Deacon celebrating a Ballybrit success four generations in the making

Four generations of breeding led to success on a first trip to the Galway festival for Jonathan Deacon, the owner-breeder of Outback Flyer who was a tenacious winner of the mares' handicap hurdle at Ballybrit on Wednesday night.

The six-year-old from the first crop of Jet Away is a half-sister to Grade 2 Kingmaker Novices' Chase winner Glen Forsa and descends from Outdoor Girl, purchased by Deacon's uncle in the 1980s from Peggy St John Nolan, with the family in residence at Clonmore House Stud in Wexford since then.

Reflecting on his first Galway success, a delighted Deacon says: "It's an amazing experience and there is a huge sense of vindication too as we decided to keep her to race rather than send her to the sales. This is her third year in training now and it is great to see that decision pay off."

Deacon's initial idea was to go down the point-to-point route with Outback Flyer as she had the size and scope to make a talented chaser, so he sent her to Andrew Latta, son of County Wexford trainer Yvonne Latta. However, that plan was thwarted by the enforced suspension of the sport because of the global pandemic and plans were revised.

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"Andrew did a great job with her and ran her in a bumper last year to get her started when we couldn't go pointing," says Deacon.

She was transferred to Peter Fahey's Monasterevin yard to continue her track career and demonstrated at home that she had the ability required to be successful. It took time for Outback Flyer to translate that good homework to results but the breakthrough came in a mares' maiden hurdle at Deacon's local track on April 1 this year.

Outback Flyer then ran at the Punchestown festival, finishing mid-division, and with trainer and owner retaining their belief in the mare's ability, following a small break, Fahey pointed her towards Ballybrit.

Outback Flyer and Kevin Sexton take the 2m mares' handicap hurdle at GalwayCredit: Patrick McCann

"Peter liked her from the start," says Deacon. "He had huge faith in her and never lost it, her homework was always very good but it was frustrating because she wasn't showing it on the track."

It was a bold decision on Deacon's part not to send Outback Flyer to Tattersalls Ireland for the Derby Sale in 2019 as her Mahler half-brother Glen Forsa had added that vital black-type upgrade to the pedigree that year. As the keeper of the family, and based on the imposing physical specimen of the 16.2 hands mare, he decided to retain her. That decision has now been rewarded.

"She was a real Derby Sale filly and I was aware that I could get good money for her if I sold her, but if I was ever going to keep a filly to race, I thought she was the one," says Deacon.

"I had a huge amount of belief in her as physically she's very like Glen Forsa and I had great hopes for her. I decided to try to make her what she could be because I was never going to be able to buy a mare like her if she achieved on the track what I thought she was capable of."

Knowing the family inside out for more than three decades, Deacon knew exactly what he was getting with Outback Flyer, a mare from a pedigree that is very sound of wind, with excellent movement and that intangible quality of a good mind.

Each generation of the pedigree has produced a classy performer, with Outdoor Girl foaling the Gerry Feilden Hurdle winner Killone Abbot. Trained by Jim Old for Lady Lloyd-Webber, he was by The Parson, as was Bracey Run, out of Outdoor Ivy, who was third in the Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle, also for Old.

Bracey Run is a half-brother to Outback Ivy, a daughter of Bob Back responsible for Glen Forsa and Outback Flyer.

For Deacon, it is the combination of proven National Hunt influences with newer strains that has allowed for the rejuvenation of the family.

"Outback Flyer is out of a Bob Back mare and she is out of a mare by Deep Run, so you have those strong, traditional National Hunt bloodlines with Jet Away," he says.

"Jet Away stands at Eoin Banville's Arctic Tack Stud, near us, and I find that Jet Away's stock have size, scope and plenty of determination, which is what you need."

Now 21, Outback Ivy remains a mainstay of the broodmare band at Clonmore House Stud in Bree, near Enniscorthy, County Wexford. She has a perfect record with her runners; all four have been successful and she is in foal to Mahler, therefore carrying a full-sibling to Glen Forsa. Outback Ivy's two-year-old is a full-sister to Outback Flyer and she has a yearling colt by exciting Boardsmill Stud recruit Poet's Word.

Outback Ivy has been joined on the farm by her daughter Outback Alley, and she was covered for the first time this year by Jet Away, ensuring that the resulting foal will be closely related to Outback Flyer, who will retire to the Wexford paddocks when her racing days are at an end.

"The hope with Outback Flyer now is to get some black type for her, but whether she remains hurdling or not hasn't been decided yet," says Deacon.

"She has the size and scope to go chasing and Glen Forsa improved rapidly when he switched from hurdles to fences, and she has a great jump like he did."

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