The vast majority of people that turn up at racing Festivals like Galway at the end of this month go for the craic. A couple of drinks, a few bets, a bite to eat, maybe a couple more drinks and a good day is generally had by all.

As an industry, big days like Galway are rightly seen as a success. The sport gets to showcase its product to a far larger audience than normal and these customers invariably have a great time.

I'm from Kilmacow in Co Kilkenny. We bred National Hunt and Flat horses on the home farm and there were jockeys throughout my family - my great-grandfather and grandfather were jockeys. I would have grown up watching a lot of racing. For me, it wasn't until my early teens that I got into racing. Up until then, I would have done showjumping for a small bit. When I was younger, athletics was my main thing. I did quite okay at the athletics and it was a decision whether to pursue a career at the athletics or not. Horses took over then. I went to Dick Brabazon on the Curragh and that's where my racing journey really started. He was a friend of the family and it was my first racing yard. It was a brief spell with Dick. He was a very good man, good for advice and very patient. Then when I went to Jim Bolger's, it was quite an eye-opener at the start. I never had a problem, though. You went in there and did your work and it was ingrained into you how to do the work.