Cunha Breaks UK Ice – Big Plans To Promote SA Racing

There can’t be too many airlines that have trained a GR1 winner!

Alongside Mike de Kock, Dylan Cunha is one of the youngest coaches to have saddled a Summer Cup winner.

Last week, the 42-year-old reached another milestone in an extraordinarily diverse life when he fed his first winner from his new base in Newmarket.

Mike de Kock was just 24 when he won the Gauteng flagship in 1989 with Evening Mist, while then 28-year-old Dylan Cunha won the big one in 2008 with the Australian-leagued news under Glyn Schofield.

In 2018, Cunha called Time for Training, citing a lack of support with yearling sales, the high cost of stake-related purchases, escalating operating costs, and difficulty competing with larger stables as some of his reasons for quitting.

He then pursued his pilot’s license and flew passenger jets for Mango before Covid tied that career down.

“I loved it and enjoyed the whole process of contracting charter pilot, then pilot and finally an airline pilot. Mango was great but Covid quickly ruined this industry for years to come. I don’t fly anymore With two young children, I enjoy being at home with them more! Dylan told The Sporting Post as he explained that as a Portuguese passport holder, he made the decision to move to the UK ahead of Brexit while they could still do it.

“The decision was justified after Mango finally quit a few months later. The whole family is here, all good and enjoy! “

And the big icebreaker came on August 9 when Dylan sated his first winner courtesy of the poet’s voice gelding Mighty Mind, who won a handicap at Chelmsford under Jason Watson.

An enthusiastic Dylan explains:

“Mighty Mind is owned by Amadeo del Pos, who I met through a friend while doing the Trainer’s modules. We hit it off and had a pint at the July sale in Tattersalls. He sent me a powerful mind that needed a bit of a refresher. Things were good – he was only with us for 6 weeks. I think he will win again next time. Jockey Jason Watson’s win is class-leading. He was a champion apprentice but has extended on the comeback trail and is targeting 100 winners this season. “

It’s a great start for the Cunha racing team with only 12 runners so far, 8 of whom have earned prize money.

“These stats are with only 5 horses. We live in exciting times,” enthuses Dylan, who tells us his Newmarket team is based in the lower courtyard of Phantom House Stables on Fordham Road.

“William Haggas, Ed Dunlop, William Jarvis, Tom Clover and Marco Bottie are all my neighbors. We initially have 28 stables. I basically do all the work myself with the help of my father. We have two boys Adam and Kanane who are going out and will eventually be permanent. “

Dylan adds that Josephine Gordon, Grace MC Entee, Abbie Pierce and Alice Bond all ride for them regularly, while Jason Watson and Kieran Shoemark have also rode.

“Nice to have the Safends here – I regularly watch Gavin Howe’s and Collen’s story and recently Greg Cheyne while they work across the street from me.”

Dylan, taxed on comparisons to life as a coach on South African soil, she is quick to add that things are “quite different”.

“How I miss the girls record in South Africa. Here most of the girls run in handicaps after three runs. It can be tough! I ran with Mr Fayez (a Virgo) to a 10 time winner who got a pound in Brighton for example. Not easy, as the system forces coaches to handicap sticky drivers. The costs are also quite high for owners as apart from the training fees you no longer pay heath fees, transport, jockeys fees etc etc. It is very expensive to drive here! South Africa subsidizes a lot for the owners, while the UK imposes a lot of additional costs on the owner. “

On the plus side, he adds that the different circuits are incredible and there’s a lot of racing – so there are opportunities.

“Luckily Newmarket is central so most of the circuits are within two hours of us. It’s not bad. A big positive here is that we can travel anywhere in the world from here and we will – similar to when we went to Dubai with strategic messages – only find one soon,” he smiles.

Every day is a long day, but living a passion means everything is rewarding.

“We come to the yard at 4:30 am, feed, muck, clean water buckets, then the strings on the track and then feed you again and then do the office work until about 11:30 am. After that I spend time on social media, to grow our brand, and then back to stables at 4pm to feed hay, hay, water, brush etc until about 6pm. My family helps so we’re all in the groove and enjoying it. It’s more fun than work! “

Dylan says staffing is a real challenge.

“South Africans are spoiled for big grooms. I would have liked to have had my employees from 2007 here.

Dylan is a forward and entrepreneurial thinker and wants to promote SA racing.

“I would hope at some point to be able to work with the likes of Drakenstein, Mauritzfontein, Ridgemont Highlands, Gulf Racing, Mike de Kock and Cape Thoroughbred Sales and bring South African horses here and be supported by them. Some of these leading players have horses with the likes of William Haggas, Ed Dunlop, Jane Chappel -Hyam etc but nothing says South African louder than I do here at the moment. “

Dylan says he’s worked hard to develop a strong social media following and build a good local base of owners and syndicates, as well as a good relationship with the media.

“With the right support and the right horses and partnerships with South Africans, I have set up the platform for South African horses to be noted here. Racing futeen here and sending home and decent colts can also improve the breed again in SA too. The press was extremely interested and I conducted many interviews. The better myself and Collen -story, Greg Cheyne etc here the better. “

He hopes the right people can take note and a platform can open up in South Africa.

“Even with travel I still believe that South Africa offers the best value for money and I would like to capitalize on that going forward. I know the South African horses well and having trained them in SA and UK would find it easier to syncronize them into the system. I think a lot of them go flat coming here. “

Motivated and with a plan, the Cunha team slowly builds, trying to source horses that can win and babies that could be anything.

“We have made a lot of contacts and will buy some on sale and also syndicate some. The goal is to reach 20 horses by December and grow from there – but never more than 50 to hold it in hand and keep it intimate. I really enjoy being stuck inside myself,” adds the man who used to be a very capable driver.

At the age of 42, Dylan shares how he loves every minute after challenging himself throughout his life and achieving things most people never do.

“I work hard and put 200% into everything I do. My family enjoys it. You all stay and help. They love horses and they all love Britain. “

Despite his new roots, Dylan still follows races in South Africa.

“I still believe that South African racing has the horses and riders some serious power in the world but hope politics and the sad AHS issue don’t leave it there. The Hollywoodbets Durban July for example is still one of the great races in the world and I hope to have a Cape runner from here one day. This must surely also be the dream for SA to have international races! “