EVER since I attended my local Kilmoganny Hunt point-to-point fixture at Gurteen Castle near Kilsheelan in Co Tippeary in 2010 I have been fascinated by the subsequent racetrack careers of autumn-winning four-year-old mares and have followed their careers closely for quite a number of years.

What was particularly eye-catching that day in Kilsheelan about the winning mare, Baby Shine, owned, bred and trained by the O’Donnell family, was the fact that she put up a very impressive performance to beat the geldings and this, to say the least, is not an everyday event.