Tell us about your involvement in a Cheltenham Festival success story.

Askthemaster was a horse that my father [Robert] trained from 2005 to 2012.

He was a big, imposing, black horse with such a presence about him. My mother Mary rode him out every day at home. He won five times for his connections, the Walls, and was placed on six occasions.

He ran at the Cheltenham Festival back in 2011 where he was the only Irish-trained runner to contest the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase Challenge Cup. Mum and my sister Clare travelled over with him while we all watched on from home, crowded around the TV cheering him home.

He ran an absolute cracker to finish second under Phillip Enright - he was prominent throughout the race and jumped for fun. It was such an experience to be involved with a horse that was able to run to that standard. It gave us such a lift after Jack had passed away in February of that year. I think the whole of West Cork had him backed each-way at 50/1!

Tell us about any connections you have with any 2024 Cheltenham contenders.

I don’t have any direct connections at this year’s Festival, but a few small links with a couple of runners.

When I was a student on the Irish National Stud Course in 2019, we looked after Facile Vega when he was a two-year-old, along with his mother Quevega and the living legends Hurricane Fly, Kicking King, Beef Or Salmon and Hardy Eustace.

It was long before my time at Goffs, but Hurricane Fly, Beef Or Salmon and Hardy Eustace all went through the sales ring here, while Tom Taaffe who trained Kicking King to win the Gold Cup is a big part of the team at Goffs.

Marie’s Rock won the Grade 1 Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle at the Festival in 2022 and goes for it again this year. She was bought by Highflyer and owners Middleham Park Racing at the Goffs Arkle Sale in 2018.

Marie’s Rock’s dam, By The Hour, was trained by my father. She won three times and placed five times for her owners the Who Are The Five Syndicate.

Curly Finger was bred by my mother and my aunt. Trained by Rebeccas Menzies, he has won his last two starts, and we’ll be keeping a very close eye on him now that he has qualified for the Pertemps Hurdle.

Last year’s Goffs Punchestown Sale graduate The Enabler holds an entry in the Champion Bumper for Gordon Elliott and Gigginstown House Stud. He already looks a force to be reckoned with under Harry Swan, so I’m excited to see them at the Festival.