Lord Glitters: the 'phenomenal' horse who likes to get into a bit of trouble

David O’Meara and Danny Tudhope are both in agreement about Lord Glitters’ most potent weapon, and both trainer and jockey speak in awe over one of its earliest and most devastating exhibitions.

In just his second start for his new stable after being bought at Arqana’s in-training sale in July 2017 for a cool €270,000, the dashing grey lined up alongside 19 others in the Balmoral Handicap on British Champions Day.

Tudhope was taking the ride on the then four-year-old for the first time, and the duo were slow away from the stalls, enduring a nightmare trip through the mile contest. With two furlongs to go, Lord Glitters was still in the final pairing and it was only with just over a furlong to go that Tudhope was able to angle his charge out to find daylight on the left. As soon as he did, the nuclear button was pushed and Lord Glitters showcased the exceptional burst of speed that would come to define him as he swept past the field and overhauled Gm Hopkins in the final few yards.

Lord Glitters career details

This came as no surprise to his new connections, as the jockey recalls: “When Dave bought him from France I’d watched a few of his races and he had this amazing turn of foot.

Lord Glitters: on his way to victory in the Balmoral Handicap on British Champions DayCredit: Charlie Crowhurst

"When he ran in the Balmoral he showed exactly why they spent that money on him. It was for those sorts of races and his turn of foot was just unbelievable that day. He was probably still last about a furlong and a half out and on soft ground as well, so it was a very good buy from Dave and the owners.”

Concurring with his stable jockey, O’Meara says: “Danny was shaking his head after the line because he had really struggled to get a run and get out. But he passed them all because he has a real good finish and he showed that again even this year in the Jebel Hatta at Meydan. He closed out his last two furlongs in 21 or 22 seconds. It was amazing.”

The Racing Post analysis of the Balmoral noted that the winner “looks capable of holding his own in better company and is a nice new acquisition for connections”.

A bit of an understatement, as it turned out.

The £156,000 first prize had been secured and millions more were to follow for his delighted connections, with Group 1 victories in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2019 and in Meydan earlier this year at the age of eight the standout moments from a magnificently consistent career which has seen him place in seven more Group races, including three at the highest level.

A globetrotting lifestyle has brought nine wins from 37 races in total – four of which came in his prolific beginnings in France – more than £1.8 million in prize-money and some priceless days out for owners Geoff and Sandra Turnbull. The couple had enjoyed great success immediately prior to Lord Glitters’ emergence courtesy of Woodbine Mile and Arlington Million winner Mondialiste, also trained by O’Meara, and each run of his now takes on extra poignancy followingthe death of Geoff at the age of 74 last year.

“To buy a horse in a training sale and then go on to win a Group 1 at Royal Ascot is quite exceptional,” says O’Meara as he recounts the journey that led Lord Glitters to his Yorkshire base.

Lord Glitters: 'As soon as he walked out of his box we knew he was a horse we were going to try and buy'Credit: Edward Whitaker

“He’s very special. I had watched a lot of his videos with Jason Kelly, my assistant, and he was looking very impressive in conditions races. We travelled to France to see him and as soon as he walked out of his box we knew he was a horse we were going to try and buy.”

The subsequent transaction wasn’t quite as straightforward as the obvious qualities their new purchase displayed, and O’Meara reveals the bidding war that ensued could have resulted in a rather drastic career change for the son of three-time Group 1 winner Whipper.

The trainer says: “We had Geoff on the phone and we hadn’t planned to spend €270,000 on him whatsoever. Mondialiste was coming to the end of his career and we wanted something else for Geoff to run in some nice races.

“He had an ambition to have a big winner at Royal Ascot so we bid on him and I think we actually ended up outbidding Harold Kirk for Willie Mullins. I think Harold had been bidding with an eye to taking him jumping so he could have had a very different career.”

Given Mullins’ excellent track record at purchasing from France, it is intriguing to wonder what Lord Glitters could have achieved over a hurdle or fence, but it is almost impossible to imagine a jockey who could have composed as fine a tune out of him than Tudhope.

The Scot has ridden Lord Glitters on 20 of his 28 runs for O’Meara, and Dutchman Adrie de Vries is the only other jockey to have tasted victory on him in that time. As Tudhope explains, Lord Glitters is far from the easiest character to handle and holding his traditional spot at the back of the field is a necessity.

He says: “He’s the sort of horse who has to be ridden like that. We tried to ride him a bit closer to the pace a couple of times and it hasn’t gone well, he just doesn’t like it. He likes to get into a bit of trouble and once he starts passing and picking a few horses off the gears start to change and he just seems to take off.

The York crowd watches Lord Glitters claim his first Group success in the Strensall Stakes in 2018Credit: Edward Whitaker

“He likes to do things late but that’s just him. Every time I ride him Dave tells me to ride him to be placed and he’ll run well or win. I love riding him and those sorts of horses because it gives you a bit of a challenge and doesn’t make it easy for you. I think I get a good tune out of horses like that.”

Tudhope continues: “You can’t get on him in the parade ring because he just goes mad, he’ll be like a two-year-old. You have to get on him on the track or in the chute. He can be quite strong as well. He’s the sort of horse you’re better being a length or two further back than a length or two forward. You have to get it right.”

It is a similar story at home where the painstaking work of O’Meara and his team in working out Lord Glitters’ quirks has resulted in a rather lonesome, but highly effective routine that allows him to flourish on the big occasion.

“He’s very forward going and can be very keen at home,” says the trainer. “You wouldn’t put anyone on him, he spends a lot of time after his exercise just in the field. He can tend to fight with plenty of the horses who get turned out with him. We know him well now and he takes a little bit of managing, but he’s fine.”

“He does everything on his own,” agrees Tudhope. “On his daily routine he goes out on his own in front of the whole string and does his own thing. If he worked with another horse he’d be overly keen and do things the wrong way around, but there would be nothing that could lay up with him anyway. He’s had some issues in the past but David has got him to perfection now. He knows what is best for him.”

Perfection is what arrived at Royal Ascot in the summer of 2019. An excellent campaign in 2018 saw him finish second to Addeybb in the Lincoln having conceded 8lb to the future Champion Stakes winner, runner-up in the Queen Anne and third in the Sussex Stakes before getting his nose in front in the Strensall Stakes at York. That was a Group 3, but heading into his six-year-old campaign Lord Glitters was more than ready to dine at the big table.

Lord Glitters (centre) powers to victory in the Queen Anne StakesCredit: Edward Whitaker

“We knew he was a better horse that year than the year before,” says Tudhope. “His work at home was so much better. He just strengthened up a lot so we were confident, not just for the Queen Anne but for the season as a whole.”

Not even his worst performance to date, when 13th of 14 runners and beaten 21 lengths in the Lockinge (a “disaster” admits O’Meara) could dent the confidence heading into his second crack at the Queen Anne.

O’Meara recalls: “Danny and I told Geoff to draw a line through the Lockinge and that he’d be competitive in the Queen Anne. I’m glad we were right. We went there with a bit of expectation even though he was an outsider on the day. We felt like he had a real chance of winning it and there was a real sense of satisfaction after it. It’s nice to win the first race on the card because it takes the pressure off and sets you up to have a really nice week.”

Lord Glitters prevailed from Beat The Bank and One Master in a thrilling dash to the line to become the oldest winner of the prestigious mile contest since Ardoon in 1976, and realised the dreams of a lifetime for all concerned.

“That is what it’s all about,” exclaims Tudhope. “You need these top horses, not just for me but for the trainer and owners because they’re so hard to come by. You have to take your chance when you have them.

“We just rode him for a bit of luck and I was always confident I had the horse underneath me. The whole race panned out exactly how he would have wanted because he doesn’t like to hit the front too soon. He got into a battle with Beat The Bank and I think he was always going to come out on top there because he’s so tough. It was phenomenal.”

A delighted David O'Meara celebrates at Royal AscotCredit: Edward Whitaker

As his career progressed, so too did the miles on the clock as O’Meara travelled his stable star all over the world. The tight-turning tracks in North America did not quite suit in attempts at the Woodbine Mile and Breeders’ Cup, but Lord Glitters would soon come to find a second home at Meydan in Dubai.

Third place behind Japanese superstar Almond Eye in the 2019 Dubai Turf showcased his aptitude for the track, and O’Meara returned his stable star to the Middle East earlier this year where more history was created. A Group 2 triumph in January had already made the trip a profitable one before the main event on March 6 as the veteran romped home in the Group 1 Jebel Hatta.

“It was just a shame nobody could be there with various coronavirus restrictions, but it was still very special watching it from home,” reflects O’Meara. “He’s just a really good horse. He travels very well in his races and he seems to really like that nine furlongs at Meydan.”

Is there more to come? The trainer certainly hopes so.

The dashing grey stands out as he works in the early morning darkness while at Santa Anita for the Breeders' CupCredit: Edward Whitaker

A second crack at the Dubai Turf proved beyond him as the John Gosden-trained Lord North ran out a convincing winner, but on his first start back on British soil he ran a creditable fourth to Palace Pier in the Lockinge, passing numerous high-class horses during his customary burst from the back of the pack.

A return to his beloved Ascot awaits next month with the Queen Anne and Prince of Wales’s Stakes both on the radar, but beyond that O’Meara knows Lord Glitters owes nothing and will let him guide the way.

“I don’t really know how much he has left in the tank to be honest,” O'Meara says. “We’ll take it race-by-race and he seems to be really enjoying himself at the moment so we’ll just see how long he wants to do it for.”

Finding a horse capable of winning at the top level is a difficult enough task on its own and one that has trainers, breeders and owners tearing their hair out across the land. Discovering one capable of not only winning, but continually competing at the highest level in contests around the globe when many of their peers have long since settled into life at stud is something remarkably special.

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