Sarah Lynam

I'm from Dublin originally and my dad (Eddie Lynam) was a trainer when I was growing up. My mam (Aileen Lynam) was actually an apprentice jockey before I was born. I spent a lot of my youth in the yard playing around and getting in everyone's way! My parents really didn't want me to be involved. I was more or less barred from the yard and then, when I left school and went to college, I finally wore them down and was allowed to ride out. So, I rode out later than other people as my parents were worried that I would catch the bug. I was quite academic, and they hoped that I would use my brains in other ways!

I did Film Studies and French at Trinity. For my placement I went to Deauville for a couple of months, mainly to watch racing! I suppose French racing was what got me into French in the first place. I remember watching Peintre Celebre winning the Arc (in 1997) when I was younger. That race stuck with me. I was toying with two ideas - I wanted to work in racing and I actually really wanted to be an actress from a young age. My parents were happy to go along with that (actress), they thought that was more sensible than training! I realised when I left home to go to college and horses were part of everyday life that the horses were really the thing that were consuming my brain. I was keeping the two options on the go so I went to RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) to study Shakespearean acting. I knew when I was there, I was just obsessed with horses, though. I should have been obsessed with RADA, but I was leaving to go racing or go to the bookies to look at racing.

The summer I finished college, my parents said the place to start off would be Jim Bolger's as dad worked for Mr Bolger for a long time growing up. I really liked it there and I thought it was great. To be fair to Mr Bolger, I was shocking because I wasn't allowed to ride out much at home! I had barely gone racing before. I remember he let me take a filly racing, Gipsy Countess, and she cost a lot of money. I was only with Mr Bolger for two months and then I said I'd like to try National Hunt because everything is so different. I went to Willie Mullins, I was only meant to stay two months and I think I stayed two years. I couldn't leave as I just loved the place so much. After a season there, I was made barn manager.

I wanted to go back to the Flat, so I went home for the summer and then went to Gai Waterhouse in our autumn 2013 for the Spring Racing Carnival out in Australia. It was some experience. She is a larger-than-life character and she sort of brings racing to the public in Australia. She really promotes racing. She does train every horse differently and she has a lot of horses. She is happy for your feedback. I got to the Melbourne Cup. I used to ride out Fiorente and he won it (in 2013). That was one of the best experiences of my life as I had always wanted to be involved with a really good horse. That kind of represented the pinnacle of life as a groom - the bond with a good horse.

I just stayed over there for our winter as I wanted to come back for the following season because I knew dad had some good horses. It was a very good year when I came back. I remember one morning wakening up in Australia and Slade Power had won the British Champions Sprint (at Ascot in 2013) and I thought 'gosh I better be home for some of their wins!'. To be at Royal Ascot (in 2014) when dad won two Group Ones and a Group 2, and only brought over a small string, was really enjoyable and at the same time opened my eyes. It didn't really expand our yard when he fully demonstrated his talents, which was a learning curve. My dad is an amazing horseman and an unbelievable trainer who has delivered the goods. Slade Power was a home-bred and Sole Power he bought very cheaply and Anthem Alexander was a filly who didn't sell at the Sales. Whatever he was given, he ran with it.

I felt we were gliding along really enjoying it and I thought maybe those good horses brought the other horses up a notch with them. When you are working horses, it gives you a guide for the rest of the yard. When you have a yard full of bad horses, they can all look the same, and you can't see the wood for the trees. Everyone in the yard had been dreaming about being involved with such good horses. The Power family (owners of Sole Power and Slade Power) had been such loyal owners in the yard for a good while, so it was great to see them achieve success.

My dad has plenty of horses with me that he owns himself and my mam has been a huge help. She is sort of like a sounding board for the two of us. She is extremely hands on. It is probably hard to have two trainers in the family. I was in Royal Ascot when I trained my first winner, Musical Jewel, at Sligo in 2018. She was a bit of a madam, and a few times she looked like she was going to win and she didn't win. We had plans to go to Ascot and dad said to go ahead. I was in the car park at a picnic in Ascot on the phone to dad in Sligo and he said 'she's coming' and then he went quiet in the last 100 yards when she was going to win. He understood the magnitude of it. The first year of training (in 2017) I had a lot of projects, horses that were extremely difficult to keep sound that dad had handed down to me. I learned a tonne with them. It kind of made it all the sweeter that I had to wait a little while.

My uncle John owns Additional and that is a really good horse to have. He's extremely well-bred and I bought him at the Horses In Training Sales. He was actually in John's horse tracker, he kept an eye on him as he posted a good time before. He has a lot of ability, it just needs to be harnessed. I knew we had a premier handicap horse on our hands. That was really my aim for the season. I had had a very good winter a couple of seasons previously in Dundalk and I had been tipping away with my low-grade handicappers, but I really wanted to make a name for myself at a higher level. I had had a winner at the Curragh with Goodnight Girl last year, so I suppose I was hungry for a bit more. Additional was a very good winner that day (Irish Stallion Farms EBF 'Habitat' Handicap at the Curragh in May) and I think I ran to the gate like I trained a Cheltenham Gold Cup winner!

It has been a good season but I've probably had smaller numbers than ever before. I only have seven horses in training at the minute and not all of them are guaranteed to run at the end of the season. I am definitely open to more horses, I have plenty of stables. I try to do the best for people and for the yard. I would like a nicer quality of horse in the yard. I suppose some of my old campaigners like Tyrconnell are not getting any younger. I'm happy with the job I do and I do think my horses keep their form. I've proved myself at a certain level, but I would like to go up a couple of notches. My aim is always to do the best for each horse. I've had some very loyal owners who have been with me since I started out and I'd like to keep repaying them as much as enticing new people into the yard.

Rasai BEO (on TG4) started up during the pandemic and I really enjoy the whole other way of looking at racing. I think it is helpful to bring a trainer's point of view. I also did Irish Champions Weekend with RTE on the radio and that was something new as well. I enjoy the analysis and I like doing all the research.