A Listowel Harvest Festival winner has been on your radar for a while, it must have been a special day last Sunday?

I’m in horses 25 years and I’ve been coming to Listowel for 25 years. I’ve always had a grá for Listowel. Any time I’ve had a horse ready around this time of year, my priority has always been to have a runner at Listowel.

Just having a runner is magic, so to have a winner is extra special. I’ve been second five or six times. All of my horses have run well at the track, but we never had a winner until Fraher Field so it was a special moment.

Did you buy Fraher Field with Listowel in mind?

I bought Fraher Field with my two friends, Pierce and John Flynn, as a three-year-old. We went down the road of trying to win a bumper, and she was very consistent placing in three of them before eventually winning in Wexford.

We went hurdling then, where she was a little bit disappointing, but we came to Listowel for the June meeting and she finished second. The minute she crossed the line I said we’d be back in September. She likes the track, so the seed has been in my mind since June. That’s when we thought we’d have a realistic chance of having a runner here that would be competitive.

Were you confident going into the run on Sunday?

We were reasonably confident, but it was a competitive race. We were lucky that Alan O’Sullivan was available to ride her, because we needed his 5lbs, we needed everything in our favour. His 5lbs made the difference because when we jumped the last, there were six horses in with a chance.

He gave her a super ride and I’d say he was the difference between winning and losing. We just got up on the line. You can never be too confident coming to Listowel because it’s so competitive.

I was lucky enough that Pierce, John and John and Tommy Kiely were game ball to aim for Listowel as well. Everyone was on the same page about the target with her. We all got a great kick out of it.

What was it like for you waiting for the result of the photo finish to be called?

My heart skipped a beat! My first instinct was that we’d got up on the line, but you’re never fully sure until the result is called. It was great. John Flynn is a great sportsman, and he knows the value of a Listowel win as well.

John’s brother Pierce was on holidays so he unfortunately missed out. He was disappointed to miss it but he was straight on the phone to celebrate with us. He’s the life and soul of the partnership and we missed him a lot on Sunday.

It’s great for the Kielys as well. Both the Flynns and myself have had horses with them individually over the years and had plenty of success, so it’s great that we’re all together now.

What did you think about how the race panned out?

I was happy enough all along. She was jumping well which was great, because it was her first run in a handicap and they go lickety-split.

It was a new experience for her, but she was jumping and travelling well the whole way.

From the home bend to the finish line is where the race was won. Alan made a great move to come down the inside and it was the difference between winning and losing. His 5lb claim and the ride he gave her were top-class.

What were the post-race celebrations like?

We got really well looked after, and what made it even sweeter was that John Queally won with Danny Power for Michael Ryan in the first race, so we celebrated with them, and then they celebrated with us when we won the third.

John Flynn and myself have a horse with John Queally who ran on Thursday. We’ve all been neighbours around Dungarvan over the years so it was great to share the celebrations with them. We had a late night on Sunday!

What is it about the Listowel Harvest Festival that has you going back year after year?

I think it’s the people. It’s a traditional festival, and the people who go racing there have been going for years. I’ve made loads of friends down there over the years and that’s why we come down every year.

We stay in Ballybunion. You have to stay in Ballybunion for the craic and the beach and all of the fun in the pubs every night. That’s what it’s all about.

Have you mapped out the next target for Fraher Field?

We’re so happy after winning in Listowel that we haven’t looked any further, but I’m sure John and Tommy will pick something out in the next few weeks before the ground gets too soft for her.

You had another runner at the festival as well, tell me about that.

Rattledelatch ran on Thursday for John Queally and finished fourth. It was a competitive race, Willie Mullins had four in it, and we never expect to beat him. John Flynn is also in partnership with me there.

Does it ever frustrate you going up against those big yards?

It’s hard to compete with those power-houses, but I love having a horse with a small trainer. John Kiely and John Queally are my trainers, only a mile away from where I live.

It makes it even sweeter when you have a winner with a small trainer, and a trainer you have such great respect for, it’s better when you beat the big boys because it doesn’t happen too often.

You’re always aiming to be competitive, and you need a bit of patience in this game. I call it mental and financial patience.

Thankfully, it all worked out in the end for us. Days like Sunday wipe out all of the bad days.