At 23 years of age, Danny McLoughlin is the youngest trainer in Ireland. He has belied his youthful years to send out winners at some of the best tracks in the country and just last month, he saddled debut winner Magny Cours (Awtaad) to run in the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot.
That was a notable feather in the young man’s cap and, after switching to the renowned Conyngham Lodge on the Curragh, the dream is to keep building on what has been an eye-catching start to his career as a trainer.
“I started out working for Adrian Keatley when I was about 13 and I suppose, like everyone in this game, whether it’s breeding, training or riding, we all got into it for the same reason – and that’s a love for the racehorse,” McLoughlin explained.
“For me, that’s what it is all about and, the day that goes, I’ll stop. That might be in six months, tomorrow or maybe even in 70 years’ time. But hopefully the longer the better because I just love getting up every morning and facing into doing what I’m doing.”
Easy to love what you are doing when you have sent out five winners since taking out your licence in one of the toughest jurisdictions there is. Duckadilly (Churchill) provided McLoughlin with a notable first winner at Naas last year. One quickly became two when Bold Optimist (Gleneagles) scored at Cork before delivering a memorable triumph to land a Curragh handicap under Ben Coen.
On his strong start, McLoughlin commented, “It’s going good and I can’t complain. Look, it’s not easy and there’s no point in hiding it. Financially, it’s tough. I never came from money and even now you’re doing what you can to keep going but we’re giving it a good go anyway and having a bit of success and having a bit of luck.
“[I have] good lads around me and have a lot of support. Whether it’s owners, staff, friends or family, there are a lot of good people keeping us going. I always believed in myself and, if we keep it going the right way now is the main thing. But we’ll give it a good crack.”
McLoughlin hit the ground running since joining Tracey Collins’s Conyngham Lodge stables on the Maddenstown side of the Curragh this year. His first two-year-old winner Duckadilly added to her tally when accounting for a smart bunch of runners at Fairyhouse back in June.
That performance suggested that black-type races could await the lightly-raced four-year-old, and McLoughlin insists that he has no excuses not to deliver the results on the track given the facilities at his disposal.
He said, “This place needs no introduction and is steeped in history. Tracey Collins trains here and her father and grandfather enjoyed huge success from here as well so it goes a long way back. When you mention Maddenstown on the Curragh, this place always comes up in conversation. So the facilities are on our doorstep and it’s a beautiful place – a very peaceful place where the horses relax.”
McLoughlin concluded, “I feel a lot older than what I am and I probably feel like I’ve skipped a few years. I don’t think I know what it feels like to be 18 or things like that. As I said, I wouldn’t change it for anything. It’s what I love getting up and doing. I have unbelievable support and I just love what I do.”