Meet the secretive Apple executive riding high at Cheltenham

Cathy Mariga was giddy with excitement, as would be any novice owner who had seen Maskada, their 22-1 outsider, cross the finish line more than six lengths clear at the Cheltenham Festival this week.

Amid the cheering crowds the middle-aged woman celebrating with her family passed almost unnoticed.

Yet under her maiden name of Cathy Kearney, she is the powerful yet secretive woman behind Apple’s operations in Europe. And she is estimated to have become one of Ireland’s richest businesswomen.

The mother of three has avoided publicity while overseeing the extraordinary growth of Apple and an impending £12.5 billion tax fight with the European Commission.

Maskada’s victory on Wednesday and her family’s growing horse racing and stud interests will force her increasingly into the spotlight.