‘SNEEZY’ DOES IT
Michael Verney: Veteran trainer Denise Foster to make ‘seamless transition’ into Elliott yard
SNEEZY hasn’t been the centre of this much attention since The Seven Dwarfs were in vogue, but Denise Foster now finds herself in the spotlight as she assumes responsibility of Gordon Elliott’s powerful yard today.
Elliott will retreat to the shadows, although he has not been warned off and can still help out at his Meath base, having been hit with a 12-month suspension of his training licence – the last six months of which will be suspended – in the wake of the photo scandal which rocked racing.
Elliott (below) will take his punishment before trying to “build back better” when he makes his return in September, but all eyes now turn to Foster with Cheltenham on the horizon.
Widely known by her childhood nickname ‘Sneezy’, the 67-year-old takes charge at Cullentra this morning, but she is far from a novice having operated on a much smaller scale as a trainer for over 20 years at the nearby Possextown Farm in Enfield.
Plotting
Responsibility will be ramped up when plotting the fortunes of the 200-plus team which were under Elliott’s banner, but she brings vast experience to the table having arrived on the Irish racing scene in the 1990s with a background in showjumping and three-day eventing.
She shared the training workload with her husband David, a three-time Olympian at eventing, before his tragic death in a riding accident and then built on his legacy when taking out a licence in 1998 while simultaneously bringing up their three young children, Jessie, Lucy and Nick.
Sneezy organises an annual ball in her husband’s honour with funds from ‘The David Foster Injured Riders Fund’ going towards financially helping injured riders with over €160,000 paid
out since its inception.
Having initially qualified as a riding instructor, she started to make a mark in the training ranks with her first winner under Rules coming through Supreme Touch at Navan on January 27 of 2001 before building up an association with a young Elliott during his days as an amateur rider.
Her biggest career success to date came when Lily’s Rainbow landed Listed honours in the Heritage Stakes at Navan in April 2016 having had to cope with another heartbreaking tragedy two years previous to that when daughter Lucy, wife
of trainer Fozzy Stack, died tragically aged 27.
Life has not been easy for Foster but “family friend” Seán Flanagan, who regularly rides for her and partnered Dragon’s Pass to success at Navan last November, lauds her resilience no matter what obstacle she faces. “She’s had far from a clear trot of things, but she’s an old school, hardworking woman. She lives and dies by her horses and that’s the bottom line with Sneezy. Horses come first and whatever else comes in after that and that’s basically her in a nutshell,” Flanagan said yesterday. Foster has sent out 10 winners over the last five years, but this
opportunity of a lifetime should quickly blow that tally out of the water with a Cheltenham Festival winner also on the agenda given the team at her disposal, although she will not be in attendance due to Covid-19 rules.
It’s a “daunting but exciting” task trying to steer the Elliott ship over the next six months, but Foster knows that she has “a five-star hotel for horses” behind her while a new barn has already been erected with her name on it for the “nine or 10” horses that she’s bringing with her.
“It feels right and I feel very comfortable with it. I’ve known Gordon for a long time and I already know a lot of his staff. He has an incredible team here. It just feels right. There has been huge support of these plans from his owners which is very encouraging,” Foster said
of her role. Flanagan has full confidence in a character who is “loved and liked by all” and he expects a “seamless transition” for the all-conquering Longwood yard, as does Travelling Head Camilla Sharples following a harrowing week which saw Envoi Allen and seven other Cheveley Park Stud stars leaving for pastures new.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a tougher few days in my life, it’s been awful to see everybody so low but we’re all a big team in Gordon’s and he’s a brilliant boss and I know he’s going to come back from this and we’re all going to stick by him. Sneezy is a legend and we’re lucky to have her to step in,” Sharplessaid.
Racing folk are just looking to move on after their reputation took a battering in recent days and Foster is a safe pair of hands.