Ian Fortune
It’s difficult to believe is over a year and a half since we wrote a piece about the stunning debut of Hesoneofourown in the opening round of the Ladbrokes Winter Derby at Monmore in February 2023.
It was a special run from the youngster but it was also very special and significant for his breeder Catriona Ni Duill. Not only did she breed and rear Hesoneofourown but she was also responsible for his sire Tommy Brislane and was also lucky enough to own his dam, Kuma Mary Lou through her racing career.
It seemed certain Hesoneofourown was going to go on to achieve great things for leading UK trained Belinda Green. Despite his youth and inexperience, he would go onto reach the final of the Category One event where he started joint favourite alongside Coolavanny Shado.
In fact, it seems incredible to thing he was such a short price considering he had the likes of Burnchurch Mick, Hopes Paddington and Hawkfield Ozark to take on aside from Coolavanny Shado, who was touted as the fastest in the UK at the time.
He may have carried no luck in the final but seemed set to go onto great things. Sadly, he picked up a small knock and was of the track for some time after what was just his third career start.
There were glimpses of his brilliance through the remainder of his career. In fact, after his layoff and a few comeback races, he won five on the spin around Hove in the very best company late last year before going to the semi-finals of the Olympic.
Unfortunately, his potential would go largely unfulfilled due to problems and he would have just five more starts after his Olympic exit, two of which came over sprint trips this year. Attempts to get him back to his very best were called off and he has now been retired from racing.
The good news is he has returned home. Oisin O’Duill informed us that the hugely talented tracker is back with his mother Cathriona and is set to follow in the footsteps of his talented sire Tommy Brislane at stud.
He will certainly be of interest to breeders looking for a nice cross. His style of racing will also appeal. Blessed with terrific early, he also had the ability to really ramp it up from the second turn. It’s a shame Hesoneofourown didn’t get to race more often but who’s to say he won’t throw a star or two in the future. Best of luck to him in his new career.