Diary of a Successful Cheltenham week for Saratoga’s groom Katie Young

Last Tuesday was a big day for racing fans in Kildare as Saratoga, trained by Curragh based Padraig Roche and ridden by Clane’s Mark Walsh won the McCoy Contractors Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, the Fred Winter, at the Cheltenham Festival 2026.

It was a remarkable win for Roche, his second win at Cheltenham, after Brazil, a half-brother to Saratoga, won the same race back four years ago in 2022. Once again, the winner was ridden by Walsh, a lifelong friend of Roche since the days the Clane man worked in Padraig’s father, Christy’s Yard.

To complete the connection on Tuesday, the groom who prepared Saratoga for Tuesday’s big day, led him into the Parade Ring and more importantly led him back to the Winner’s Enclosure was none other than Mark’s partner, Katie Young.

Katie is originally from the Wrexham border in North Wales but she moved over to Ireland when she was 22 having been encouraged to do so by trainer, Gordon Elliott.

“I had horses and ponies my whole life”, Katie told The Kildare Nationalist after she returned back to Kildare after a hectic week in the Cotswolds.

“I did the Mounted Games for Wales on numerous occasions when I was growing up and then I worked with Donald McCain. I was due to go to university to do Law and Criminality but I never did as I went to work for Donald instead.” A chance meeting with trainer Gordon Elliott at the races in Uttoxeter eventually led Katie working at Elliott’s Yard at Cullentra for seven years. When she moved to Kildare after becoming Mark Walsh’s partner five years ago the trip to the Co Meath venue became a bit of a trek so Katie started to ride out for Padraig Roche at his Yard at Curragh View Stables. Now in her fourth with Roche, for whom she rides out in the mornings before work, at weekends and on race days, Young also has a full-time role for the past two years in the Ownership Department in Horse Racing Ireland.

Katie’s hectic week at Cheltenham began when she travelled over to the UK with Saratoga on Sunday morning last.

“We were caught up a bit with the ferry issue and while it wasn’t ideal it could have been worse as we arrived into Cheltenham about half ten. Monday then was nothing too strenuous for Saratoga, just getting him moving. He settled in and had an easy enough day. On Tuesday morning we took him out for a leg stretch before the race. We kept it simple as all the hard work would have been done at home,” she explained.

“We brought our own hay and feed for the few days, very much all our own gear except water and he was actually stabled in the stable as Brazil was when he won here four years ago,” she told us.

Asked if Saratoga was calm before the race, Katie Young had this to say, “He was a bit of a handful really. Aiden Kelly and Pete Smithers ride him out at home and he would be a bit fresh; he wouldn’t be the easiest to handle and he was trying to do handstands at one point. I was a bit worried with all the mayhem in the Parade Ring that he might kick someone as when we had him in Naas for his last two rides, he did a few bucks. I asked Aine (O’Connor, Niall “Slippers” Madden’s wife) to go on the inside just to make sure no one got too close in case he did throw a kick out. In my hands however he felt like he was game on which is always a good sign,” Katie recalls.

When she was handing Saratoga over to Mark Walsh had she any last-minute instructions to her partner for the race, we wondered?

“I just said best of luck, he’s feeling well,” Katie said.

“I actually said to Mark all week that he had travelled over, he had eaten everything and apart from the boat situation I couldn’t have been happier and I was happy with how he had settled on the boat. Everything kind of went very much how you would want it to go,” she added.

“My Mom and Dad came to watch the race. They were going to come later in the week but I persuaded them to come on the Tuesday when the horse was running as it would be nice to see me lead him up. When I went to meet them to hand over the tickets Mark just met us at the same time so it was funny we all just bumped into each other at the same time in Cheltenham. I thought everything is just happening,” Katie laughed.

“Padraig went to get the saddle so we saddled him down at the track and I got a little bit nervous then. I think you just want them to come home safe and sound. Mark had just such a good position lining up and I was thinking ‘Oh Jesus, I hope there’s not a false start as he would lose his good position’,” Katie said.

She watched the race at the stable staff position along with Aine O’Connor and Padraig Roche.

“I kind of watched the race behind Aine’s hair to be honest,” she laughed.

“Because he had such a good position it took a bit of the worry out of him being boxed in. Coming across the top of the hill and when he was tanking in Mark’s hands coming down the hill to see a horse do that in a race you get quite excited. Then once he got over the last, I was hoping he wouldn’t be caught.” Videos on social media captured the excitement and exhilaration of Padraig Roche and his entourage as Saratoga crossed the line.

“It was kind of surreal,” Katie says excitedly.

“It felt like a dream. Myself, Aine, Paudie, and Gerry Sheridan, who drove the lorry over and he was a great help, were all there dancing around. I then just ran straight up to the top of the chute to meet Mark and the horse as soon as they crossed the line. I think one of the great memories is bring him back down when everyone is cheering though,” she added.

“Mark was doing an interview for TV so I just said ‘Well done, that was class’,” Katie continued.

Walking back to the Winners Enclosure is “pretty special” according to Katie.

“There were people hanging over the rails and shouting for Saratoga, shouting for Mark. It’s quite surreal and it’s the whole way down; it doesn’t stop. It’s quite special. I don’t think you would get it anywhere else but you had to take it all in as it goes so quick. On the way down you see people you haven’t seen for years. I met the family of three boys I went to school with on the way down and I hadn’t seen them for years. It was mad,” Katie laughs again.

What did she get in the presentation? We asked.

“I didn’t actually get anything,” Katie quickly tells us. “I think it’s just for the Grade 1’s that they make presentations to the grooms. I took the horse back to the box to get tested while the presentation was going on in the Parade Ring. One thing on my Bucket List was to lead up Mark on a Cheltenham Festival winner so to do that this week was very special,” she added with pride.

It was time then for a little celebration on Tuesday night for the winning connections of Saratoga. “Mark went straight home obviously but we went down to the Owners/Trainers once the horse was cooled off and had taken some hay and we had a few glasses of champagne.” “I then went back up and gave Saratoga his dinner and packed him up around 7pm as he went back on Tuesday night. We then had a couple of drinks to celebrate but nothing too mad,” she said.

“I had so many messages on my phone and I wanted to go through them and savour them so I didn’t really look at any until I got back and it took about two hours to go through them all,” she added.

“I don’t think it sunk in that I had led up the winner of a big race at Cheltenham until the next day. Paudie only has a small Yard. Some of the bigger trainers had more runners on the one day than we had in the yard. We’re a very small Yard, very small team but the lads and the girls who work there all played a part in the success of the horse. It wasn’t just one person, everyone worked hard,” Katie said, proudly.

It was back to the day job and her role with the Owners Department in HRI for the rest of the week in Cheltenham for the successful groom.

“It’s nice to enjoy a day like that. I love dealing with horses, I love looking after them but it’s nice to get dressed up, I suppose, and meet all the owners and give them the chance to share their stories as well,” she tells us.

Katie also had to keep an eye on partner, Walsh during the week, who, as well as winning on Saratoga, also won on Dinoblue for the second time in the Mrs Paddy Power Mares Chase on the Friday, was second on Jagwar in the Ultima Handicap Chase on the Tuesday and Oldschool Outlaw in the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle on the Thursday and third on defending champion, Inothewayurthinkin in the Boodles Gold Cup on the Friday. “ It’s getting harder now as well,” Katie explained.

“It’s been a tough start to the year for Mark so I just wanted him to do well and get as many winners as he could.” 

In a great shock earlier this year it was announced that JP McMcManus was to replace the very successful Clane man as retained jockey and to replace him with Harry Cobden but Katie believes that Walsh has put that behind him now.

“Oh yeah, he has been brilliant and hopefully he will have another good season next year. Everyone just wants him to have success I suppose. It’s getting harder to watch though,” she says again.

While Tuesday’s win was a great success for Padraig Roche and his staff it was also tinged with some sadness as Katie told us.

“We obviously lost Brazil a few weeks ago and that was really tough. He was the yard’s first Cheltenham winner and he was the stable star in the yard. It was tough on everyone who works in the Yard and for Saratoga, his half-brother, to win the same race was emotional. He was a massive character, always bubbly, always happy to see you so it’s tough to lose a big presence like that,” she said sadly.

Concluding Katie told us:

“You would hope Saratoga keeps on improving and that he is able to take the Yard to other festivals and do well. For Mark, I hope he has a good end to the season and hope that next season he can just keep going. He’s had a great career so far.”