Cavan may be an outpost when it comes to horse training but that hasn't stopped local handler Shane Donohoe from making a name for himself in the Sport of Kings. The Breffni County's most successful trainer ever is also a former Drumalee footballer and a keen Cavan GAA follower to boot, all of which makes him ideal subject matter for 'Breffni Blue 2006'. Cavan GAA's glory days are over for the time being, but that hasn't stopped the natives from making their mark in other sporting disciplines. The only sport that rivals the GAA for popularity in this country is horse racing and the Breffni County has produced one of the most highly-regarded trail-blazing Irish trainers to emerge in quite some time. Shane Donohoe is that man. Shane believes in looking after his horses. That's why the Cavan-based trainer has brought unprecedented success to the Breffni County in a sport that many previously considered alien to this county. Shane's story is proof positive of just what can be achieved through genuine passion, enthusiasm, commitment and dedication. Against the odds, the Cavan man has emerged as a force to reckon with. He has equalled a record previously held by the ubiquitous Vincent O'Brien (four winners from four at one meeting on the same day in England) and now runs a 54-box yard at Fairtown Stud on the Cootehill Road just outside Cavan town. Shane has come a long way since he fell in love with horses 22 years ago as a wide-eyed 14-year-old who believed that dreams come true. He has proven that they do. Shane comes from a family of nine. His parents ran the Blackhorse Inn and he had four brothers and four sisters. All the lads played football for Drumalee when they were young. Dara was probably the most skilled footballer in the family. Shane came up through the various grades and made a fleeting appearance in a senior championship match before deciding that gaelic football wasn't the game for him. Though his playing career was relatively brief (he was already hooked on the horse racing bug), Shane has always maintained a keen interest in the GAA. He loves watching the games, especially hurling, and attends All-Ireland finals whenever the opportunity arises. He's also a big Cavan supporter and cheers the Breffni Blues on in both league and championship. Though Cavan have been under-achieving of late, the handler from Drumalee is hoping Martin McElkennon can harness the abundant talent at his disposal and make an impression in this summer's Ulster SFC. How did Shane become interested in the horsey world? "Before my dad bought the pub in Cavan, we owned a farm of land in Ballyconnell and we always kept a brood mare and my sister had a pony or two. That's where my initial interest came from. I was determined to pursue it so I left school early and got a job in Tipperary with Tony Kane when I was 14 and just stuck at it from there." Donohoe stayed in Templemore for three years and then went to England, where he ended up John Edwards. He quickly realised that jockeying wasn't his vocation, though he was getting close! "I knew I loved horses but riding just didn't come naturally. The things that came naturally for really good jockeys didn't happen for me. I understood the art but I wasn't a natural pilot. Everything was forced." Despite his modesty on the matter, a quick spot of investigative journalism revealed that Donohoe still managed a respectable 25 winners as a professional jockey. He knew he was in the right area, however, and persevered. Whatever yard he was in, Shane always became friendly with the head man or assistant trainer. After helping train a few horses at a small yard in England and developing a real taste for it, Shane got a big break when he secured work for Paul Nicholls. During two successful years with Nicholls, he met his wife Samantha and the pair decided to come back to Ireland and start a new life in Cavan. Using money that had been raised from buying and selling horses as well as a Leader Programme grant and some assistance from his father George, Shane and Samantha established Fairtown Stud on a Greenfield site on the outskirts of Cavan town. Today, this comprises the family home as well as a state-of-the-art yard - 54 boxes, a swimming pool, a horse walker, outdoor school and 20 individual paddocks. Having returned home in 1995, Shane and Samantha built the whole operation from scratch in an area with little or no tradition of horse training. It's a remarkable achievement. Along the way, Shane has enjoyed notable success with horses such as Shantarini, One of Our Own and Cregg House (winner of the Topham Chase at Aintree last April) to name a few. He trained Shantarini for his father and the horse enjoyed some superb victories, including major wins in Fairyhouse, Listowel and Galway. "Training that horse for Dad was the best kick I've got," he admits. One of Our Own, meanwhile, who has won many chases and finished fifth in the Irish National, is owned by none other than Terry Hyland, former Cavan senior football selector and a man who's provided a very positive guiding influence on Shane's career. In December 2005, Shane and jockey Andrew McNamara had an extraordinary 556-1 four-timer at the jumps meeting at Musselburgh. The pair won the first three races of the day before winning the last race. McNamara took the first race on 2-1 favourite Not Today Sir and he followed this with wins on 9-2 shot How Art Thou and 8-1 chance Lanaken. The duo then claimed the final race of the day on 11-4 favourite Agent Lois to round off a truly historic afternoon for Irish racing. Shane Donohoe's approach to training is simple but effective: "Training horses is all about health. That's always been my outlook. If you keep the horses healthy, then there's every chance they'll do well for you. It's not rocket science. Feed them four times a day, give them attention and keep them healthy and fit. "As a trainer, I have a policy of always being completely honest with owners. If a horse isn't up to scratch I'll tell them. There's no point building up expectations. My father kept horses for years and he often came home frustrated in the evening because a trainer had put two years into a horse that didn't deliver. So I always try to be as honest with the owner as I can be. "I've made gradual progress over the years. I have 54 horses full-time now and a staff of about ten. Con Kennedy is my vet and he's very helpful. It's a good set-up. But I have a wife and three lovely kids too - Courtney, Dominic and James - so this is as big as it's going to get." Point-to-pointing plays a big part in day-to-day business and Shane has been very active on this front from Day One. He also continues to buy and sell horses on a regular basis, using his keen eye and knowledge to telling effect. These days, Shane handles horses for owners from all over Ireland and the UK as well as the United States (Cavan native Paul Kiernan owns a couple of pubs in Manhattan). He keeps horses for well-known Cavan gaels Noel and Aidan Elliot, amongst others. As is evident from his decision to set up in Cavan town, Shane Donohoe is immensely proud of his Breffni roots. "I'm proud of the fact that I'm from Cavan and of the tremendous record we have in football. There aren't many counties who can boast five senior All-Irelands. We also have more Ulsters than any other county, so we've done our bit over the years and hopefully there's more where that came from." As regards the horses, Shane is already living his dream. Does he have any outstanding ambitions? "The only thing I'd hope is that I'm still at this when I'm 60. I'm 36 now and I hope owners still feel they can trust me with a horse in 20 years' time." Judging by the exceptional manner in which Shane Donohoe has conducted himself so far during his extraordinary career as a trainer, this seems inevitable. Tweet

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