Amanda had a lovely winner last weekend at the Curragh, when Follow Me won for her and trainer Ross O’Sullivan.

How did you get interested in racing?

I come from a family where horses always would have been a big part of our lives. Not always racehorses, but my dad would have been big into showing horses. I still have horses that show, my sister looks after them. Myself and my dad always had a keen interest in horse racing. I suppose, coming from Donegal, horse and pony racing was a big thing and has brought a lot of fabulous jockeys to the world we know of horse racing today. We would have always gone to the horse and pony racing. Dad liked going to Down Royal as well, so all that instilled an interest in me. My cousin’s son, Simon Torrens, has also been very successful as a jockey, so it’s been fantastic to follow him and watch him progress on his journey.

How did the decision to get involved in ownership come about?

Well, my dad taught me that partners are for dancing with. When I wanted a horse, I was always going to have it on my own. In 2001, I went to Germany and bought my first racehorse. I had a busy work life and racing was a lovely way to wind down. You meet some lovely people, many of whom have become very good friends. I just found that it was a lovely way to relax.

Tell us a bit about Follow Me who won and how he came about.

Well, I had a shopping list of what I wanted in maybe a six or seven-furlong horse. I spoke to Tom Malone about it and he took some time to get the right one for me. He got one in the end though. I would have become acquainted with Tom as he has stayed at the hotel over the years. In fairness to him, he took his time and he got me exactly what I asked for. Ross thought he was a nice horse, but you don’t know what you are going to run into at the races. It was tried and tested at the weekend, there is no hiding place in a maiden at the Curragh, so he did exceptionally well to win.

How do you think the race panned out for him?

Shane (Foley) gave him an excellent ride. He rode him exactly how Ross had planned him to be ridden. The horse himself has a lovely temperament and takes everything in his stride. He wanted to get his head in front of himself. Shane was with him the whole way and it all came together lovely.

So tell us about Ross O’Sullivan and the relationship that you have forged with him.

I was in Ross’ yard at a very early stage. He would have a lot more horses and owners these days. Ross always has time for his owners. He is so pleasant. He has surrounded himself with a great team there. Whether you meet them at the paddock or the yard you are always made to feel welcome. There is always a friendly atmosphere in the yard. I feel that is very important for horses. He has a great right-hand woman by his side as well. Katie (Walsh) is fabulous, I’m sure a lot of great conversations happen behind the scenes between those two.

So tell us about Longbourn as well, he has been a great servant to you.

He is fabulous, We have had many great days with him. If he doesn’t win, he is never far away from it. We had a lovely day with him at Dundalk where he won a handicap under Dylan Browne-McMonagle. It was an unexpected win, but he has shown us that he can surprise us at times. He has been a fabulous horse. I wish I had more of him in my life.

As the owner of Barberstown Castle, you have done a lot to support racing with sponsorship of various races, can you tell us a bit about your keen interest in supporting racing?

Absolutely, I moved from the healthcare business two and a half years ago into hospitality, having bought Barberstown Castle. One of the things I felt that we needed to do was to let people know we were there. One great way for us to do that was through sponsorships. Last Sunday they were laughing about the fact that it was nice for me to get presented with something, instead of myself presenting something to someone else. It’s been very good for us and Barberstown Castle. A lot of racing people frequent Barberstown Castle, so it is nice to give back to racing as well. Racing has given so much to me personally, I have lovely fond memories and I have met loads of lovely people. It’s a lovely day out and it’s just fantastic to be a part of it.

Over the years of being involved in ownership, have you seen improvements in terms of the overall ownership experience and is there anything that can be done to improve the experience further?

It has been the case for quite some time that each year you can see improvement as an owner at all of the racecourses. They do work very hard at that. Prize money is an invaluable stimulus for owners and we cannot take away from that. We have plenty of costs associated with racehorses and prize money is critical in terms of keeping the industry afloat. I think I read somewhere that for every euro that the Government contributes towards racing, the sport contributes €33 to the economy. That is massive to our small country.

Have you any advice for someone who is looking to get involved in racehorse ownership?

I think it is important to at least try and buy the right horse. Obviously, it’s difficult to know whether you have a good one or not at that stage, but it certainly helps if you surround yourself with the right people who know what they are doing. After that, I would just say enjoy every moment of it. The highs are high and the lows are low. Overall though it is a wonderful experience.