I came from a non-racing background in Co Armagh and bought my first pony when I was 12. I had saved £2 a week for over a year from a paper round and learned about horses competing in gymkhanas.

At the age of 16, I wrote to a number of leading English trainers, asking if any of them would take me on as an apprentice. Fortunately, the late Sir Henry Cecil agreed to give me a chance and I spent three seasons at Warren Place.