Trainer Profile

County of origin: Meath

Date of licence: 2005

First winner: Dodder Walk (Andrew Lynch) Cork, April 7, 2007

First Flat winner: Five Two (Séamus Heffernan) Dundalk, November 26, 2010 

First Graded winner (National Hunt): Jer's Girl (Barry Geraghty) Fairyhouse, March 27, 2016

First Group race winner (Flat): Princess Yaiza (Andrea Atzeni) Group 2 Qatar Prix de Royallieu, Longchamp, October 6, 2018

Significant horses (selected): Flooring Porter, Vanillier, Quick Suzy, Princess Yaiza, Espoir D'Allen, Jer's Girl, Sretaw, Mallards In Flight, Balrath Hope, Dodder Walk, Political Policy, Elusive Ivy, Jukebox Jive, Jimmil, Alfa Mix, Darver Star, Raz De Maree, Famous Milly, Limerick Lace, Inothewayurthinkin. 

Did you know:

Gavin Cromwell once harboured hopes of becoming a jockey but after spells as a teenager on the Curragh with Dessie Hughes and later at Newmarket with Paul Kellaway and in Australia, where he was based a Flemington Racecourse, he took a different route.

He returned home from Australia to begin his apprenticeship as a farrier, qualifying and quickly building up a strong business which he continued to run after taking out his trainer's licence in 2005. Two years later enjoyed his first winner when Dodder Walk landed a handicap hurdle in the hands of the then 3lbs claiming rider Andrew Lynch at Cork on April 7, 2007. Cromwell scored a notable success with Sretaw (Wayne Lordan) in the Irish Cambridgeshire at the Curragh in August, 2014.

Jer's Girl became a more high-profile winner when giving Cromwell his first Grade 1 success when taking the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Novice Hurdle under Barry Geraghty at Fairyhouse in March, 2016. She added to that at the Punchestown festival the following month when taking the Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland Champion Novice Hurdle, again with the former champion jockey in the saddle. 

Gavin won his first Group race on the Flat when Princess Yaiza landed the Group 2 Qatar Prix de Royallieu at ParisLongchamp on October 6, 2018 and his finest success in the jumping game came at the Cheltenham Festival in March of the following year when he won the Unibet Champion Hurdle with the Mark Walsh-ridden Espoir D'allen in the JP McManus colours. 

He recorded a notable Grade 1 double at the Cheltenham Festival in 2021 when winning the Stayers' Hurdle with Flooring Porter and the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle with Vanillier. Then stable jockey Jonathan Moore missed both winners through an 11th hour injury and the winning rides went to Danny Mullins and Mark Walsh respectively. Flooring Porter repeated his success in the same race, with Mullins again in the saddle, in 2022. 

Gavin brought his Cheltenham Festival tally to six winners with success for Inothewayurthinkin (Kim Muir Handicap Chase) and Limerick Lace (Mares' Chase) in 2024. 

Quick Suzy lived up to her name when winning the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes to give Cromwell and jockey Gary Carroll a first Royal Ascot success in June 2021. 

Updated: March 15, 2024