Irish racehorse trainer Noel Meade is on the brink of a major career milestone after Wynette won at Navan today under Adam Caffrey.

The multiple champion trainer is now just one victory away from joining an elite band to saddle 3,000 winners.

Meade took out his licence aged 19 in 1970. Tu Va was the first horse in his care and he rode him to his first winner as a trainer in 1971 at Wexford. His stables in Castletown, County Meath are named in honour of the horse that got him started all those years ago.

The trainer came to widespread attention in 1978 when Sweet Mint won the Cork and Orrery Stakes, the forerunner to what is now the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, at Royal Ascot.

He gradually switched his attention to the jumps scene and did so extremely successfully. He has been Ireland’s champion National Hunt trainer on seven occasions.

Dozens of Grade 1 winners have emerged from Meade’s yard over the years, including the likes of Road To Respect, Harchibald, Go Native and Cockney Lad et al. He also won the Irish Grand National in 2002 with The Bunny Boiler.

He has trained the winners of seven races at the Cheltenham Festival, most recently with The Mourne Rambler in the Grade 1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper this year under Colin Keane.

Helvic Dream provided Meade with his first Group 1 winner on the Flat in the 2021 Tattersalls Gold Cup at The Curragh. The same horse won for the Listed Ballymore Handicap Hurdle for him at Listowel in September.

Meade also landed the Grade 1 Savills Chase at Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival last year with Affordale Fury.

Only Willie Mullins, Aidan O’Brien and Dermot Weld are active Irish trainers to have trained more winners.