In common with many trainers, David Marnane began his racing career in the saddle. He was an amateur jockey and rode for many leading trainers including Mick O’Toole, Noel Meade and Dermot Weld. He won all the major prizes that an amateur can aspire to, including the GPT Handicap at Galway and the Champion Bumper at the Punchestown Festival. In fact, he tied for second in the race for Champion Amateur in 1994 behind Willie Mullins. After he had ridden out his claim, David continued to ride for a few more seasons, but then made the life changing decision to move to Dubai in 1997 to take on some new challenges.

David and Mel joined Kieran McLaughlin, the Champion Trainer in Dubai, and in later years, Doug Watson. They spent eight years in the Emirates furthering their knowledge and gaining invaluable experience prior to making the decision to return to Ireland.

David arrived back in Ireland in early-2005 and soon took out his training license, setting up close to his brother, the renowned consignor to the breeze-up sales, Con Marnane. He saddled his first winner on June 7th 2005 when Spirit Of Age held on by a short-head in a handicap at Limerick, but the undoubted star performer during David’s first season as a trainer was Stuttgart. Bought out of Eddie Lynam’s yard at the 2005 February Sale at Goffs, David coaxed abundant improvement out of the five-year-old mare, winning three handicaps in succession during the summer months.

During the winter of 2005/6, the yard was kept ticking over by the wins of Premier Rouge and Yameell over hurdles and 2006 saw Marnane match his tally from the previous season with him saddling a total of four winners, with the highlight perhaps being the eight lengths win of Rain Rush in a maiden at the Listowel Harvest Festival. The 2007 Flat season would see his fortunes rise significantly.

The campaign got underway with Tashadelek winning a handicap at Cork in April and that win was soon followed by the success of the Moyglare Stud cast-off Nautical Design in a maiden at Ballinrobe. His next winner was something of a milestone as when Reine De Coeur comfortably prevailed in a maiden at Tipperary in late May, it gave David his first winning debutante. He had another notable first a month later when he saddled the first two home in a conditions race at Down Royal with Lend A Grand getting the better of Rain Rush. The latter went on to go one better in a similar contest at Tipperary later in the season. Marnane also gained a notable win when sending out Vanishing Causeway to win a handicap at the first ever meeting on the all-weather at Dundalk. Once again the Listowel Festival proved to be happy hunting ground for Marnane with the Lady O’Reilly-owned Fancy Feathers winning a 6f handicap and the previously frustrating pair of Sian Thomas and Maundy Money winning a maiden hurdle and 7f handicap respectively. The latter followed up that win with another success at Roscommon a week later. The 2007/8 National Hunt started well for Marnane as, in addition to the aforementioned win of Sian Thomas, he sent out the bargain buy Maal and Tampa Boy to win bumpers at Ballinrobe and Cork respectively.

2008 got off to a quick start for Marnane, with Yameell and Dubburg winning maidens at Dundalk and Limerick respectively and six weeks later, Maysa gained her first win in a handicap at Wexford. Later in May, Marnane saddled three winners in the space of five days with Ajman winning a handicap at Ballinrobe, He’s Got Rhythm winning a minor event at Down Royal and Maal winning a maiden at Tramore. That sequence of wins kick-started what would be a tremendous summer for the yard, with Maysa and Maal gaining their second wins of the season when winning handicaps at Wexford and Leopardstown respectively in the weeks that followed. On June 20th, Marnane saddled an across the cards double, with Oasis Davis winning a maiden at Limerick before Vanishing Causeway won a handicap hurdle at Down Royal just 20 minutes later. The fine run of form continued into July, with Fancy Feathers winning a handicap at Leopardstown, before the rapidly improving pair of Maundy Money and Maysa won handicaps on consecutive days at the Killarney Festival.

However, as good as those wins were, they would pale in insignificance to what Marnane would achieve at the Galway Festival later that month. Saddling just five runners during the course of the week, Marnane came away with no less than three winners, with Maundy Money winning twice (his fifth win for the yard in less than a year) and Vanishing Causeway positively bolting up in a handicap on the Flat. His fine run of form has continued into August, with Kalico Kim winning a bumper at Kilbeggan, Hampstead Heath making a winning hurdling debut in a juvenile maiden hurdle at Tramore and Maal gaining his third win of the year when bolting up in a handicap at Cork. September saw Marnane gain the biggest win of his career thus far when sending out Rain Rush to gain a well-deserved win in the Leopardstown Pavilion September Premier Handicap at Leopardstown, with Maundy Money finishing second to give the yard a memorable 1-2. The Iranian-owned Patio also did her part for the team, winning a conditions race at Ballinrobe before gaining valuable black type by finishing third in a Listed event at Naas.

After having a break-out season, many trainers struggle to match the same level of success in the following campaign. Marnane bucked this trend by continuing to progress in 2009, with his gamble in building a new barn paying off handsomely as it was soon filled and the number of runners he was sending out soon increased notably. The star performer of his season was Santo Padre, with the lightly-raced five-year-old winning two decent handicaps in Ireland prior to giving Marnane his first win in England when running out the cozy winner of the highly-competitive Portland Handicap at Doncaster. Dandy Boy was another lucrative performer during the course of the season, winning no less than three times, but his big day would come the following season.

The winter of 2009/10 saw Marnane recruit his biggest owner yet, with Sheikh Mohammed sending him two yearlings in a move that consolidated Marnane’s position as one of the most promising trainers in Ireland. The 2010 season started a bit slowly for Marnane, but it erupted into life when he sent out Dandy Boy to win the prestigious Victoria Cup at Ascot in early May. Just a few weeks later, he sent out Bangalore Gold to win the Emirates Equestrian Federation Premier Handicap at the Curragh and the month of June saw him saddle no less than six winners as the yard hit top form, including a double at Fairyhouse on the final day of the month. Another five winners followed in July, including two successes at the Galway Festival. August saw him saddle another seven winners and the highlight of those wins was undoubtedly the winning debut of the Sheikh Mohammed-owned Fred Archer in a 7f maiden at Leopardstown. If that wasn’t enough, he also saddled Dandy Boy to finish second in the Group 3 Desmond Stakes on the same card. It was very much a day to remember for Marnane, but he wouldn’t have much time to dwell on it as his string continued in electric form, with him saddling another double at Dundalk in the opening days of September.

With the yard remaining in red-hot form and with the standard of his horses rising all the time, the future looks bright for David Marnane and he is very much a trainer to keep on the right side of.