Image © Healy Racing
Jonathan Fitzgerald picked up where he left off last spring when Stepitoutmary gave him a winner with his first runner of the new season at Tinahely on Sunday.
The Mitchelstown handler has now trained four winners in 2026, with Stepitoutmary and Rongoright winning twice apiece.
Sunday’s success was a family affair, with the mare owned by Fitzgerald’s fiancée Leanne Pratt and ridden by her brother Jake. Stepitoutmary had provided both Fitzgerald with his first winner as a handler and Jake with his first point-to-point success at Ballycahane on March 1.
“It was brilliant that she won again, and it was nice to see her do it first time out this season,” Fitzgerald said.
“It’s great for Jake to get his second winner on the board and good for the team in the yard as well. It makes the long days and early mornings worthwhile.
“I thought she’d take a run, but I thought she’d run well. Whatever she did, she’d improve. Jake was fairly confident she was going to run a big race.”
Stepitoutmary was left clear by the departure of Seventy Eight Team approaching the penultimate fence and went on to beat Beacon Storm by 25 lengths.
“Jake said he hadn’t completely asked Mary to go and win her race. He was getting there gradually and didn’t want to get there too early.
“When he was left in front, he asked her to go and she picked up. He thinks he would have won anyway.”
The five-year-old has come out of the race well and could return to Tinahely for a mares’ winners-of-two contest if she is not sold beforehand.
Her improvement has rewarded connections for persevering after some frustrating early efforts.
“We knew she was fairly okay, but she wasn’t linking her runs together.”
Jake, who is based with Derek O’Connor, comes to the yard on Thursdays to school or ride work.
Fitzgerald combines training at Croughmore Stables with night-watch work at Coolmore.
“Coolmore is my first job and the horses are my second job.”
Leanne combines a full-time job with helping around the yard and handling the administration. When working from home, she helps during her lunch break or in the evenings, and can take care of feeding while Jonathan rests ahead of his night work. Weekends are spent travelling with the horses, whether schooling or racing.
His grandfather John, whose colours Stepitoutmary carried last season, is at the yard daily, helping with jobs and repairs.
Jonathan grew up around showjumpers and hunters, with both his grandfather and parents heavily involved in showjumping. However, it was racing that caught his imagination.
The 32-year-old spent five or six years with Jim Culloty while pursuing his ambition to ride.
“I learned a lot from Jim and the head lad.”
He helped look after Lord Windermere alongside Gary O’Connor, sharing riding duties on the Gold Cup winner and taking him racing.
Fitzgerald also rode two point-to-point winners for Culloty, scoring aboard Topsham Breeze at Affane in November 2014 and Vaxalco at Askeaton the following February.
At Croughmore, there are ten boxes, all currently occupied, and two outdoor pens, along with a walker, a sand arena and schooling fences.
Although Fitzgerald hasn’t got his own gallop yet, he counts himself lucky to have the support of Danny O’Sullivan, who lets him use his gallop, and Rongoright’s owner P.J. O’Donoghue, who provides a field for working the horses.
Boulta and Dromahane are also close by for schooling, while nearby woodland gives the horses a change of scenery.
Fitzgerald rides much of the team himself, with Mark O’Flynn coming in six evenings a week after finishing his own full-time job.
O’Flynn partnered Rongoright to both his spring victories, with the Conduit gelding winning his maiden at Knockanohill before adding a novice riders’ winners-of-two race at Rathcannon.
“Rongo was my second winner. He should have been my first winner—he hit the crossbar a lot, but he improved from run to run.”
Rongoright could return to Rathcannon for a winners-of-three contest.
“We just need a bit more rain. He likes a stiff track, so we’re targeting Rathcannon, but we’ll see what the weather looks like.”
O’Donoghue bought Rongoright as a foal and also has two younger horses with Fitzgerald.
Having sent out his first runners in the 2022/23 season, Fitzgerald feels both the quality of his horses and his approach to training have developed.
His early horses were inexpensive purchases bought mainly for enjoyment, but he has gradually established his own routine and become more focused in how he prepares them.
“Every year we try to change something and tweak something. They’re all individuals and they all have their own personalities, so we train them to their personalities.”
Alongside his pointers, Fitzgerald takes in horses for breaking and pre-training. Having completed the course and interview for his licence to train under Rules, he is now awaiting the yard inspection, the final stage of the process.
The three stores Fitzgerald bought at the August sales have since found owners. Two are showing early promise, with the spring four-year-old maidens the aim.
Working within a smaller budget, Fitzgerald places emphasis on a horse’s walk and conformation rather than size or an expensive pedigree.
“We don’t have the pockets deep enough for the big pedigrees. We try to get a few people into racing through buying young stores.”
With his established horses winning and youngsters coming through, he hopes to build on the progress of the past year.
“More winners, a few more owners, and everything staying happy and healthy.”
“More winners, a few more owners, and everything staying happy and healthy.”
