Under The Radar: Des Kenneally reaping rewards of patience with Pray Tell

On 12th November 2017, Des Kenneally drove up to Fairyhouse.  It’s a fair old hike from Kilworth in County Cork to the Tattersalls Ireland sales complex, just across the road from Fairyhouse racecourse in County Meath, but Des had a yearling at home, and he wanted to get another yearling, bring them along together.

He was up on the balcony looking down on the sales ring when Lot 86 walked into it, a yearling colt by Ask out of the Supreme Leader mare Leading Rank and already named, Pray Tell.  He was struck by the young horse straight away.  Kenneally hadn’t seen the colt beforehand, he hadn’t been down to have a look at him, but there was something about him there in the ring.

“It was the way that he moved,” recalls Kenneally now.  “He just seemed to be moving around the ring so smoothly.  So easily.  Like he was floating on air.”

He had a look at his page in the catalogue: dam an unraced half-sister to There’s No Panic, winner of the London National at Sandown over three miles and five furlongs, and fourth in a Grade 2 chase at Newbury over two and a half miles.  The auctioneer said six thousand, Des raised his finger and the gavel fell.

“When I got him home, I thought that he might be a little bit small.  But he’s not at all, he’s 16.1hh now.  He has a brilliant attitude, and he’s so athletic.  You’d never see it, when you go to put the saddle on him, he stretches out.  He loves his work.  He loves his racing.”

Pray Tell made his racecourse debut in a bumper at Thurles in March 2021, the bumper in which Banbridge also made his debut under Rules. Kenneally’s horse was sent off at a massive price, but he didn’t run badly, he just weakened in the closing stages, but he still finished sixth, two places and 17 and a half lengths in front of Banbridge.

Left off after that for the summer, the Ask gelding made his point-to-point debut at Rathcannon the following October, finishing second to a Donnchadh Doyle horse, Maximilian, who would go on to win a Grade 2 River Don Hurdle and to finish second in a Grade 1 Sefton Hurdle for Donald McCain.

“He got a bit of a leg,” says Kenneally, “so we took our time with him.  He didn’t run again for another year, when he finished second in a point-to-point at Kinsale.  Then he won his point-to-point at Knockanard the following February, and he would have won again next time at Nenagh - he was 15 lengths clear when he fell at the last.”

Kenneally has always been into horses.  His dad always had a few point-to-pointers, and every Sunday during the season when he was younger was spent going to a point-to-point meeting.

“Sure we loved it, wrapping up and going racing.  The horses, the people you’d meet.  We’d go racing every Sunday and, eventually, you’d win a race for attendance!”

He majors in farming these days, cattle mainly, but he always keeps a few horses around.  He trained Collou to win a bumper at Cork in May 2007, and to finish second in another bumper at Tipperary a week later, beaten a neck.  He won another bumper at Cork in July 2010 with Letterofapproval, and he won a mares’ maiden hurdle at Clonmel in October 2020 with Champagne Diva.

And it’s a family thing.

“We lost my poor wife Mary a few years ago to cancer,” says Des.  “She would have loved this.  But the kids are great.  Alan (18) is big into his computers, and David (16) is probably more into the cattle than he is into the horses, but they are both brilliant to help out.  Maeve (15) loves horses, she loves working with the horses, she goes hunting every week with the local hunt here on her pony Bounty.  She led up Pray Tell on Sunday.”

Pray Tell won his maiden hurdle at Kilbeggan in early September and then a handicap hurdle at the Listowel Festival later that month, before going to Cork last Sunday for the Grade 3 Singletons Supervalu Stayers’ Novice Hurdle.

“We thought that he was very well going to Mallow,” says his trainer.  “And John (Shinnick) gave him a lovely ride.  When Pray Tell won his maiden hurdle at Kilbeggan, John had him along the inside early on, and he just wasn’t enjoying it.  He’s a very timid horse and he didn’t like being crowded.  Then John took him towards the outside, and he was like a different horse.  So that was the plan on Sunday, keep him towards the outside, allow him to move into the race, see how we go.”

They went well.  Pray Tell moved up on the outside early in the home straight, and he challenged the leader and favourite Minella Sixo on the run to the final flight.

“I knew when I saw him jumping the second last, I knew that he would stay on.  Then when he jumped to the front over the last, sure it was unbelievable.  A Grade 3 win, to do it at my local track as well and everything, and all the family there.  It was unreal.”

Des is going to take his time now before making plans for Pray Tell.  People asked him about Christmas targets, but he said no.  The horse has been on the go now for a little while, and he’s not going to rush him.  Pray Tell may be eight now rising nine, but he’s lightly raced for his age, and he is progressive.  You wouldn’t know where he could go now.

“You see him there out in the paddock this morning,” says Des.  “Having a pick of grass.  There’s not a bother on him.  You wouldn’t know he’d had a race.  He’s like a family pet around here and we’re going to look after him.  I wouldn't be very familiar with the programme now, but lads have been suggesting different races to me.  I’d love to go to Cheltenham with him, I mentioned Cheltenham to Maeve there on Sunday, and she lit up!  But we’ll see.  We’ll take our time before making any decisions.  We’re just enjoying him for now.  I’m not sure that it has all fully sunk in yet.”

Still floating on air.