Barney's Blog

Barney lands The Big Interview - with Doug Graham

It’s the morning after Arapaho Gold’s brilliant win under Connor Beasley in the Group 2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes at York.

And yours truly, Barney McGrew - equine blogger extraordinaire - has landed THE BIG INTERVIEW with the horse’s owner, the likeable human and Darlington businessman, called Doug Graham.

OK, so the David Carr human spoke to him first for The Racing Post, but who cares? This is the interview that matters.

Here’s how my Q & Hay panned out:

BARNEY: Many congratulations Doug – what a fantastic victory. How did you feel going into the race?

DOUG: Well, I was a bit nervous just before the race but I’ve been trying to keep my emotions in check and I was determined to enjoy the day. It was a nice family occasion because I had my son Steve and his wife Hollie with me, as well as my sister Doreen and her husband Barry, and my partner Carole. These kind of days don’t come along very often, if at all, so you have to make the most of them.

BARNEY: Your son Steve is a famous mountaineer, isn’t he? Didn’t he climb Everest? I suppose you’ve reached your peak as a racehorse owner now as well?

DOUG: Well, I’ve been with Michael for 34 years and it hasn’t always been so successful in the early years. Then Dakota Gold came along to win 17 races, followed by Commanche Falls who made a bit of history by winning back-to-back Stewards Cups at Glorious Goodwood. We’ve had some great days over the years.

BARNEY: Come on, Doug, admit it - you’re a lucky bugger, aren’t you?

DOUG: If you say so, Barney!

BARNEY: What was your take on the race?

DOUG: It’s the first time in his four races that he’s had a decent draw and he settled really well. What he really showed was a great attitude – he fought like a tiger when challenged. You’d have to think there’s more to come from him and he might get seven furlongs.

BARNEY: So, how did you come to be Arapaho Gold’s owner>

DOUG: Well, I’d decided I wasn’t going to have another horse but then I was at Redcar one day with Michael and we went for a drink. Half an hour later, I’d landed myself with another horse, which Michael had cost $42,000 euros at The Goffs Sale in Ireland. It turned out to be the horse I went on to name Arapaho Gold. To be fair, Michael didn’t even have to try that hard – I just said ‘yes’ and then thought ‘why have you done that?’ I don’t see too well these days, so what’s the point of getting another horse if I can’t see it? I thought I must be mad!

BARNEY: When did you realise you had another good ‘un?

DOUG: I thought Michael must have thought a bit about him because he wanted to keep a leg in him. Then, when Connor first sat on him on the gallops at Denton Hall, he told Michael ‘this horse feels a bit special’. MInd you, Michael never told me that! They knew he was good very early on – we just didn’t know how good.

BARNEY: Arappy (as I like to call him) is a gelding, isn’t he – just like me. What was the thinking there?

DOUG: He was quite a handful when he first came to the yard, so the decision was taken to have him gelded. Who knows? If that hadn’t been done, he might not have been so good. He won’t have a career at stud, but it does mean he could race for several more seasons, so there’s a lot of nice races to look forward to.

BARNEY: I hear from The Gaffer that The Mill Reef Stakes, at Newbury, on Sept 19 is the next target. There’s a nice connection there because the legendary Dery winner Mill Reef won the Gimcrack back in 1970. I like to educate my readers with interesting snippets like that, you see, Doug.

DOUG: That’s good knowledge, Barney. I can see why you’re the first racehorse to write a blog. Yes, it looks like Michael’s targeting The Mill Reef Stakes, which is another Group 2 over six furlongs. The only drawback is it’s the same day as the Ayr Gold Cup, and we usually go to that.

BARNEY: You can’t have it all ways, Doug! Anyway, Arappy’s unbeaten now in four races, and winning the Gimcrack makes him one of the season’s leading juveniles. How would you feel if someone came along and wanted to buy him?

DOUG: Michael’s already had an enquiry, which is inevitable, and I’m sure there’ll be others because the horse clearly has talent and potential, but I represent the 80% of racehorse owners who can’t compete financially with the big boys and who dream that we might find one at a reasonable price that turns out to be special. I wouldn’t contemplate selling him because I want to live the dream and there’s a lot to look forward to.

BARNEY: As you probably know, it’s a long-standing tradition for the owner of the Gimcrack winner to make a speech at The Gimcrack Dinner on the second Tuesday of December. It’s quite a posh affair. How do you feel about that?

DOUG: I’m trying hard not to think about that, at least for the next few weeks. I’ve no idea who goes, or how big it is. I’ll just say what I think but I’m not really one for making big speeches.

BARNEY: To put in into context, The Gimcrack dinner speech in 2001 was made by Sir Alex Ferguson after Rock of Gibraltar won the race. He started by telling the audience the speech would be delivered in Scottish. Would you like me to help write it for you to take a bit of the pressure off?

DOUG: Yes please. I need all the help I can get.

BARNEY: Any final thoughts on a momentous day, Doug?

DOUG: It’s just nice to get one in for the north – from what I hear, he was a very popular winner because York's a northern track and he beat some of the big guns. Other than that, it’s onwards and upwards – the dream goes on.

BARNEY: Thanks for your time, Doug. One final question from me...The Gimcrack is a £250,000 race – can I expect a few carrots the next time you’re at Denton Hall?

DOUG: Bucketloads, Barney. Bucketloads.

BARNEY: Thanks, Doug.