Noel Meade still making his mark in an increasingly competitive business

'The reason they win in the sales ring is because they’re successful on the track'

Snow Falcon is getting on in years but worked well yesterday morning ahead of the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Champion Chase at DownRoyal on Saturday.

These days Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott dominate the National Hunt landscape in Ireland, but Noel Meade was once that soldier and, while his days of challenging for that trainers’ title are behind him, it is not something the proud Meath man misses. In the increasingly competitive numbers game, Meade is content to persevere with a strong team which more than keeps him relevant at the top end of the sport.

“These days it’s extremely difficult to compete but I’ve said all along that training horses is not the most difficult part of the game, the most difficult part is getting the horses,” said Meade.