'He's the horse of a lifetime' - English hails stable star Geological

Damian English has hailed his stable star Geological as the "horse of a lifetime" after the remarkable 800gns bargain buy won for the 17th time on his 141st start at Killarney on Thursday night.

The ten-year-old has now collected more than €220,000 in prize-money, having been bought at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale in October 2015 out of Richard Hannon's yard.

The versatile campaigner has won eight times on the turf and nine on the all-weather, eight of which have come at Dundalk, from distances of six furlongs to a mile, and he shows no signs of slowing down.

English said: “Without a shadow of a doubt, it's the best 800 quid I've ever spent. He’s the horse of a lifetime. What he's done for us is just unreal. He’s got us 15 wins; he's taken us to Dubai; rattled off a hat-trick at Dundalk; he’s amazing.

“My brother got married in Italy a week after he won at Killarney in July, so he pretty much paid for the trip and we still had a few pounds left when we came back!

“There’s no sign of stopping. He came out of the race the other night nearly better than he went into it. We’ll probably go with another two or three runs on the grass and then head back to Dundalk, until he tells us it’s time for his little rest.”

Damian English: 'Geo keeps pulling me out of it'Credit: Patrick McCann

Geological’s two wins this summer have been the only winners English has had this year, and the County Dublin trainer admits his stable star keeps him going when times are tough.

He said: “We’ve had a tough couple of years. Things went downhill and you start doubting yourself. But no matter what, Geo keeps pulling me out of it. He reminds me that I know what I’m doing, I do know how to train horses. He keeps giving me that confidence.

“When everything was going bad and things weren’t going right, he was the one getting us out of bed in the morning. He’s the one who kept us going.”

Connections of Geological after he won at Leopardstown in 2017Credit: Patrick McCann

He may not be winning at Royal Ascot or at the Curragh on Irish Derby Day, but that does not bother English, who says the success story of his popular gelding is what racing is all about.

He said: “To see my father lead him in at Killarney the other night and have a big smile on his face, where else would you get it?”

English has now set a target of wins for Geological, with the trainer’s daughter hoping he can keep him going a little while longer.

He said: “I’d love to get him to the 20-win mark now. My daughter is 14 and she wants me to keep him going so she can have her first ride on him. That’s just the amazing horse he is."

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