How did you first get involved with horses?

I don’t come from a horsey background. I started getting pony lessons when I was about four or five as a birthday present. When I was 16 I started working for Jim Bolger part-time because it was close to home. Later down the line that turned into a full-time job.

I spent six years there between school and college and that’s where I developed my love for race horses. I’ve been working for Gavin Cromwell for the past six months. It’s been a big change going from a flat yard to a mostly National Hunt yard but I’m loving it.

Will this be your first time going to the Festival?

Yeah, it’ll be my first time going to the Cheltenham Festival, it’s a great excitement. I’ve been watching Cheltenham since I was a child so it’s mad to think that I’m getting the chance to go now. It’ll be a great experience and I can’t wait to get over there.

What horses are you leading up at Cheltenham?

I look after Will The Wise who holds entries for the Martin Pipe and Albert Bartlett, but he also won a qualifier at Naas last Sunday for the Pertemps Final, so it’ll be interesting to see which way he goes, he’s got his spot on the boat anyway.

I also look after Al Gasparo who is entered in the Coral Cup. He won at Leopardstown over Christmas. We have about 25 horses going over altogether so we’ll have our hands full.

Will The Wise and Al Gasparo are my main horses and then we’ll have the yard favourites like Stumptown and Vanillier in the cross country race. Stumpy is the yard favourite. I also like Hello Neighbour who is in the Triumph and Sixandahalf in the Mares’ Hurdle.

Do the horses you look after have any quirks?

Will The Wise is a gorgeous, big chesnut horse, and he loves his carrots. I love him because he’s so handsome! Al Gasparo is just Al Gasparo. He has no patience and everything has to be done his way, which is quickly! They’re both very nice animals to deal with, so I can’t complain.

How are your nerves when your horses run?

Obviously my first thought is always hoping that they get around safe, and anything after that is a bonus, but there’s nothing better than the excitement when they start getting near the front turning for home. My heart rate goes through the roof! Hopefully I’ll be feeling that excitement all week.

Do you have any pre-race superstitions?

No, not really. I’ll just be trying to keep their routine the same as any other day at the races and keeping it as simple as we can.

What are you looking forward to over there, besides your horses running?

It’ll be a different kind of buzz compared to any other race meeting, but what I’m looking forward to the most is all of the Irish yards getting together and enjoying the week. It’s our Olympics and we need to enjoy the whole experience.

What are the main challenges working in racing?

One of the hardest things about working in racing is that it can be quite unpredictable. You don’t always know what you’re doing day-to-day or where you could be going. Your hours are never fully set when you’re going racing, and your Sunday off isn’t always a Sunday off if your horse is running. I’m living away from home at the moment so it can be hard to get back at times, and balancing other sports like camogie, but when the horses are running well, and they’re happy and healthy, it makes it all worthwhile.

What’s been a stand-out moment for you?

The day we had the four-timer at Fairyhouse was great. I led up De Temps En Temps in the bumper. We had a 1-2-3 in the big handicap that day as well.