SINCE the sad passing of Lady Jane Gillespie earlier this year, I have been doing my best to ensure a smooth transition with her string. Although I never had any ambition to become a racehorse trainer, circumstances have dictated otherwise and I must admit I am enjoying the role at present.

My earliest memories of horses were restricted to an annual family holiday to the Galway races and regular trips to our local meeting at Down Royal. Both my parents were keen racegoers, so I suppose it was only natural that I would inherit an interest at some point.

However, as a child I was consumed by GAA, playing both hurling and football at underage level. It was not until I went into secondary school that I really began to appreciate horses. We had three local trainers located near us at home: Pat Kearns, George Young and Robert Kerr. About the age of 15, I started riding out in their yards and continued to do so well into my teens. After leaving school, I worked in my Dad’s construction business during the mornings, then rode out in the afternoons.

My first full-time job in racing came about after I answered an advert for staff in Andy Oliver’s. I spent four years working with him, initially as a work rider and later as travelling head lad. Andy (Oliver) was very good to me and I have a lot to thank him for. He gave me my start in racing and taught me plenty along the way. Only for him, I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today.

BALLYDOYLE

In 2014, I went to Ballydoyle, again with the intention of doing some travelling. However, when I got there, Aidan (O’Brien) put me in a yard where I learned a lot in a short space of time. I only stayed six months in the job before a combination of homesickness and the long commute began to take its toll. However, it is a time in my life I am very grateful to have experienced and similar to Andy Oliver before him, Aidan (O’Brien) was a huge influence on my career.

I headed back up north just after Christmas 2015, getting a job riding work for Wilson Dennison. Two years later, in January 2017, I moved on to become assistant trainer to Lady Jane (Gillespie). Sadly, she had been diagnosed with cancer a few months previously, so I was brought in to handle the day-to-day running of the yard. Due to her illness, Lady Jane was only able to get down to the yard once or twice a week, so I was overseeing the training. Then, as now, we had 10 horses in training; a mixture of everything from flat to National Hunt to point-to-point.

Dasheen, who was Lady Jane’s first flat winner, was also the first I was directly involved with. He won at Tipperary in April of this year for Lady Jane, later adding a second success, when under my care, at Gowran Park in May. That latter win came the day before Lady Jane was buried, my first win as a licensed trainer.

The previous Saturday, Keephimbachwilliam, had the distinction of being Lady Jane’s final winner, when successful in a point-to-point at Enniskillen.

Last week, Bien Chase credited me with my second winner, when taking a six-furlong sprint handicap at Fairyhouse. He is a horse that has taken time to get to know as we originally ran him over hurdles and in two-mile flat races. However, he just seemed to improve with each drop in trip, finishing second over seven furlongs at Down Royal before his Fairyhouse victory. The intention was to run him over five furlongs at Navan on Friday night (yesterday), so hopefully by the time you get to read this, he will have given me my third winner!

Everything has gone like clockwork since I inherited the licence, so much so, that sometimes I have to pinch myself. We currently have 10 horses in the yard but have space for double that amount. I would love to train a string of 20, so if I can continue on as I have been doing, then maybe one day that will become a reality.

We have an excellent three and a half-furlong woodchip gallop here at home, so our horses can be brought to peak without having to go away too often. When we do bring them for extra work, we find the Lee Valley facility to be very beneficial. Gill and Amy do all the work with the horses, be it in the yard or when they go away. Richard and Freddie are invaluable at home, taking great care and pride in everything they do. I am very fortunate to have such a fantastic staff and would be lost without them.

My vet, Eric Smith, also deserves a mention, as he is on hand 24/7, no matter what the issue. Leo Murtagh, of Premier Saddlery, is responsible for feed and I can’t speak highly enough of him. Of course, none of this would be possible without the help and support of Dr Gillespie, Lord Caledon and all of Lady Jane’s family. I am so grateful to each and every one of them for putting their trust in me.

Adrian McAllister was in conversation with John O’Riordan