Owner Judith Long tells Amy Lynam about Missouri Snow, who won a €7,500 bonus as part of the Weatherbys ITBA National Hunt Fillies’ Bonus scheme.

Missouri Snow won by five lengths at Oldcastle in March, but was coming back from a break for the mares’ bumper at Sligo. What were your expectations?

She was quite a big mare, so we waited until she was a five-year-old to run, and she ran really well that day. She was still really green but she kind of impressed us, so we were a little bit hopeful going to the bumper.

I suppose you never know what she’s going to come up against in the bumper. We knew she’d hold her own and, if she placed, I would have been delighted, just because of how competitive the bumpers always are. When she went and fought her way through the gap and won, we were delighted.

She went unsold for £28,000 after her debut win. Did you get any offers after her second success?

They didn’t have racing before the [Tattersalls Cheltenham] sale like they usually do, because they were doing track repairs, and I definitely think it was a quieter sale. She had a couple of vettings and a little bit of interest, but just didn’t make her reserve. We brought her home and I wasn’t too devastated because I love her.

We didn’t get any offers after the bumper either, but again, I’m not totally devastated because I do really like her. We’re only a little setup, so it would be nice for a payday with her. She’s definitely for sale, if anybody’s interested, but I’m not too pushed because she’s a lovely one to have around.

What’s next on the cards?

We’re running her in a listed bumper tomorrow (Friday at Gowran Park, finished third). Again, it’s a hot enough bumper and plenty of the big guns are in it, but if she did happen to run into a place there, I’d be delighted. She’s been schooling since she was a three-year-old, so I have no issues with her going over hurdles and fences. She takes it all in her stride, there’s no panicking or fussing with her, so I’m quite looking forward to keeping her, a little bit selfishly.

For her to have won her first two starts and pick up a €7,500 bonus is particularly impressive given that she cost just €1,400. Do you remember the day you bought her?

When I went to the sale that day with Nigel, I was thinking we don’t really need more horses, especially foals, so I had gone over to act like a bit of a handbrake and put him off buying one. He left to go to work and left me there with a catalogue and I ended up buying one for him and two for myself. So, I didn’t actually do a great job of being the handbrake that day - I can’t be trusted to be left at the sales!

It was near the end of the day when I saw her come into the ring and I just liked something about her. She was kind of gangly and a bit of an ugly duckling, but she was quite tall-legged, and nearly tugged a bit at the heartstrings, so I ended up buying her. At the time, I thought I was nuts, but in hindsight, it turned out to be a great idea.

We bought three fillies that day and registered all three for the ITBA scheme, which I think cost only €300 at the time. My other filly we bought that day has been second twice, so she’s nearly got the bonus a couple of times, which has been quite exciting.

The fact that they’re eligible for the bonus in bumpers, hurdles and chases, is amazing, I think. It’s a thrill to win a bumper and then the bonus on top of it is fantastic. If she did go on to sell, that’s a huge incentive for another buyer down the line, knowing they could win another bonus and knock a few grand off her purchase price as well.

Do you usually buy at the foal sales?

We don’t have the big budget of some of the other stables, so while it might be more efficient to buy a three-year-old because we can crack on with them, we look at the foal sales to get a bit more value for our money. It is a longer period waiting, but when you’ve had them the whole way through since they were foals, you control their education. There are pros and cons to it, but it’s worked out well for me.

Tell us about Nigel’s operation – how many would he have in training?

A lot of the horses are our own, owned by myself, or Nigel’s father or brother, or the whole family together. There are probably 10 to 20 horses in at any stage, between the flat, jumps and point-to-points. We all work full-time; Nigel’s a farrier and I’m a civil servant. We try to do the horses around our jobs - the summer isn’t too bad, but the winter can be a bit testing.

It’s a small setup, we just try to keep a few on the go every year, with a few young ones to keep the dream alive.

The dream is still alive with Missouri Snow, at least.

She’s been great and anything after this is a huge bonus. She doesn’t owe me anything at this stage, I’m just blessed that she’s such a nice mare to do anything with. When you get a good mare on your side, they’ll do anything for you, and she’s definitely a great mare.