'I struggled to get rides as an amateur but Enda always encouraged me'

Donie McInerney was champion conditional rider in Ireland last season with 32 wins. This represented a remarkable transformation for the 24-year-old Limerick jockey, who had struggled to make his name as an amateur. Fittingly, his first winner, on Auvergnat at Punchestown in February 2017, was provided by Enda Bolger. He says: "A lot of people have helped me along the way but I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for Enda. He's an unbelievable person to learn from."

I don't have a family background with horses. I started having riding lessons at Hillcrest Stables at Galbally when I was about ten and that was a good start. I did a lot of hunting with the Scarteens and would go after school to Pat O'Donnell when he was training at Herbertstown. I first went to Enda's at 15 and that was when I started to get serious about wanting to be a jockey.

Enda's a brilliant teacher. The way he gets horses schooled is just unreal. There's always variety and that's something I've always enjoyed. You'll be going over banks and ditches, or riding in the woods, or across farmland. It's an amazing place, you would never be bored and you're always picking up something new.