I WAS shocked to be announced the winner of the Irish Racing Excellence Award at the recent Irish Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards. To be honest, after picking up a prize in my own category earlier in the evening, I was very content to sit back and enjoy the rest of the night. I never for one moment expected to win the overall award. Someone nearly had to push me off my chair to go up to collect it, as I was genuinely surprised!

While I don’t come from a farming background, my grandfather always had work horses. My parents were never involved. From a young age, I badgered them to get me a pony, so the interest clearly came from somewhere. While most young kids my age would have had posters of popstars and footballers on their bedroom walls, mine were of Eddie Macken and Paul Darragh. Back then, it was all show jumping for me, as I had yet to discover racing.