ALL things being equal, I have my first runner in a Grade 1 race on Sunday afternoon. With only the one horse in training, every day is an anxious wait, as we bid to get to the starting tape in Leopardstown.

It is only, if, and when, I open the stable door on Sunday morning and find Master McShee in good order, that I can relax. Whatever happens after, the horse has done us proud this season, so I will enjoy the occasion.

It is no coincidence that having come to racing relatively late in life, I now find myself training my own horse. Even as a child growing up, I always had to be in the thick of the action, rather than a spectator on the side lines. We were one of the few houses in our locality that had a television so the neighbours used to call round to watch the matches.

One particular memory that stands out was an All-Ireland Hurling Final, when the house was full of supporters. Shortly after the throw in, I got bored with watching, so picked up a hurl and sliotar and went outside. A few minutes later there was uproar, after I put the ball through the sitting room window! No matter what sport it was, I was never happy unless I was directly involved.

Travel

After finishing my education, I went on to complete an apprenticeship as a mechanic. GAA continued to play a big part in my life, so much so, that at 21, I was trainer, captain and selector of our local Donoughmore Junior team.

By then, I had opened a garage in the village, where I was based until after I got married in 1982. Deirdre and I, were somewhat ahead of our time, in that we headed to Australia for a year and a half to travel and see some of the world. I worked as a mechanic out there, while also keeping up my GAA links, making the New South Wales state team.

On our return to Ireland in 1984, we settled in Waterford, where my wife is originally from. I opened up my own garage, also looking after the family farm. I milked 80 cows up to three years ago, when I handed the farm over to my son.

The interest in GAA remained strong, playing for the local Geraldines team, before later going on to serve as club chairman for 12 years. I had been living in Waterford for seven or eight years before I got involved with the Dungarvan Farmers Hunt.

I had never even sat on a horse before that but like everything in life, I just threw myself right into it. Soon after, I bought a few thoroughbreds of my own, whom I sent to local trainers to be prepared to race.

Of course, if the experience wasn’t hands on, then I wasn’t enjoying it, so I found myself going in to ride out in the yard. I enjoyed success as an owner with Mrs Mac Veale; a mare bred by Tom McCarthy and Micky Veale. I actually sold a jeep to Tom and got the mare as part payment!

Next step

About five or six years ago, I took out a licence, just to train a few horses of my own. My son, John, and I, had been riding out and preparing horses to run in point-to-points, so it just seemed the next logical step. I wasn’t too worried about winners or making a name for myself, it was always just a hobby that took me away from the main business which is farming and selling tractors.

I had no-one to answer to but myself so there was never any pressure regardless of the results. Aside from ending up as the first horse that I trained to win, Master McShee was also the first horse that gave me a headache! I always believed he was a nice horse but he had a number of small setbacks early on which prevented him from making the track.

When I did eventually get him to the racecourse last March, I was annoyed with myself, as in hindsight I felt I had him overcooked. In my opinion, a horse will tell you when he is ready to run, rather than the other way round, so I should have erred on the side of caution.

On his second start, at Cork in November, I was much happier in the run up to the race and he justified our faith when second to Appreciate It. We fancied him strongly that afternoon and had him backed without the favourite.

He returned to Mallow two weeks after and gave me my first winner as a trainer when taking his maiden hurdle in good style.

It was fantastic to win on my local track, which is less than eight miles from where I was born. The only downside was family and friends couldn’t be there to celebrate due to restrictions.

Special win

Leopardstown at Christmas is one of the major dates on any National Hunt fans calendar, so to follow up at that meeting was special. Master McShee again won with plenty in hand, showing that he had improved again from his Cork run.

It is well-documented that I received a few offers for the horse in the wake of that performance but I was never going to sell. I am in this sport for the love and fun of it, so selling was never really an option. Anyway, if I had sold, I would most likely have spent much of the money looking for another one as good as him!

If everything goes to plan, he runs in a Grade 1 Novice Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival this weekend. If Master McShee does get there, we won’t be going up just as sightseers - I am hopeful he will be in the prize money, which part I don’t know.

As always, the most important thing is that he runs his race and comes home safe and sound.

Paddy Corkery was in conversation

with John O’Riordan