Michael Keady proud to be flying the National flag for Newmarket

Spring air in Newmarket normally signals Guineas hopes and Derby dreams. But for Michael Keady it is the thought of Grand National glory that is fuelling his days in the beating heart of British racing.

Previously on a joint-licence with Mike Murphy, Keady decided to take plunge and go it alone, setting up base at Revida Place on Newmarket’s Hamilton Road late last year and making an immediate impact when his first runner, Currumbin, struck at Southwell in December.

Now it will be a runner in the world’s most famous steeplechase which will put his fledgling operation in the spotlight, as he prepares new signing Horantzau d’Airy to represent the historic racing town he now calls home.

Keady said: “It’s a privilege to have a horse like Horantzau d’Airy in the yard.

“The Grand National is the people’s race and when you talk to someone not involved with horse racing about what you do, they normally bring up the Grand National – even as a Flat trainer you get it all the time and it really is the standout race in the sport.

“It’s a race I’ve always watched since being a kid and my dad watched it and grandad watched it and it’s a privilege to have a horse good enough to even be entered in the race.”

There have been six National heroes hailing from Newmarket and neighbouring Exning since 1923, with Golden Miller the last in 1934.

Keady continued: “I hope Newmarket gets behind us. The last time a horse from the town won the National it was in the 1930s, so it’s nice to hopefully be flying the flag for Newmarket and hopefully people do get right behind him.

“They have built me a Grand National-style fence up at the schooling grounds in Newmarket.

“He’s only an eight-year-old which is not that old for that calibre of horse. He was second in a Kerry National and arguably should have won at the Galway Festival, so it’s great he has that smart form in the book and he’s very much a horse who will take us to those big festivals.”

It should come as no surprise the lure of the National has been hard to resist for a man who spent his formative years working for the McCain family so synonymous with Aintree.

And although now focused primarily on the Flat and training out of the focal point for action on the level, Keady’s journey is littered with input from some of the game’s shrewdest names.

He explained: “My first job was for Donald McCain in Cheshire, so it’s hard to escape the National and I’ve actually sat on a National horse when I would ride Cloudy Lane – it was nice to be involved in a horse like that at such an early stage of my career.

“I’ve also worked for a couple of the other jumps trainers in Newmarket, like Neil King and Lucy Wadham, and then when John Ferguson set up training under the Bloomfield banner, I was there at the time and James Owen was my assistant. We lived together and it’s nice to see him doing so well.

“I went to France and spent some time over there with some jumps trainers, but then turned my attention to the Flat and was head lad for Brian Ellison and also spent some time with Graham Motion out in America.

“When I came back from America I was training for a guy called Andrew Reid down in London and from there I joined Mike Murphy as assistant and then joint-trainer before taking out the lease here in Newmarket.”

Having made the decision to go it alone, the missing piece of the puzzle for Keady was a flagship horse.

With Tattersalls March Online Sale fast approaching and business partner Jim Gill firmly on board, a plan was hatched to secure a National contender lurking among the lots on offer to those with a sharp internet connection and swift click of a mouse.

The virtual hammer fell at 50,000 guineas to initiate an Aintree dream – and next came a cross-sea mission, as Keady set out for Closutton to swiftly collect his prize asset, who won three times in 20 starts for Willie Mullins.

Keady said: “We saw him entered in the sale with the Grand National entry. I discussed it with Jim and we were actually prepared to go a bit higher to get him. Lucky enough we met the reserve and got him on one bid.

“As soon as the hammer fell I wanted him in the yard straight away. We bought him on the Thursday, but it was looking logistically tough to get him over before the weekend.

“So I jumped in the horse box with my travelling head lad and drove over to Willie Mullins’, picked him up ourselves and had him home Friday night.

“We didn’t see Willie, but we met his assistant and some of his team and they wished us luck and said they’d hope to see us at Aintree.”