working in an ordinary office job.
“So I decided this excites me so I'll move up and start getting some horse experience with the Racing Apprentice Centre of Education. That’s where everybody has to go in Ireland if they want to qualify for being an apprentice, head man, jockey or trainer.”
This was the location that would springboard Hyde into a career that has now spanned four decades.
“The apprentice center of education would send us out to the trainers in Ireland at the time on the Curragh. We would do an apprenticeship with these trainers and they would utilize us to do everything. I mean you got thrown in there.
“I think they actually did a fantastic job giving us an overall insight of the racing industry.
Travel Ambitions
“I honestly would recommend, travel. Travel to every country and continent and that so you can experience many aspects of the industry.
“Travel whets your appetite for more because you can get bored of doing the one thing or you might get disillusioned, but when you go to new countries you get to see different aspects from a variety of viewpoints.
“American and Australian racing really intrigued me , I worked for an interesting character down under.
“His name was George Hanlon and he was a serious trainer. He won three Melbourne Cups (1972, 1978 and 1978). He's won numerous Australian Oaks and Derbies, he had won it all.
“When I say a character, he was a character.
“When I moved to Japan that was very interesting. Its good to have new experiences and use everything you can to work for diverse people at different levels.”
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A Career Filled With Many Flavours
Having travelled the globe working across multiple continents Hyde has taken some major milestones along the way as his career highlights, as he said.
I had some success as an apprentice jockey and also rode some National Hunt winners before moving to America to begin the next phase in my career.
I spent the next few years in Lexington Kentucky where I gained my Trainers license with the help from my good friend Jimmy Corrigan. I took that knowledge and went to Los Angeles California to work for Jeremy Noseda as an Assistant Trainer. After many good years in sunny California I got the opportunity to go to Dubai in 1997.
The Sheikh Hamdan Years
Hyde would work with Shadwell horses for over two decades, an opportunity he reflects on fondly and as life changing.
“I worked for Shadwell and HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid AL Maktoum since 1997.
“Again an amazing experience working for a man like him who would come to the yard and speak with you and tell you things. Dealing with some horses that he had so much knowledge of and he would then also give you some of his insight.
“You are left shaking your head because its another one of these things that not a lot of people get the chance to do, speaking with such a high-level dignitary. .
“Shadwell horses are proven and trusted worldwide.
“We were breaking fantastic horses in, very well bred, and you somewhat took it for granted because you expected for your next crew of yearlings to come in and you wanted to find a Derby horse.
“Not just a Derby horse but something that would be in the first three, a Guineas horse, and again not just a Guineas horse but you wanted a winner.
“That's the kind of level that you were looking for when you were breaking these horses. You get so immersed in that and you actually forget what you are doing. Not many people can look around the yard and say where’s my Derby horse? Where’s my Guineas horse? That was what we were expecting every year to do, to find that horse.
Passing Of The Torch
“When he (Sheikh Hamdan) passed away, may he rest in peace, HH Sheikha Hissa bint Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum gave me a chance to train for her
Hyde looks back on how he first joined with Dubai Stables.
“When I came originally to Dubai I came in and I ended up working with Kieran McLaughlin for a year. He was running the show back then and was private trainer for Sheikh Hamdan at Red Stables and Dubai Stable just across the way was also managed by Kieran. “Dubai stable was used for different things including housing the two year olds and wintering them there until they were three year olds.
Sheikh Hamdan decided he wanted the yearlings to come to Dubai as a permanent routine so the horses could take advantage of the Dubai weather. That’s when they started looking for somebody to run the yearling side of it. I was asked to take over the yearlings and basically get them ready to go back to Europe to multiple trainers.
The Early Years
“It was from then that I started dealing directly with Sheikh Hamdan.
“The first year (at Dubai Stables) we were there it was strange because we had I think it was 14 yearlings come in that year as a kind of a test period.
“Kiaran McLaughlin was very involved that first year. Of the 14 there were two horses, Al Jabrand Mujahid. Al Jabr was Cartier two-year-old of the year and Mujahid was champion two-year-old. So can you imagine that out of 14 horses there were two champions.
“Another one of them was called Istintaj who ended up being an American Group Three and Group Two sprinter.
To mention a few Dubai Stable Champion Graduates: Nayef, Haafhd, Tamayuz, Tamarkuz, Ghanatti, Rumoush, Lahudood, to name a few.
Having been based in Dubai for 25 years Hyde is excited about the profile of the sport in the region
Dubai takes racing to a new level.
“To see racing develop in Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi is truly amazing. They all have big carnivals and huge racing calendars. It's fantastic that they are now advertising it worldwide and inviting horses from all over the glove to come race and create a huge competitions.
“It's just typical of the world of horse racing, the international influencers just ran to it straight away. The Japanese in Saudi Arabia and Dubai last year for example. the Europeans have been going to Dubai for a long time and now, Bahrain and Qatar are proving competitive. Dubai has been the frontrunner for many years.
Attending The First Dubai World Cup
“I think back to the first World Cup 28 years ago and it has been fantastic to watch it grow and expand. It’s been an amazing to be part of it.
Hyde now prepares Haqeeqy for his UAE campaign during the World Cup Carnival.
The 6YO gelded son of Lope De Vega is one that the trainer speaks of with great respect and confidence going into his targeted races after coming to him from the Gosden yard.
“He was Sheikha Hissa’s horse and he ran originally in Sheikha Hissa’s colors. She owned him and when things changed she asked me what I wanted to do. I said I'd love to train some horses for you after working for your dad for so long and do what I've done. I'd like now to try something different and she amazingly entrusted me with this horse.
“When I got him Sheikha Hissa told me ‘he can be difficult .he can be fantastic one minute, and tough the next minute. She knows her horses. So we got him and we are moving forward”
Last year he won the HH The President Cup for Hyde by four lengths with hoop Dane O’Neill onboard impressing the trainer.
“He is pure high energy.”
He was nominated for the Golden Shaheen, Al Quoz Sprint and Godolphin Mile but his program is taking shape more firmly but is yet to be completed as Hyde said.
“We've ran him twice this year and he's a horse in two Stake races finished third, in the first Stake against San Donato and Alfareeq which was a good performance and we were very happy with that over the mile.
“Then the next time we finished beaten by a neck and a short head in the Presidents Cup this year.
“He's been entered in a few different races because a lot of horses when they come from Europe they tend to find a bit more speed on the flatter surfaces as they train. we see it here when they come in from being trained on these slopes at home, and then you train them on the flat and they just seem to find a bit more energy.
“When he won last year in the Presidents Cup he showed a tremendous turn of foot over seven furlongs and that really excited Dane (O’Neill) . So in the back of my mind I was thinking maybe we need to find another string in this guys fiddle and maybe he could be good another distance.
“Mile races over here when you are rated like he is- they’re tough and you are taking on the best of Godolphin and international. we’re kind of somewhat trying to figure out an easy way to do that.”
Although the decision has not been made on which race he will target definitively, Hyde is impressed with how well Haqeeqy has adapted after racing in the UK previously.
“The calendar last year was three weeks between the Presidents Cup and Super Saturday and now it's more like 16 days which is okay for a horse like him.
“The plan from here is to run him in the Ras Al Khor on Super Saturday and there will be a big field in that race. It’s a US$300,000 race and a lot of people will be trying to win it.”
Growing Pains
As the operation grows the plans for Hyde are simple as he looks across the yard at the potential he has to work with.
“In terms of numbers you'll always want more.
“It's just a new starting point for us. In the local fields we have here, I think there's going to be some nice horses that just will take that season to settle in.
Locally Shadwell have some new horses that have started with the trainers in Dubai that will need some time to adapt and we look forward to a competitive next season.
“The one that I have, that I can only vouch for really will be Ribhi who won a couple of races for Marcus Tregoning in England. I like what I see from his morning training.
“He is a big, strong, muscular Dark Angel who and has won over six furlongs as a two year old. We know there's some speed Hopefully he can stay and I'd be very keen to see how he does next year, after this season.”
Having called Dubai home for close to three decades when asked what races he would love to win at home or abroad the answer was easy for Hyde.
“World Cup night for us would be the one, any race on World Cup night. What a buzz and it’s an amazing day of racing.
“It's such a fantastic event with the accumulation of all the horses that have been racing throughout the season and all the international horses that come in along with all the buzz.