Ian Donoghue

I'm from Dunshaughlin, Co Meath and all of mam's side of the family would have been horsey. Her uncle was Andy Lynch who trained and he was Head Travelling Lad for Noel Meade, so we grew up with ponies at Andy's. Then my brother Keith and I started riding out for Pat Martin. Granda would have harrowed the gallops at Fairyhouse and we would have gone down on Saturdays with him and looked at the likes of Paul Carberry, Ross and Barry Geraghty. We always wanted to be them! I got too big, but Keith is doing a good job.

Both of us started out pony racing when we were around 10 and 11. I got three years out of that, I was always a bit heavy for it. I was kind of riding Keith's spare rides at that, but it was a good experience. Granda wasn't afraid to ask anyone who came to use the gallop in Fairyhouse to give us a go. We started in Pat Martin's on weekends and summer holidays, and I think I was 10 and Keith was nine. I stayed there until I was about 15 and Keith was probably 13 when he went to Gordon Elliott's. I went to Gavin Cromwell's then. I was riding for Gavin then and he was starting out, he had eight stables. I was with Gavin for a season riding some of his point-to-pointers. My first winner point-to-pointing was for Gordon on Lord Lansdown at Tallanstown in 2008. As I was always a bit heavy, I actually went and served my time as a farrier. I started my apprenticeship, but I was hunting more than I was going to work. I was Whip to the East Down's for a season and then I came back and I was Whip to the Louth's for three seasons. When I was Huntsman for the Co Down Staghounds, I won consecutive editions of the Huntsman's Challenge at Punchestown. That kind of gave me the bug back towards the racing. I maybe thought I could chance a point-to-pointer here. The way it worked out then Alana fell pregnant and we moved home, not knowing what I was going to do.

I rang Gavin as he had a travelling job advertised and it was gone when I rang him, so I went back in there riding out and got the bug again and lost four stone and went back point-to-pointing for a season. Then Covid-19 hit and I was struggling to keep the weight under control. We started with one horse, Toast To Thomas, and it was a bit of a challenge really to get him jumping and we did. He was actually my first ride back in a point-to-point and I finished second on him - I got a rush of blood and kicked too soon and got caught in Dowth Hall in my first ride back in 10 years (in October 2019). Then we went to Oldtown our local point-to-point and he won for us that day. Only for Gavin, I wouldn't have been able to start out. We were in my wife Alana's place and Gavin helped us put in the gallop and got us going. I was doing all his breaking and pre-training then. If he didn't give us the breakers and the pre-trainers at the start, we wouldn't have got going. When we moved home from the north, there was only one stable and we have built it up to 20 now and we have 14 rented down the road.

Things have progressed. Tankardstown Diva, O'Faolains Glory, St Denis's Well and Brownstone were all cheap horses. I think if you add all of them up they would cost 15 grand. St Denis's Well is actually running in Cheltenham today. He has gone from a rating of 91 to 120 (over fences) and is bringing us along the way. The drying ground at Cheltenham is probably our only concern. but he is in good nick. I'd be disappointed if he is not in the first four. He had a lovely run in fourth at Fairyhouse a few weeks ago and we had to run him to get a run into him for coming to Cheltenham. It was ideal and will just leave him right for Cheltenham, and that was on good ground. I also have Lisnamult Lad at Cheltenham on Saturday for one of our bigger owners, Matt Rogers. He has four or five with us. He is badly handicapped and came to us after winning a couple of races in England. Hopefully, if he can carry the weight, he should run well. O'Faolains Glory is declared for Galway on Saturday and we have two at the Tattersalls point-to-point on Sunday - a nice Walk In The Park filly we think a lot of and hopefully she can do her job. She is called Walk In The Sea and hopefully we might get an owner that will leave her in the yard with us.

We have 25 horses now, mainly point-to-pointers with six or seven for the track. We still do plenty of breaking for people as well. Our main business is trying to sell the point-to-pointers. I suppose we have to if we want to grow. We need to sell a couple of good ones then we could buy a bit of land and set up our own yard. I grew up watching Gordon and Gavin, and Gavin's motto is 'if you are not growing, you are dying'. He started out with eight stables and he has grown to 150. That's our aim, we want to keep getting bigger and better. We are open to more horses, we will always make room. We have been lucky with horses we have been sent from owners, but we also have a WhatsApp group with Keith and I and a good friend of ours who is very shrewd at picking out well-handicapped horses that might improve for a change of scenery. We try and buy them that way.

With living up north for four seasons, I love going racing up there and meeting the people I used to hang around with. I'd nearly get as much of a kick training a winner at Down Royal or Downpatrick as I do in Fairyhouse or Navan which are right next door. I have two to go up for the maiden hurdles at Down Royal's festival in November. A very nice horse called Cutthewire ran in Fairyhouse two weeks ago over two miles. We knew it would be too short for him, but we just wanted to get him started. I've another horse called John The Spark who actually won three point-to-points for us in the last year. He was second in Fairyhouse last week. The same thing, we knew the trip would be a bit short for him.

Keith is a massive help as he comes in to ride work and school, and my youngest brother, Ross, would be our Head Lad and I'd be lost without him. He eats, sleeps and just lives racing. Without Ross, it would be very hard to do. I was away on holiday for a week last year and we had three winners - Ross was doing it right. We thought it would be good craic for owners to go over to Cartmel with the likes of O'Faolains Glory who had won at home. It didn't cost a whole pile and all the horses ran their races. I'd say we will look at it again next year.

I suppose when I get up in the morning the nice four-year-olds are our main thing and the three-year-olds are schooling and starting to do a bit more - the dream is alive with them and that is what really pushes us. We are trying to get better quality of horses. We think we are doing a good job with what we have. We would like to think if we got a nicer horse we could win with them too. We had a lovely one last year, Derryhassen Paddy, who won his point-to-point at Tattersalls. The owner was unsure whether to sell him, but I pushed him to sell him as he couldn't turn down the money he was getting. He could have been the horse to make your career, though. He won his bumper by seven lengths first time out (at Ayr in February for Lucinda Russell) and looks an exciting horse this year. We have a young family, and two kids, and they love the ponies and going racing. I love the Irish racing industry and it is good craic. It is tough as there are so many good trainers, so you are competing with the best but you have to do that to become the best.

Ian was in conversation with Michael Graham.

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About Michael Graham

Michael has worked in horse racing journalism for more than 15 years, having also written a weekly betting column on Gaelic football and hurling for a newspaper. He is involved in writing the My Racing Story features on this website. He spent a year in South Africa completing a Diploma in Business Administration and also studied Newspaper Journalism in Belfast. He enjoys playing 5-a-side football on a regular basis.

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