How did you first get involved in horse racing?

I was quite late getting into it, we always had a few Irish Draughts or half-breds at home. As far as horse racing went, I never really had any interest in it. I was 30 years of age before I really started to ride racehorses. My dad, God rest him, always told me not to go near the horses when I first started getting into them. He said they’d break me, and at least if I had a few bullocks or cattle about the yard, if I was stuck for a few pound, I could go and sell one, but a horse, you can’t.

I never took much heed, even though I was old enough at the time that I should have been listening. He was in the pub game all his life, and every morning, he’d get the paper, sit up at the counter and mark off all of the horses he wanted to back. He never was a big gambler, a fiver each-way would be his limit, but he always had a great interest in the racing. He’d be telling me on one side to get out of the horses, but on the other side, if I told him I had a horse running, he’d be the first man in the front seat to come with me. He gave me great support that way. He was always very lucky with his bets, there was hardly a day that he didn’t back a winner!

I had no horses for a while back then, and I was looking for a horse of my own, not necessarily a racehorse. There was a man that lived a quarter of a mile away from me, Gerard McArdle, near Inniskeen, and he was training horses at the time. Harry Rogers was the main man there with him.

I went down and asked him if he had any horses for sale, and he told me he had a grand wee filly out in the field that would suit me. She was only a three or four-year-old, but she had a bit of an injury, so she wouldn’t be racing again. I ended up buying her, and I started to ride her out with Gerard and his horses. The bug kind of bit me then.

I told Gerard I’d like to try and train her, and he laughed at me and said I’d never be able to! I took her to the beach and she never took a lame step. I took her back to Gerard when she was nearly ready to run, and she turned out to be his first win as a trainer. She won at Galway in the September meeting.

I bought a few mares of my own then and took out a handlers’ licence. Anything that I couldn’t sell at the sales, I broke in and ran in a point-to-point and sold them from there.

Did you breed any nice ones over the years?

I did breed a few graded horses, Gagewell Flyer was trained by Willie Mullins to win a few Grade 2s, and another horse that I had out of the same family was Sound Investment, who was trained by Paul Nicholls. Most of them were mediocre but we had a few nice ones. It’s a tough game and it’s very hard to get the top horses. There’s an awful lot of luck involved in the whole thing. I’ve got to a stage now where I’m not breeding any more. I only have four horses left, and I always said that when they were finished I wouldn’t bother with any more. I’m sure I might get a wee bit lonely without them though!

I was just absolutely delighted to see her come home in front.

Tell me about your recent winner, Mrs Mc Go.

She has a few wee niggly problems. I thought I’d have her ready for a four-year-old point-to-point, but she got a fracture in her shoulder. The vet told me to stand her in for six weeks, but it ended up being three months. I took her back out as a five-year-old and then a splint started to give her problems. Our vet Emma Costello advised us to go for the surgery, because we had tried everything else and it just kept on coming back. In April last year, I took her to the point-to-point sale in Goresbridge, and I said I’d chance her in it and see how she got on. The surgery left a bit of a lump under her knee and I think that’s what put people off, so she didn’t sell. I didn’t get a bid on her at all.

At the time, the vets said we’d have her back in four to six weeks, but it was six months before I could get her back going. So she had the time off for her injury and came back for a maiden hurdle at Limerick where she finished third. We were delighted with the run. She’s an easy horse to train and she’s very genuine. She doesn’t show a whole lot at home, but when she gets to the track, she gives you 110%. John (McConnell, trainer) and I picked out the maiden hurdle at Bellewstown. We thought it might be a bit sharp for her, but she proved us wrong. When you breed them and do so much with them, it’s great to get the win. The biggest job is getting them to the track, you’re 90% of the way there then, and all you have to do after that is win!

How do you think the race panned out?

We told Alex (Harvey, jockey) to keep her handy. I thought she’d be caught for pace, because of the ground and it’s hard to come from off the pace at Bellewstown. Gavin Cromwell’s horse went off about 15 lengths in front, and I thought he’d never come back to us and that we’d be lucky to be second or third. On the final lap, she started to make a bit of ground, and the leader was coming back to them. I saw her going on ahead on the turn into the home straight and I thought it was too good to be true. I couldn’t watch her jumping the last hurdle, so when I heard my wife, and a few lads from the yard cheering, I knew she’d gotten over it and that she was winning. When Alex came in, he said that she got a dream run, and that’s what I mean when I say that a lot of luck comes into it. I was just absolutely delighted to see her come home in front.

John mentioned that you do a lot of work with her.

I had her in another yard until about three years ago, and then I started riding out with John, so I decided to move the horses there. I ride my own horses out myself, and I’m very grateful to John and to Mark Kavanagh for letting me do it. John is a great help for picking out races as well.

Has she got any quirks?

She’s very straightforward, but when she’s fresh, you have to sit tight on her. She will put you out the side door. She’d turn on a sixpence! After the first day or two, there’s no bother on her. I know all of her eating habits, you can feed her in the morning, but she won’t eat until she’s ridden out. She can be quite keen if she knows that she’s doing a bit of work too. John takes them to a gallop across the road where the sand isn’t as deep and there’s a good uphill climb. When you’re left-handed, she’s fine, but once you turn to go right-handed, she knows she’s going up that hill and she can take a right hold. She wouldn’t excite you in her work, she wasn’t blessed with much of a turn of foot, but she keeps going.

Have you planned her next run yet?

I don’t know yet, but we might go to England. There’s not a whole lot coming up in Ireland at the minute. We won’t run her again for about three weeks, she runs better when she’s fresh.

How did you come up with her name?

I trained her dam’s half-brother to win a five-year-olds’ point-to-point, and he was called Mr Mc Go. When I was naming this one, my wife Fiona said that I had to name her Mrs Mc Go. I wasn’t that pushed on it but she insisted. She gave me the name for Mr Mc Go as well and he won a few races for Donald McCain, so I’ll have to stick with her naming suggestions now! I have to start learning to do as I’m told.