ALTHOUGH my name may not yet be that familiar to racegoers in Ireland, the recent success of Blairmayne will hopefully have raised my profile. The colt won two races inside a week earlier this month and wins like those are very important to a small up and coming trainer like myself.

As a child growing up just outside Milan, Italy, I had no background in racing but always had a great love for horses. My parents were very supportive and took me to pony club when I was 12. Having received an education in the art of riding and handling horses, I spent my summers at the bigger training yards in Milan where I worked with racehorses and watched them gallop on the track.