It was a red-letter day for Alex Harvey as he rode his first ever point-to-point winner on board his father William’s Minella On Line in the novice riders open at Punchestown.
Harvey, is no stranger to point-to-pointing with his elder brother, Ben Harvey a former champion under-21 rider, his grandfather Dave Harvey has trained many good horses over the years and his uncle is a well-known bloodstock agent Daithi Harvey.
Name: Alex Harvey
From: Naul, Co. Dublin
Age: 17
First Winner: Minella On Line (Punchestown)
How did you get started with horses?
My grandfather trained horses so I have always be surrounded by them, my Dad rode a bit as an amateur also. I used to go hunting a lot when I was younger and it has just really progressed from there into racing.
I was also in in the pony club, they had a few pony races and I got a few spins in them which was great.
What is your earliest racing memory?
Probably a horse trained by my grandfather, Art Lord winning at Navan about eight years ago.
Minella On Line is a horse you know well, having been placed on him on a number of occasions, were you confident going into Saturday?
We were confident enough as he had nice a run the last day down at Cork and we gave him a little break and from his previous runs we know that he is at his best when fresh.
I was good and positive on him and he did the job well. He jumped great and has a big engine and just gallops all day, so we made plenty of use of that and delighted that it all worked out.
Where are you based at the moment?
I am still in school at the moment, I’m in sixth year. I go into John McConnell’s at the weekends and on my holidays.
Last summer I was with Gearóid O’Loughlin and I learned plenty there, we did plenty of schooling and he was very good to me.
What are your ambitions now for next the season?
Just to ride as much as I can and try get into few yards and to try and get going.
Do you think the novice rider races are a good addition?
I think they are a great addition they give young lads like myself a chance to get going, it is very competitive riding against the professional amateurs and it’s great to get the opportunities.
They do a great job at the moment there are plenty of novice riders races and good opportunities.
Is there any rider in particular that you think people should watch out for?
A friend of mine Conor McGrath is getting his licence and he will be one to keep an eye out for next season.
Who would have been your biggest influence in racing?
Probably my brother Ben, I have been surrounded by him my whole life. I have seen him progress through the ranks and has always been great for advice and would be bring me to the different yards to ride out.
Dad is the backbone of it all really, he rides out Minella every day and he is always giving us pointers.
We are busy at home with plenty of pre-trainers some of which are from John McConnell.
Pictured above Alex Harvey on the left and his brother Ben on the right.
Do you have any other interests outside of racing?
I like to play a bit of golf in the evenings during the summer with my friends, it’s good craic.
Next Gen | Alex Harvey
— p2p.ie (@irishp2p) May 27, 2021
It was a red-letter day for Alex Harvey as he rode his first ever point-to-point winner on board his father William’s Minella On Line in the novice riders open at Punchestown.
For more on @alexharvey2003 %uD83D%uDC49https://t.co/L8ctiyoSts pic.twitter.com/vfVclYLxv9
