President & COO, Fox Corp Class B
"It's hard to get to terms with what we've done": John Nallen on Grand National hero Minella Times
John Nallen is the man who bought Gold Cup winner Minella Indo and Grand National winner Minella Times as foals. Here he tells Nick Luck about his new
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About John Nallen
John Nallen, president and COO of Fox, spoke about his involvement in horse racing following the success of his horses Minella Times and Minella Indo. In an interview with Racing TV, Nallen described winning the Grand National as "unbelievable" and "what dreams are made of," adding that it was "hard to get to terms with what we're doing." He explained that he began buying and trading horses in the 1980s, noting that he could not afford to keep racing them and that trading was necessary to remain in the sport. Nallen also discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on his hospitality business, stating that "no industry has been hit harder" and that he had been moved to tears by the lack of customers. Nallen emphasized the emotional significance of the wins for his community, saying the victories provided a lift to people in his area. He reflected on the process of buying and selling horses, remarking that "you sell your product and you wish the best to the next man" and that he does not regret not holding out for more money. Nallen also encouraged potential buyers, stating that "you don't have to have a huge checkbook" to participate in the point-to-point scene.
Transcript (17 segments)
I
Interviewer0:47
Oh here he is, John Nallen. Many congratulations. What an amazing few weeks for you.
J
John Nallen1:10
Bit too soon yesterday. I was worried you might not get help. Maybe I did, but I got the trip anyway.
I
Interviewer1:19
So take me right back to where it all started. We've seen the Manila prefix and suffix on horses for many decades now, and I've been lucky enough to stay at your hotel Manila a few times. So tell me where the business all started.
J
John Nallen1:38
I'd say in the 80s, early 80s, we started buying a few nationals and producing them. At that time we raced them, we raised them with Aidan and Joe Crowley. Not immersed in the beginning, we had Manila, Manila Hotel Manila, and we had great times with them. But I figured if you want to stay in horses, you have to be trading them. I couldn't buy fours and rare man, break them as two-year-olds, get them going, get three years in for a while, get them going, and then come back and find a point where the Irish point of point is where it happens. That's where the under trade is.
I
Interviewer2:27
The way you describe it and the results that you've had, it almost makes it look as though it's straightforward. It is far from straightforward, isn't it? It is years of preparation, heartache, exercising your judgment, being prepared for the disappointments. I can't imagine what this last month has meant to you. It's unbelievable. A Gold Cup winner, for Henry to have three Grade One winners from me in the same 18 months... just it's an unbelievable scenario. Holding, you know, just like Henry is unbelievable. These horses that you're producing, but if they don't go to the right home, you don't hear them again either, you know.
J
John Nallen3:26
Tell me when you went to that sale, John, what you saw in those two foals that you loved, because they are two smashing horses: Manila Indo and Manila Times. Yeah, I'd make my business, but when I started going up there first when I was 16, it was two old-timers, Don't Freeze, and County Waterford. They were certainly related to my mother, and these were real old-timers. They used to go around every night and look at the foals in the stable before they build it. You only have to look at the ones you know, and they'll be no, it's not an exact science. Someone said to me, 'Male 1, how did you buy them out of a 24-year-old mare?' You know, I think I probably didn't even notice. You look at a good foal, a good pedigree, straightforward, plenty of presence, and you just like it. If it was an exact science, the big men that have it all, also it's not an exact science. They just have to roll with your hunch and take your chance.
I
Interviewer4:35
But it's right though that there is a bit of an art to choosing a foal. You say it's not an exact science, there must be something that you see and you can kind of envisage what that horse is going to look like three or four years down the track.
J
John Nallen4:53
Yeah, they have to be. If they're too pretty, their heads... he's afternoon, he's gone too far. You know, he has to be raw, and have to come from a good home, a good like, a good fair. People are rare in the folds, good families. Mares are looked after well, they're reared well, and they're there to sell them. Everybody, you're buying a foal, you have to try and turn a profit, so you don't want to be dealing with somebody that wants everything the same way. When I'm sending them on, you want him to go on and win a Gold Cup. You don't want to say, 'Well, I should have got more money in him,' because you want to sell your product and wish the best. You look at the next man, so you like dealing with people that you be creature happy with, people you deal with as well, you know.
I
Interviewer5:53
And John, it's not going to be lost on anyone that what happened yesterday and what happened last month resonate with you even more.
J
John Nallen6:14
Well, unbelievable. And the effect it has had on people like, you know, there's a man, families just entered head Frank Hogan. He's 95, and for Frank, he's getting pushed on in his. I rang Frank last night, and he said, 'That was fantastic.' You know, it was good to me, that was as good as winning another National, you know. Because he goes back so far. And yeah, our industry is just wiped out, just hitting the hotel like. And you know, you might have seen me yesterday crying. We're looking at the heart's winning. I mean, you sit in a business like ours nearly every day when nobody is there, and you cry too, you know. That's the situation we're in. And the lift we give to the community and ritualists... Iraq and law now are probably can be traced down to people that met in Manila, you know. So killing kidnap would be a big part of Manila for years, and Manila be a big hardcore Norfolk here. So it's brilliant.
I
Interviewer7:24
And that extra significance, a huge extra significance, that Rachel being on your horse yesterday. I called him your horse, Manila Times, yesterday. JP with Madison, McNiello Times now yesterday. That clearly is not lost on the whole community. What hope do you have for the sport now because of Rachel's achievements, and particularly for young women who want to get into the sport?
J
John Nallen7:55
When you view of any young writers trying to find tourism, it's something we all get trips over for people to see Irish find the points to where they're on and the way to stock air. They don't people can buy stuff, they don't have to be deer stuck. You can get a horse second or third. I sold horses that were second or third, was second in a Grade One yesterday. He wasn't an expensive horse, was sold, you know. It's not a, you don't have to have a huge checkbook. And it's the point, the pine scene is great. We have a great group from southwest Greece, and Brian for ready for us grandparents. He was coming, Brian Westcott, he was running for Brian. Brian passed away, but they come every year and they stay in the hotel for three or four days. They go around the air to come out and they look at the stock with me. And it's great to be involved with that and get more people over to look at, to get more people over. Time you can go back and say it, you saw a great one, asked are you bidding him or you know where he came from, or you'll have some history of the whole thing.
I
Interviewer9:20
Ah John, it's been such a pleasure to talk to you this morning. And I just feel how much this means to you. I can't let you go without asking: do you feel in your heart that in those paddocks there's the next Manila Indo or Times?
J
John Nallen9:35
I hope so. I hope so. I look at him and want to feed him. I say, 'Is it you?' or 'Who is it?' We had a winner yesterday first time out of a Shantou horse, Manila Corner. I have my comedy look at him now in a few minutes. He won three lengths, a Shantou horse, a wheelbarrow. He was very impressive. So hopefully he'll go on, and we have a few nice artists to run. Like people, certain family in the market won't deal with you because what you're calling the horses. And I tried to deal with them. I said, 'I'll give you half a heart,' and I called him, we split the name. And he said, 'No, no, they wouldn't do that.' And I said, 'Well, I stick to my own constant.' And fair enough. So I'm delighted that I did. And for JP and Noreen, like we go back north, stays in the hotel for 35 years. And like, she rang me yesterday. I was over the moon. I could like to do it for them was unbelievable because they are the biggest benefactors to Irish racing, and they are the people. And we didn't want your horse. There's no missing did by your horse. That's it. Frank bought that horse in two minutes when they want the horse, and they know what they want. They are the best.
I
Interviewer11:12
Yeah, hopefully should we keep calling Manila now anyway. We've gone a long ways. I mean, the boss went that way with greyhounds in the 50s. They were all Ali's, and he had great success. He sold the greyhound, and he bought Manila with the price of the greyhound. So it's a long story trading animals.
J
John Nallen11:30
Well, this is a story that has by no means had its final chapter written, John. And it's been an absolute pleasure to talk to you. You've achieved something pretty extraordinary, and you definitely deserve your piece of this story. Thanks so much.
I
Interviewer11:44
Thanks very much, Nick. Will you do this? You get your bodies together, get them over, we look after them. We show them when things, when the restrictions need stuff, we show them stuff. And we should show them what the story is there.