I WAS brought up in Dromkeen, Co Limerick, famous for the 1921 ambush and the Oyster Ballroom owned by the late Pakie Hayes. His daughter Noreen trained great horses such as Risk Of Thunder and Storm Front (dam of Back In Front) and as a schoolboy I hung around the yard.

My late father was a GP and brought myself and my brothers, Brendan and Rob, racing along with his great pal Noel Galligan. Dad loved Lester Piggott and even our dogs were called after horses; (Ard) Ross and (Sir) Ivor!