I RODE my first career winner on Found A Diamond at Thurles last month. Having waited so long to get that one, it was as much of a relief as anything else. Hopefully, I can build on that now; pick up some more outside rides and maybe, another winner or two. I’d like to think that it won’t take as long to add a second one.

We always had horses around at home when I was young. My grandfather bred a few and we would have had half-breds and ponies. I learned to ride on some of those, but had never sat on a thoroughbred until my mid-teens. It was through my auntie that I ended up getting a weekend job with trainer Anthony McCann.