In this series for TDN Europe, we speak to key players in the Thoroughbred industry about the importance and role mentors have played in their success. First up we have the renowned Irish trainer John Oxx.
TDN: Who has been the biggest inspiration in your career?
JO: My father was a successful trainer, and instilled in me a love of horses. He was also a great reader and had all the books about racing and breeding around the world. He encouraged me to read them from an early age and he also brought me out with him in the morning on The Curragh. All of these things gave me my inspiration.
Additionally, my mother was a teacher and, between them, they stressed the importance of education and knowledge and the combination of both gave me ambition. However, they taught me that ambition is not a 'wish list' but, rather, a determination to learn everything you can, work as hard as you can to be as good as you can be.
TDN: What's the best advice you've ever been given?
JO: I have had so many people who gave me good advice that I could not easily pick one, but it probably comes down to the basics again. My parents advice from an early age: 'never sacrifice your good reputation for a quick buck.'
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