MY late father, former assistant Garda Commissioner and United Nations Commissioner Stephen Fanning, brought me to Michael Connolly’s yard in Kildare when he was Superintendent for the Kildare district. His best friend was veterinary surgeon Stan Cosgrove and he was an avid racing fan.

I was nine years old and when I watched the string at the Connolly yard, I fell in love with horses. My late brother Gerry, a solicitor, was also mad into racing and involved in many syndicates.