Ted Durcan reflects on his transition from top jockey to talent scout

Ted Durcan drew widespread admiration during his career as a jockey, which spanned 26 years and produced around 1,500 winners worldwide, including Light Shift in the Oaks and Mastery in the St Leger.

He retired from race-riding this year to concentrate on his activities as a bloodstock agent. We asked him about his new ventures and other topics in the breeding scene.

How are you finding retirement from the saddle?

While obviously the buzz of riding nice horses and the excitement of being part of the big meetings is irreplaceable, driving to some of the all-weather fixtures on a Saturday evening in late November was about as enjoyable as sliding down a cheese grater naked.

Since retiring, I have been quite active and determined to make the most of my time, so I’ve channelled my energies into other areas of the industry which, like riding, are full of highs and lows.

As we are all well aware, there are a lot more lows than highs so some things never change!

What made you want to get into bloodstock?

During my latter years riding I found myself more and more fascinated by the sales scene and it's an area that really excites me.

The buzz of it has certainly helped me replace the void of race riding since retiring from the saddle.

Can you tell us what a typical day for you involves now?

When I'm not at the sales, I work with Sir Michael Stoute and his team and still go racing when possible and keep on top of the form. I also help out some other trainers including David Lanigan, whom I have worked with since our days at Warren Place.

I spend a lot of time going through the catalogues for the various sales and, like everyone else, I’m searching for the golden ticket.

How easy have you found it to attract clients to your agency?

Like any new start up, it takes time to establish your business and grow a client base and I'm under no illusions how hard it will be.

During my riding years, I rode around the world and established some reliable contacts and hopefully these will come to fruition now that people know what I'm doing.

I'm very grateful to everyone who has supported me thus far and all new clients will be welcomed with open arms - #DurcanBloodstock

Do you think being a jockey gives you an extra insight when buying horses?

I think having ridden in races does help me evaluate the form and analyse a race. My knowledge of certain racetracks and riders’ styles can sometimes help me upgrade or downgrade a horse’s run.

In addition, knowing a horse’s conformation and mannerisms can assist you in finding where it would be most suited to race in the future.

Being an ex-jockey I like to think that I can offer another angle by being able to sit on a horse and make up my own mind – at least then I can only blame myself!

Also, knowing the pedigrees of certain families well, it soon becomes clear what their positive and negative traits are, both mentally and physically.

Do you do much private business away from the auction ring, such as horses in training purchases or giving advice?

Yes, I've carried out some private work this year and purchased some horses for the Middle East and America.

Lacustre looks an inspired buy. What was the story there?

The filly was on my radar at the Tattersalls July Sale and I was impressed with her form on her only run at Longchamp. No one was more surprised than myself when I purchased her for 3,000gns.

Lacustre won a decent handicap for David Lanigan last month and has since been sold privately to continue her racing career in the US.

That was a nice follow-up, just one year on, from In The Spotlight, who we purchased for similar money at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale in 2016 and sold to Lake Villa Farm in Japan at the December Breeding Stock Sale in 2017 for 130,000gns.

Are there any sires or bloodlines you particularly like?

At the moment – and I’m probably stating the obvious – the Kingman two-year-olds that I’ve had anything to do with are very exciting.

I also look forward to seeing the Awtaad yearlings of 2019, as his foals were very well received at both Goffs and Newmarket.

Which of the first-crop sires at the yearling sales most caught your eye – the likes of Golden Horn, Muhaarar, Gleneagles or Free Eagle?

From what I saw at the yearling sales, I would be more than delighted to purchase progeny of any of those.

Maybe the Muhaarars are going to be more precocious, while Free Eagle may not be as commercial as the other three and more of a trainer's horse. We were delighted with the good-looking Free Eagle colt [out of Sleeping Beauty, cost 70,000gns] we bought in Book 2 on behalf of Middleham Park Racing and David Lanigan Racing.

Who do you most respect in the bloodstock world?

How do you answer that question without upsetting someone? I plead the Fifth Amendment on this one.

And finally... if you could have mated two of your winners as a jockey to produce the perfect racehorse, which colt and which filly would you choose?

The dam part is easy. It's very hard to look beyond Light Shift, who was a gorgeous-looking filly, had a perfect mind and a pedigree to match. That said, there was also Sahpresa, who was a seriously good racemare herself.

As for the sire, I’m going to throw a curve ball and nominate Hellvelyn. He was a top class two-year-old with a superb temperament and we never saw the best of him in his three-year-old career due to niggling problems.

Twice Over physically would have been a perfect match for either also.