WHILE we have many opportunities to write about Donegal-born jockeys, there are not so many when it comes to Donegal-born trainers and considerably fewer when it comes to successful Donegal trainer/jockey partnerships.

Step forward Letterkenny’s Paul Sweeney, who engaged Luke McAteer to ride his first winner as a trainer, the eight-year-old Kingdom gelding Ransom, in a handicap over Guineas weekend at the Curragh in May, and gave Paddy McGettigan the leg-up on the second, Pillar Of Hope, in the Apprentice Derby at the Curragh last Friday evening.