'It was absolutely unbelievable' - Paddy Magee reflects on astonishing day saddling a 3,984-1 four-timer

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Paddy Magee hailed an "absolutely unbelievable" super Saturday when the trainer landed an astonishing 3,984-1 across-the-card four-timer, having never before saddled two winners on the same day.

Magee, a former point-to-point rider, took out his training licence in 2022 and has been steadily improving, saddling a seasonal-best eight winners on the Flat last year. 

Before Saturday, he had trained just two Flat winners in 2026, but when Glen Breeze justified 5-2 favouritism in the 6½f handicap at Limerick's evening meeting, he had six on the board after a scarcely believable few hours.

The sequence was kicked off by 22-1 shot Shesthedevil in the two-year-old maiden at Navan, and Magee secured his first double when Admiral Will Brown scored on his stable debut in the 1m2f handicap three hours later at 10-1.

Arch Enemy followed up straight after as 7-2 favourite, before Glen Breeze did the business at Limerick.

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"It was absolutely unbelievable, especially from just five runners," said Magee. "Beforehand, I thought they all had each-way chances, but that was it. There were a couple of unknowns as Arch Enemy was coming back from a bit of a break and Admiral Will Brown had been in the yard for only a month. 

"Glen Breeze was the one we fancied as it was the first time he'd had a nice draw, and he's improving with each run."

Although he saddled a winner over jumps in April, Magee was conscious his horses would take time to come to hand this year, and he is reaping the rewards from a patient approach with five winners this month.

"We were slow enough to get going on grass this year," he said. "Last year, people started to take a wee bit of notice and I think we're being sent a nice type of horse now. It seems to be steadily growing, and hopefully it can keep going in the right direction. 

"We have a very small budget so we wouldn't be able to afford a horse like Admiral Will Brown at the sales, so it's nice to be sent a horse like him. 

"It really was an unbelievable day, but I couldn't do without my staff and the likes of Fergal Halford and Emily Fleming; they're fantastic and I rely on them a lot."

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