AS a previous recipient, back in the days before Godolphin took over sponsorship, it was a great honour to be shortlisted for the recent Irish Stud and Staff Staff Awards.

I made the final three in my individual category: Dedication to Racing and Breeding. Coming as it did, some 15 years since my initial success, it was satisfying to still be recognised within the industry.

When I started work at Mount Coote Stud in 1972, I knew virtually nothing about horses. Aside from a pony, which my father had bought us kids, I had never been around animals of any kind.

As dad was a block layer/plasterer by trade, we had no land at home, so a neighbour kindly allowed us graze the pony on his farm. I left school at 16, having secured a job at the nearby stud farm owned by the Lillingston family.

Quite by chance, I met the boss man (Alan Lillingston) one afternoon and asked if there were any jobs going. He told me to come up and see him and it went from there.

The boss was well known in equestrian circles, as he had won the Champion Hurdle aboard Winning Fair, before later becoming a European Three-Day Event Gold Medallist. At the time I joined Mount Coote Stud, he ran the business with his wife, Lady Vivienne.

Graduating

Under the tutelage of Alan Lillingston, I started off riding hunters before graduating to eventing, dressage and showjumping.

By 1977, at the age of 22, I was riding point-to-point winners. The majority of those winners came for a man named Dr. Quane, although in reality, I was also training those horses.

Mornings, lunchtime and evenings were spent looking after the point-to-point contenders who I competed on every weekend. In the space of five years, I went from never having sat on a thoroughbred to riding/training winners in point-to-points.

All the credit for this has to go to the boss and Lady Vivienne, who were like a mother and father to me. They couldn’t have been better people to work for, moulding me into the young man I was to become. Essentially, they treated me like part of the family, giving me every opportunity to develop and progress.

Worldwide reputation

Even back then, Mount Coote Stud had established a solid worldwide reputation as producers of quality stock. They became one of the first European farms to sell yearlings to Sheikh Mohammed out in Dubai.

In 1982, I took over the yearling prep at the stud; a role I held right up until five years ago.

We always had 35/40 yearlings for the sales each season, so would have been one of the larger operators in that field.

One In A Million, the 1979 1000 Guineas winner, stands out as being one of the best yearlings that was prepped here at Mount Coote in those early years.

The stud has regularly featured amongst the leading consignors at yearling sales worldwide and was responsible for the record breaking 4.6 million broodmare Immortal Verse, sold at Tattersalls in 2013.

I showed and led up her, and she is now the dam of this year’s Cheveley Park Stakes winner, Tenebrism. Where possible, I like to follow the racing careers of our many graduates but with so many to keep track of it’s not always easy.

Privately training

From 1989 until 2005, Alan Lillingston and myself were quite successful privately training a small string from Mount Coote Stud. The boss held the licence and I acted as assistant trainer during those years.

One of our best days came courtesy of a double at Clonmel in 1990, when we won the bumper and had a hurdle winner. A year later, Buckminster made a winning racecourse debut at Gowran Park, before finishing second to Montelado in a winners’ bumper at Limerick.

Our horse was a leading fancy for the 1992 Festival Bumper at Cheltenham but picked up an injury which prevented him running. With his Limerick conqueror, Montelado, going on to win that race by 12 lengths, we were left wondering what might have been.

Buckminster later returned to the track, going on to win twice over hurdles and the same over fences. Master McCartan was another very good horse for us; winning five times and taking us to the Grade 1 Heineken Gold Cup at Punchestown.

Incredible eye

The boss bought all his own horses at the sales and had an incredible eye. His son, Luke, who took over the business about 18 years ago, inherited that trait and aside from running Mount Coote Stud, is a very well-respected bloodstock agent.

Since the boss man passed away seven years ago, Luke has been solely responsible for the day-to-day operating of the farm.

In 2016, I took a step back from the yearling prep and started driving the horsebox. From February, until the first week in June, I am transporting mares around to different studs in order to get them covered.

I usually take my holidays in the last week of June, before the yearlings come in in August. When I am here at the stud, I check all the stock twice a day, to make sure they have eaten up, are sound and have no nicks or cuts.

Luke nominated me for the Irish Stud And Stable Staff Awards this year; a really nice gesture on his part. Having had such a great relationship with Alan and Lady Vivienne, it’s nice to continue that forward into another generation.

My entire working life has been based with the Lillingston family, who have always been such wonderful people to work for.

Mikey Lyons was in converstation with John O’Riordan