JESSICA Finnegan’s interest in horses growing up led her to choose the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) to study Equine Management. Brought up around horses, her mum’s family always had a keen interest Jessica spent every summer on the road with her mum Denise and aunts Briege Farrelly and Judy Murphy (of Java Sports Horses, Judy is the highest-ranking female sports horse breeder of 2021). “With those three sisters, young horses were plentiful, and I spent most of my time learning from them. My mum has been my biggest supporter all along. She works incredibly hard, and it’s something I hope I can say I’ve got from her. We run our small breeding farm at home: without her, none of my achievements would be possible.”

Jessica credits her four years at CAFRE as when she made her first great contacts within the industry. “I got in touch with Des Ryan of Dell Ridge Farm, Kentucky. My interest in the thoroughbred game grew there: Kentucky was a huge eye-opener. I learnt so much and loved my time there. Des is someone who has influenced me in my career and will probably laugh when he sees this. I went out to Kentucky for a foaling season, and I never thought I would learn so much. Des worked harder than anyone else did. There was nothing he didn’t notice or he didn’t know about on the farm. He taught us to work hard wherever we wanted to go or do. Des set an example for all of us there, and I’ve taken what he taught me and that work ethic with me everywhere I’ve worked or anything I have set my mind to since. It was through Des that I got my first sales job back in Ireland with Kiltinan Castle Stud.”