OUT Of The Loop, who credited my Dad with his final winner before retirement, quite appropriately provided me with my first success as a trainer, when scoring at Fairyhouse last Saturday. Having only held the licence a matter of weeks, it was great to get off the mark so early in my new role.

Dad was still riding when I was a child, so I spent more time at the races then at school. I really hated the latter and it was impossible to get me to go. I used to hang around the weigh room at the races and spent countless hours on the gallops at Jim Bolger’s and later Aidan O’Brien’s. People used to joke that Dad was my babysitter although he went to work every day! I have fond memories of watching St Jovite in his work at Jim’s and those early 6am starts in Ballydoyle. Basically, as a child, everywhere Dad went, I went.

After Dad retired from race-riding in 1998, he started training straight away and I was in the yard every morning. I began riding out at the age of 10 and would always sit on a lot before school. Like A Butterfly, who was one of the stable stars at the time, was a mare I rode out most days. We had plenty of really nice horses in the yard in those days and at his peak, Dad had 90 in training. I went racing with Paddy Burke and Eddie Doyle most days and led up lots of winners at the track. We enjoyed some really memorable successes at the big festivals such as Cheltenham and Aintree as well.

LICENCE

As soon as I reached 16, I took out my licence and slotted in as stable amateur. Alan Crowe, who had previously filled that role, had just turned professional, so the opportunity arose for me to take over. Frank Berry looked after me very well and provided me with plenty of opportunities. In that respect, I am very grateful to both him and J.P. McManus for their loyalty and support. They have always been very good to Dad and myself, so it was nice that my very first winner as a trainer came in J.P.’s colours. I rode a few very nice horses for J.P. over the years, including Back Me Up and Far From Trouble. The latter won the Galway Plate under Roger Loughran and I felt he could have been very decent had he not lost his life.

Throughout my riding days, I always had one eye on a training career down the line, so I paid close attention to every little detail behind the scenes. I was fortunate to be in the position to do so, working closely with my Dad every day. I learned plenty from him and he has always been a huge influence on my career.

EDUCATION

In recent seasons Dad’s business got much quieter, so I spent some time working for Conor O’Dwyer. He was a great man to work for and I rode a few winners during my time there. I also shadowed Conor (O’Dwyer) as he went about his duties and picked up plenty from watching him at work. My education also included spending two summers at Ballydoyle, where I was particularly interested in how Aidan (O’Brien) fed and exercised his string. It was a fascinating experience to get a close-up view of how one of the greatest trainers in the world operated. I have known Aidan most of my life and have huge respect for what he has achieved in the sport.

In preparation for a training career, I spent a year in Australia and a couple of months with Kevin Prendergast on the Curragh. It was fantastic to get a different perspective on how the Australians prepare their horses, while working with Kevin was a real privilege. As one of the most senior trainers in Ireland he commands plenty of respect and has so much experience to pass on. I returned home to Dad’s and worked as assistant trainer for the past two seasons, gaining further knowledge before taking over the licence this January.

With Dad getting busier with the mares and foals he had decided that the time was right to retire. After chatting with his owners, they were good enough to give me a chance and allow me take over the reins. I am very grateful to each of them for the support they have given me at this early stage of my career. It means a lot that they are prepared to put their trust and the future of their horses in my hands. I fully intend to work as hard as I can to justify their confidence in my abilities. We have a small string in training at the moment and I am hoping to build the string over the coming months. I am always on the lookout for new owners and will do the best I can for anyone that sends me a horse. With regards to future success as a trainer, I hope I can follow in my dad’s footsteps – something I have done all my life.

Padraig Roche was in conversation with John O’Riordan