MANY congratulations to Caoimhe O’Brien who, on just her third ride in a point-to-point, rode her first winner last Sunday at Tattersalls where she landed the mares’ maiden on the Ian Donoghue-trained So Ladylike.

The 18-year-old has been passionate about hunting since she started riding and hunts with both the Fingal Harriers and the Ward Union Hunt. She usually represents the Fingals when competing in hunter trials which is as often as she can during the season.

Before turning to exercising racehorses for local trainer Garvan Donnelly about three years ago, the Garristown native used to do some local show jumping for Joanne Quirke and Jo Andrews, being driven around by her mother Hilda. Now, when not at school, Caoimhe rides out in the mornings at Gavin Cromwell’s yard, where her brother Pat is a conditional jockey, and then spends the afternoons with Donoghue, a former huntsman with the Co Down Hunt, who trains So Ladylike for his partner, Alana McGuinness.

So Ladylike, who is by Yeats, was bred locally by Con Smyth, a good friend of Caoimhe’s father Charlie.