Eamonn O’Donnabhain aiming to complete a dream week at Tingle Creek Sale

Eamonn O’Donnabhain begins his consigning career at Saturday’s Goffs Tingle Creek Sale with the confidence of having been tutored by one of the best in the business.

The Irishman is based in Herefordshire with Tom Lacey, whose stable led the way in producing British commercial point-to-point prospects in modern times, including the Champion Chase holder Energumene. He is now forging a successful career in the National Hunt ranks.

Lacey seems to have been impressed enough with O’Donnabhain’s assistance to have nominated him for the leadership prize at next year’s Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards.

O’Donnabhain had always had a love of the amateur side of the sport from his time in County Cork and will be offering Matchadam, who won on debut at Larkhill on Sunday, as the first lot of the sale which begins after the racing at Sandown has finished.

"I just have this horse and one other that I ride out in my lunchtime," he explains. "I keep them just down the road from Tom’s and I use his gallop. I bought him [for €24,000] at the [Tattersalls Ireland] May Sale last year and the view was to hopefully run and sell. I did have two winners in Ireland but he was my first British runner in a point-to-point."

Matchadam is a son of Dartmouth’s half-brother Manatee, who moved from France to Whytemount Stud this year. O’Donnabhain was thrilled to see his vigour under Tommie O’Brien to get past Chris Barber’s Mount Etna, another sale entrant.

"They were seven lengths clear of the third horse, he jumped the last in second and put down his head down up to the line and was pretty gutsy," he says.

"He has had a great attitude and temperament, they seem to like the sire too from the ones that have run and one was second for Jane Williams in a bumper the other week. Matchadam has a nice pedigree, there are a few winners on the page, and he has always walked well and had a nice way about him."

O’Donnabhain has no plans to expand his operation but enjoys the involvement as his own race-riding career effectively came to an end with a dangerous head injury from a fall in Ireland in 2010.

"I rode in 40 or 50 when I was young but it wasn’t for me. I was lucky and I think it was someone’s way of telling me to find something different," he says.

"Thankfully I’m still able to ride out and do the work with the horses, which is great.

"We’d always had one at home but I had never bought one of my own. My brother and my brother-in-law are involved in the horse as well, so we all said we’d give it a go.

"Point-to-pointers are predominately what Tom used to train, with a view to selling on. He has a great way of educating young horses. It’s something I always wanted to get involved in and he’s been the best man I’ve worked for. I’ve learned a lot from him."

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