LIKE An Open Book bridged a 12-year gap, when providing me with a winner at Clonmel earlier this month. Although I had trained a couple of horses to win races in the intervening period, it was my first success in the saddle since November 2004. The victory was a real family success, as I bred, trained and rode the winner, who is owned by my sister Elaine.

My interest in horses comes from my father Paddy, who always kept a few at home and had an odd one in training with Pat Doyle or Tom Bergin. A horse named Farney Fashion was the best he owned and he won a few races.

I learned how to ride from Jimmy Doyle (Pat’s Dad) when I was just five years old. He owned the local riding stables and I was in and out of there all the time. We also had a couple of broodmares at home and I tipped away with one of those.

During my teenage years I developed a keen interest in racing when Dad bought me a racemare named Ballyvesta. She was trained by Pat Doyle, so I started going in to the yard to ride her out whenever I was able.

We had some great times following her around the country for a time, before she picked up an injury and had to be retired.

However, that was not the end of our association, as she later went on to breed Like An Open Book, my recent winner.

FARM MANAGER

After finishing school, I worked as a farm manager while continuing to ride out for local trainers. I spent some time with Donal Hayes, who sent out Slavica to win the 2000 Ulster National.

Around this time I bought a Glacial Storm mare with my Dad; we named her Tell Me See, broke her and got her going. I rode her in a couple of point-to-points and she won for us on her third start.

After the mare went on to win four in a row, I decided to take out a licence so that I could continue to ride her once she raced under rules. She gave me a dream start to my training career, providing me with a winner with my very first runner, when taking a Thurles bumper in 2002. I rode the mare on that occasion and on her three subsequent wins on the racecourse.

However, after being placed in a listed race and finishing second in an Irish National Trial, she unfortunately picked up an injury and had to be retired. My win on Tell Me See at Naas in November 2004 was my last until Like An Open Book crossed the line in front recently.

POINT-TO-POINTS

Over the last decade or so, I have mainly concentrated on training, particularly in the point-to-point field. I have continued to run the odd horse under rules, enjoying success with the likes of Faynita, Athloman Cottage and Aurora Bell.

The first two horses won on the flat, partnered by my sister Julie. She is currently riding with great success in the US. The latter horse won a point-to-point with myself on board before winning twice on the track under my brother, Martin.

We are a small family operation here and I am very lucky to have both Julie and Martin to call upon when available. Martin does some great work at home and I feel he is a very good rider who doesn’t get enough opportunities. My sister Elaine, who owns Like An Open Book, works in HRI in Newbridge but helps out when she can. Our other sister Michelle lives in Cork and is the black sheep of the family as she has nothing to do with horses!

At the moment we have four horses for the track, as well as a few breakers and point-to-pointers.

We have room for 14 in the stables and see ourselves as a growing dual-purpose yard. I feel that the better prize money on the track in recent seasons means that we need to shift our emphasis and run a few more under rules. We have all the facilities here at home and only need to take the horses away for schooling races.

As a homebred mare from my first horse, Ballyvesta, Like An Open Book was always going to mean that bit more to me. After she finished fourth on her debut at Thurles, Martin (Burke) rode her on her next three starts.

However, when he wasn’t able to ride the mare at Wexford in May, I reapplied for my license and thankfully was granted same.

While Like An Open Book was disappointing on that occasion, she ran a huge race when placed in a winners’ bumper at Limerick on her next start (under Martin), so I was reasonably confident going to Clonmel.

This time I was back in the saddle and fortunately the mare read the script and in doing so provided me with my first success as a jockey since 2004. It was a great thrill to get back into the winner’s enclosure and show that I could still do it.

Having already had two starts over hurdles, I would imagine that is where we will go next with Like An Open Book.

John Burke was in conversation with John O’Riordan