SYLKIE winning at the last three Galway meetings, including at the festival in August, has been huge for our small yard.

Galway is pretty close to us too, with the track no more than an hour and a half away. We do everything at home ourselves, so the outgoings are kept relatively low but it isn’t an easy game to be involved in at the moment.

You need horses like Sylkie and days like Monday, so that the wider public are aware of you as a trainer.

After seeing the mare had been declared for a claimer at Fairyhouse in May, I decided to go up to see if I could claim her. I had seen replays of her races and thought she had run very well at Naas and Sligo.

I had no runner on the day but brought the horsebox, just in case I was lucky enough to get her.

The plan had been to go jumping but we decided to give her a couple of runs on the flat beforehand.

My brother-in-law, John Boland, set up the syndicate. There are 11 of them directly involved but on Monday it looked like the whole parade ring had a share! I am thrilled to be able to train her for the lads as they are a great bunch.

I left home in Malbay, Co Clare, when I was 16 and went to work for Arthur Moore. Although my background had been in show-jumping, Jimmy Quinn, from Ennis who is well known in those circles, suggested I try my hand as a jockey. He said I spent more time going forward than holding back!

Jimmy, who built many of the showjumping circuits around here, knew Mary Moore and it was through that connection I ended up with Arthur. Although I had been riding horses since I could walk, it took me a little time to adjust to thoroughbreds. However, after only a handful of rides in bumpers, I rode Well Ridden to win at Limerick in March 1999.

First career winner

Apart from being my first career winner, Well Ridden entered the record books as being the final winner at the old Limerick racecourse.

Over the next few years, I rode plenty of handicap winners in Ireland. Wotsitooya, trained by Michael O’Brien, won at the 2002 Punchestown Festival, before going on to finish runner-up to Rockholm Boy in the Galway Plate.

In a roundabout way, he also helped me forge a friendship that led to my biggest success as a jockey – the 2004 Betfred Gold Cup.

Prior to the Plate, while I was out jogging to lose a couple of pounds, I met Terry Neill, an English owner, who had horses with Martin Pipe. We kept in touch and a few weeks later, Terry asked me to come over and ride one of his, Dark Stranger, in the Betfred Gold Cup.

Although he went off at 66/1, Terry’s horse finished second to stable-mate Bounce Back. For the next couple of seasons, I would occasionally go over to ride one for Martin Pipe.

In 2004, Puntal, also owned by Terry (Neill) and trained by Martin (Pipe), gave me the biggest win of my career when causing a 25/1 upset in the Betfred Gold Cup.

Aside from those occasional visits to England, I spent most of my career at Moore’s. In 2007, I left for six months to ride in France for leading trainer Francois Cottin.

I got to ride at Auteuil and some of the country’s leading tracks, even managing to finish placed in the French National. However, after J.D. Moore, Arthur’s son, got hurt in a fall, I returned home to help out.

Australia

After J.D. recovered, I went down to Australia, where I rode flat horses in track work. I was based in Brisbane with Brian Smith, a trainer who did very well with a small team of horses.

When I came back to Ireland, I continued to ride, as well as handling a couple of point-to-point horses. I broke Archie Meade and trained him to win his point, before he went to Malachy Hassett. After that, I continued to be involved, helping in his preparation and riding him to win three times over hurdles.

Archie Meade was the main reason I got a trainer’s licence and he was switched to my yard once that came through. He later gave me one of my best days in racing, when I both rode and trained him to win at the 2015 Listowel Festival.

I started out with just three horses and currently have five. Musawama was my first winner as a licensed trainer, when he won at Thurles in 2013.

A lot of the horses I train seem to have their interest for racing rekindled after coming here. I firmly believe that can be attributed to working them on the beach.

I also work my horses at Tommy Molohan’s nearby hill and am very grateful to him for this. I am also fortunate to have some very loyal owners, many of whom have been with me from day one. The team at home are also invaluable and I would be lost without them.

Wonderful support

My sister Angie and cousin Tommy are a huge help, while my parents Tommy and Bernie are a wonderful support. Ciara, my wife, is the backbone of the whole thing. Our baby daughter Leah, who is just 16 months old, is the pride and joy of the place at the moment.

Hurdling could still be an option for Sylkie over the winter, although she will get a bit of a break now. It was always the plan to jump her but as she improved on the flat that was shelved.

I’d love to bring her back to Galway for one of the better races next year. It’s a track that can suit certain horses and they become real course specialists.

While Sylkie wouldn’t be in the same league as Ansar or some of the real Galway specialists, she is certainly our Ansar. Soft ground is a major factor for her too, so I will be one of the few praying for a wet summer!

Danny was in conversation with John O’Riordan.