Dynamite Defense

Recently recruited from Ireland, Dynamite Defense is a four-year-old son of National Defense who has gone into training with leading NH trainer Olly Murphy in Warwickshire. Already a winner on the flat, he has the potential to develop into a really fun dual-purpose horse in the seasons ahead.

A sibling of four winners, including the triple hurdles winner Tullypole Annie, he is out of the two-year-old scorer Misscomplacent, whose full-brother Warden Complex was a Listed winner on the ultra-competitive Hong Kong circuit under the name of Flaming Lamborgini. This excellent family includes many more Pattern race winners, such as the Gr.3 Prix la Rochette victor and Gr.1-placed sire Guys And Dolls and the Japanese Gr.2 heroine Scarlet Color.

Previously trained by Denis Hogan, Dynamite Defense was unraced as a two-year-old but made an immediate impact at three. He finished second over 1m at Gowran on debut, his performance belying pre-race odds of 33/1, and went on to win a 1m Dundalk handicap a few starts later in September. The Dundalk race turned out to be an extremely strong piece of form for the grade, with no less than five of those in behind winning races relatively shortly afterwards.

Raised 7lb for that victory, Dynamite Defense has run with significant credit in five subsequent appearances. He was fourth over 1m at Thurles on his final outing of 2024 before being gradually upped in trip following the turn of the year, notably finishing third at Limerick over 1m4f in April. Last seen finishing fourth in a 1m2½f handicap at Sligo in early May, he has since crossed the water to join Olly Murphy’s powerful team.

Although Olly has trained more than his share of flat winners, it is over jumps that he has made his name, sending out 141 winners at a 25% strike-rate during the 2024/25 season, and that bodes extremely well for Dynamite Defense’s future. As mentioned above, he is a half-brother to a talented hurdler and has already proven his stamina for 1m4f on the level, so he will have no trouble staying the required distance over hurdles. It should only be a matter of time before he is adding a winning bracket to his name over obstacles.

It is worth noting that his sire is responsible for winners over hurdles from just a handful of runners, including Paul Nicholls’s promising four-year-old Courageous Strike, who came off the flat and has won his past two hurdles starts without breaking sweat. Dynamite Defense might well be in a similar mould.

With proven ability on the flat and relatively few miles on the clock, Dynamite Defense looks a shrewd acquisition. He is a readymade hurdling prospect, and there are plenty more flat races to be won with him too.