Alix Balfe

I'm from Kells, Co Meath and my grandfather had a few point-to-pointers with Gerry Keane. I went to point-to-points with him to watch his horses run. When I was about six or seven, I said to mam that I wanted to try horse riding so I went for a lesson one day and I was hooked from there. Probably from word go, I always wanted to be a jockey. I did lessons and plenty of show jumping, I did a few show jumping competitions. I loved jumping. I also did hunter trialling and hunting, and just bits and pieces like that. It kind of took off from there then.

We picked Mac N Cheese up off Gavin Cromwell. Darren Cahill used to own him and he was very good in giving him to us. He was brilliant for me in giving me a few good spins in point-to-points for Ian Donoghue (in 2021). That grew my confidence and race riding really. He was a superstar to us. Those rides really stood to me, they definitely improved my riding at that age. He was a really good jumper and was as safe as a house. I always wanted to start point-to-pointing for the grassroots of the game, just to get a bit more experience, and go from there. My weight was always very good, I was always light. The likes of Keith Donoghue, Sean Flanagan, Kieren Buckley and Brien Kane all told me my weight was good and that there would be more opportunities down that road if I turned conditional. I just happened to say to Gavin one day that I was thinking of turning conditional and he told me to go for it. I went for it from there and I haven't looked back, thank God. I turned when I was in and around 18, and signed on to Gavin. I've never really been to many places else other than Gavin's, although I did a summer in Gordon's (Elliott) and I was with Ger Lyons when I was pony racing as well. All of those things stand to you in the long run.

I had my first winner on Gavin's Macinamillion in a handicap hurdle at Cork in April last year. It was brilliant, I actually couldn't believe it for a couple of strides. A few of the boys starting congratulating me and then it started to settle in. When I got into the winners' enclosure, it was definitely a childhood dream of mine. The syndicate of lads (Oak Lodge Farm Ltd) kept me back up on him and that was very good of them, as I had been fifth on him on his previous start in Naas and it was a really good run from him. We were expecting a big run again from him, but I certainly didn't expect the win. I felt like I made the right decision in turning conditional then. I'm really just hungry now to get more rides and more winners. Things like that do make you strive harder and make you try to constantly improve yourself.

I'm in with Gavin six days a week and I go into Pat Downey in the evenings. It is great being in Gavin's riding work with the likes of Keith, Sean and Kieren as you learn an awful lot from them in terms of advice and in terms of how to ride a horse a bit differently. You can't beat riding out with the top boys. You just have to listen to them and they will always guide you in the right direction. Also, I'm getting to sit on some high-class horses. Gavin is great for advice as well. It is just so key to be in a big yard. Pat has given me some great days on the track too and has given me a lot of rides as well. He's a very good trainer and it is only Patrick O'Brien and I that go in to ride out for Pat, so he doesn't look by him or I. He has been very good to the two of us.

I ride a lot of work in Skyrne gallops, it is literally two minutes up the road from Gavin's. I'm striving to ride more regularly and ride a few more winners, and just keep my head down and improve all the time. My agent Garry Cribbin does a great job for me and I'm looking to build up contacts. You can't beat race riding regularly for experience. I've no problem travelling to ride work. In fairness, Gavin and Pat are very good in that regard. They are behind me, driving me on.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Inothewayurthinkin would have to be the best horse I've sat on in Gavin's. Even just to swing the leg across him in the yard, he's a pleasure of a horse to ride. Keith would have done all the work on him before the Gold Cup, but I got to ride him out on a normal day. You can feel the engine and he wouldn't be afraid to drop his head and try to take a run with you. He lets you know the engine is there! You can feel that he is a proper horse. I ride Sights Unseen for Gavin in a handicap hurdle at Downpatrick today (Friday 23rd May) and she's a nice filly. She has been unlucky a few times and hopefully she can get her head in front, she deserves it.

I love working in the Irish racing industry. I've met some great people along the way so far and I've great friends in racing. People are down-to-earth in Irish racing and it is a tight-knit community. Everyone looks out for one another and that's the way it should be.

Alix 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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