For 40 years we were told that a tax exemption on stallion earnings was imperative for the success of the Irish horse racing and breeding industry. Since its withdrawal in 2008 there has been no noticeable difference to the sport.

For another 20 years we were told the industry couldn’t cope without Brian Kavanagh at the helm of Horse Racing Ireland. Since his departure in 2021 everything appears to be running as smoothly as before.

I'm from Co Westmeath and from the age of 14 I did a bit of hunting. I'm a farmer by trade on family land and that is where I also train from. I've always had a passion for horses. When I left school, I started buying a horse or two, to break them, hunt them and show them. I got bigger and bigger into that then, but I always had a passion for racing and followed it and went racing. Kilbeggan was my favourite track and I never missed a meeting in Kilbeggan, and still never do! I had my first racecourse winner in Kilbeggan with Leney Dow Jones (in May 2008). A neighbour of mine, Paddy Hegarty, asked me to train him originally for point-to-pointing. Paddy said to me to go and apply for the licence and we would run his two horses at the time on the track. Over the next 10 years, I had the odd winner of jumps.