Paul Nolan: back from the brink and eyeing big show from Latest Exhibition
The trainer tells Brian Sheerin how close he came to packing it all in
It's 8.00 on a damp Thursday morning in County Wexford and, before talk turns to the serious business, Paul Nolan is filling me in on the story behind Fiona the Jack Russell's missing leg.
"She was only a pup, it was one of her first days out and about in the yard," he says, cup of tea in hand. "What happens? A horse comes along and steps on her foot and she ended up having to have the leg amputated.
"But there's not a bother on her now though. The way it is around here, they either survive or they don't," he says with a chuckle before throwing the grateful dog the last of his buttered toast.
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- 'You can see why people end up struggling - when you're trying to pay the electric bill, losing one ride can be massive'
- 'I've never paid six figures for a horse and never will - I learned pretty quickly you're only one phone call away from f*** all'
- 'I’ve trained some fabulous horses, worked with some excellent riders - maybe I have brought a little bit of talent to the table as well'
- ‘When you’re in the moment and you’re starved, you’re ready to explode - everything built up and I just lost my s**t’
- 'He must have his breakfast earlier than Willie does' - Patrick Mullins goes behind enemy lines at Gordon Elliott's yard