Jim Daly – learning to love the early starts! Photo: © Steve Nash
The prospect of starting work at 4am on a winter’s morning might not appeal to everyone, but for Jim Daly it makes a welcome change.
The leading Crayford trainer in terms of numbers and winners for the past two years had 24 runners on Tuesday morning’s Suffolk Downs card. The first runners went to traps at 8.12am and that followed kenneling and an hour’s journey.
Jim said: “It has come a bit of a shock but I think I’m getting a bit more used to it. I am definitely enjoying a little nap in the afternoon though.”
Based near Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, Jim and his staff have spent almost six years traveling backwards and forwards on a 215 mile around trip to Kent.
He said: “We would normally allow two and a half hours, though when the roads were bad, it could take up to five hours. It is 37 miles to Suffolk Downs and because of the roads, we need to allow an hour. But being stuck behind a tractor for a few miles doesn’t compare to the Dartford Crossing being closed.
“Although Crayford managed to incorporate our trialists before race meetings, it was still six times a week. At the moment Suffolk Downs is racing once a week, it will eventually be three times, but that is still a much easier workload to manage.
“Besides there are upsides to the early start. We are normally back home by midday which means there are staff still here who can take the dogs off the van and feed them. At Crayford we would often get home in the early hours and you had to take the dogs off the van and feed them yourself.”
But it isn’t just the journey that is different, there can’t be much of an atmosphere in the arse end of Suffolk at 8am in a morning?
Jim said: “I’m not going to pretend that there is an atmosphere but there is a bookie in attendance, plus a few punters and the trainers all get on. Besides, we are normally flat out with at least two runners in every race so we don’t really notice.
“What has surprised me is that I have already been approached by potential new owners looking for dogs. There are a few people from Newmarket who have started turning up and I am currently looking for dogs for them.”
Many of the kennels runners are owned directly by Jim or are syndicated. He had 88 on standby at Crayford but has plans on a kennel strength of around 70.
He said: “We had a few who had gone lame at Crayford and haven’t recovered so have been retired. We own about about 30 ourselves. Years ago, when I was at Yarmouth, I wouldn’t have dreamed of owning dogs myself, but with the way prize money and appearance money has changed, you can now afford to do it.”
The Jim Daly Racing Syndicate account for another 30 or so runner and have recently welcomed a new arrival.
Jim said: “He is called Keplar Varus and was trained by Owen McKenna, his new name will be Blue Tick Kelva. He was a decent minor open racer at Shelbourne and we are looking to syndicate him. There are still some share available if anyone is interested.”
So – are there any regrets about the switch?
Jim said: “I enjoyed my time at Crayford. It was a very well run operation, everybody knew their job. There was good banter with the other trainers and Peter Broadbridge is an excellent general manager. He was very approachable and always tried to help.
“The reality is, we should be around £50K per year better off by moving. I know that Entain would have paid that, but it isn’t about the money. It was just exhausting.
“So no. There are no regrets.”
