In 1981 I met triple Grand National winner Red Rum on his  visit to Cork Summer Show and since that encounter I have had a passion for racehorses and racing. My passion and dedication have served me well in my professional training career and I am proud of my race-winning record, which is made up of horses that remained sound and consistent year after year. Horses such as Barton Nic (10 wins over fences and hurdles & £50,000 from 9 to 13 yrs), All In The Stars (4 chase wins, £75,000 & Listed winner), Bathwick Annie (5 chase wins, £51,000 & Listed placed), Roofing Spirit (3 chase wins, £50,000 & listed placed) and Barton May (2 chase wins, £18,000 & Listed placed) are just some of the horses that I trained to defy very ordinary breeding to become decent racehorses. 2011 Gold Cup 5^th Midnight Chase began his career under my care making a winning racecourse debut in a 14-runner maiden hurdle at Perth in 2007. I’m a Legend is another multiple winner that won his first race when trained by me.

I held a UK professional Trainer’s Licence from November, 2002 to April, 2008 during which time I trained 65 winners from limited equine resources. Many of the horses in my care were the most successful racehorse amongst their immediate family. Most of the highest achievers I trained were bought by me as unbroken 3 and 4 year olds for small money at Irish store horse sales. I give horses time to mature and a sound racing and jumping education to maximise their natural ability. I place a huge emphasis on schooling horses so that they jump safely and with confidence.

My runners are always 100% fit first time out because I train them on rate of recovery. A perfect example of this is Rebel Rock, my first runner under my Irish Trainer’s Licence. Having nursed Rebel Rock back to full fitness following a leg injury sustained in a point-to-point he defied a 648-day absence from the race track to land a tidy gamble for his owner in a handicap chase at Uttoxeter. It was also Rebel Rock’s first run over regulation fences.

I am 37 years old and engaged to Anne-Marie Dowling. I graduated from University College Cork in 1996 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. I gained a place on the BHB Graduate Development Programme and following work experience with Tattersalls (Newmarket) I worked in Race Planning at BHB Headquarters and managed Arab Horse Racing before being employed to train point-to-pointers at Conkwell Grange Stud, near Bath. In November 2002 I was granted a Professional Trainer’s Licence and in just my 3^rd season I sent out 20 winners and finished 30^th in the UK trainer’s championship. In 2004 I bought Larkinglass Farm in Dorset with a business partner. We converted the dairy farm into a state-of-the-art training and breeding operation and in my first season training from this base I trained All In The Stars to win the £50,000 CGA Chase (Listed) at Wincanton. I enjoyed 3 fruitful seasons in Dorset.

In 2008 I made the huge decision to quit training in the UK and move back to Ireland. I made my decision for many reasons including a growing despondency with the diminishing returns for race winners and ever increasing costs. It was the best decision of my life and one I have never regretted. I brought back a wealth of experience and added to this a 6-month stint working in a racing yard in Chantilly in 2009. I have a vast knowledge and understanding of racing in Ireland, UK and France and it is my intention to race horses in all three countries in the future. I am a hands-on trainer and there is no job associated with training racehorses that I don’t do. I regularly ride horses in my care in schooling bumpers, which gives me an edge in assessing their strengths and weaknesses. Racehorses are an expensive hobby and it is my policy to provide regular, accurate reports both verbally and in writing to all my owners. I love going racing and I endeavour to make a day at the races a memorable day for my owners.