Willie McCreery's big dreams and no excuses

Willie McCreery almost hit the summit of Gaelic football when his Kildare side lost the 1998 All Ireland SFC final to Galway. He learned a lot from legendary Lilywhites manager Mick O’Dwyer, stuff he applies to his life as a racing trainer. Now he dreams of reaching the very top of his trade.

Complaining about the dominance of Dublin in football is the same as whingeing about the supremacy of Aidan O’Brien in racing as far as former Kildare midfielder and now established racehorse trainer Willie McCreery is concerned.

Pipe down and get to work, is the McCreery mantra. It was the philosophy that defined him as a footballer. Not the most refined with the boot, industry was his forte. The Clane man was legendary manager Mick O’Dwyer’s dream pupil in that laps were a pleasure, not a chore.