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In "Homeward Bound," the long day unwinds on the road. How quickly we get back depends on how the meeting went and how many pubs Matt feels obliged to visit on the way. At first I trail in after him, but before long the pattern is set: I stay in the car while he pops in for "just one," returning with a soft drink and a packet of crisps for me as I doze in the back seat. The drive stretches into the night; eventually he drops me home and still has another hour or more before he reaches his own door. These journeys, repeated at racecourses all over Ireland, forged a bond that lasted long after I left for London and later New Zealand. Matt kept in touch across the years until his passing two years ago. This final piece closes the circle of my Irish racing education -an exhausting, unforgettable apprenticeship, and a quiet thank you to the mentor who shaped it all.
In "Homeward Bound," the long day unwinds on the road. How quickly we get back depends on how the meeting went and how many pubs Matt feels obliged to visit on the way. At first I trail in after him, but before long the pattern is set: I stay in the car while he pops in for "just one," returning with a soft drink and a packet of crisps for me as I doze in the back seat. The drive stretches into the night; eventually he drops me home and still has another hour or more before he reaches his own door. These journeys, repeated at racecourses all over Ireland, forged a bond that lasted long after I left for London and later New Zealand. Matt kept in touch across the years until his passing two years ago. This final piece closes the circle of my Irish racing education -an exhausting, unforgettable apprenticeship, and a quiet thank you to the mentor who shaped it all.