I HAD never had a ride in Britain before Cheltenham last week.

To win the Kim Muir at the Festival on my first attempt was unbelievable. As someone who has grown up with point-to-points, that race, along with the Foxhunters’ and the banks races at Punchestown would be the ones I’d always have dreamed about winning.

There would always have been hunters and stuff like that at home, I was the first with the horses. I would have started off with the Killinick Pony Club. From there, I went on to hunt with the Killinick Harriers and I have been hunting since I was very young.

My brother, Conor (Stone Walsh), who followed me down that path, is a successful jockey. My uncle Benny, who is now training, would still have been riding when I was young. I would have gone racing with himself and Gary Murphy every weekend.

From around the age of 12, I started going in to Brian Jordan’s yard to ride out with Benny. Every weekend, holidays or day off from school, I would have been in Brian’s. I left school when I was 15, just after third year.

Great experience

Before my final year in school, I did a summer with Jim Bolger. That was a great experience and I learned plenty in that time. I also worked for Joseph O’Brien for a few months after my Junior Certificate - another valuable experience.

Once school was out of the way, I went up to Noel Meade to work full-time. Although I was in the process of getting my amateur licence, I was just riding out at the time. Again, it was a real learning curve working for Noel and I enjoyed my time in the yard.

I wanted to try get back down home to Wexford, so I ended up going to Liz Doyle. I had the licence by that time, but found it very hard to get rides. I bought my own horse, Vital Island, off Liam Kenny. Benny had ridden him before and said he would be a right horse to get me going.

I started riding him in point-to-points, so that I could get much-needed experience. I had my first point-to-point rides during the 2016/17 season. I later sold Vital Island on to Richie O’Keeffe.

After Liz, I went to James Doyle in Baltimore Stables. I had my first point-to-point winner for James, Unexpected Depth in a four-year-old maiden at Loughrea in October 2018. He went on to be a right horse over hurdles after, winning three for Oliver McKiernan before unfortunately suffering a fatal injury in a Grade 1 at Leopardstown.

Best season

I have ridden 59 winners in point-to-points in the years that followed. This season has been my best to date, with 20 winners. I had 14 or 15 previously, but thankfully, things have really gone well this year.

I’ve had very few rides under rules. I’ve ridden in the banks’ races and an odd bumper, but never in hunter chases or anything like that. In 2023, I won the banks’ race at Punchestown on Subset for Peter Maher. That win, which was my first and only win under rules in Ireland, was special. I had grown up watching my uncle Benny riding over the banks, so to win one meant a lot.

I have (brother) Conor to thank for getting me the ride on Daily Present last week. He put my name forward. I’d also like to thank Paul and James Nolan and the owners (DKCR Partnership) for giving me the opportunity.

Conor had actually finished second in the previous race (Thecompanysergeant - TrustATrader Plate), where his horse ran a right old race. He looked like he was going to win it for a time.

I had never sat on Daily Present before going out to ride in the Kim Muir. The only time I had seen the horse was when going through videos of his previous races, but he had finished fifth in the race last year, so looked to have a chance.

Although there were a few good horses in it, James and Paul were confident that he would at least be placed. They told me to take my time, stay middle to inner and keep filling him up.

When I turned into the home straight, he just came alive. I knew going down to the second last that we had every chance.

When you go past the winning line, it takes a while to sink in. The roar of the crowd is unreal - like something I had never experienced before. Cheltenham is the main place where every National Hunt man wants to win.

For us amateur jockeys, the Kim Muir and Foxhunters are the two biggest races of the entire week. To win one of those was just unbelievable.

It was great to have all the family there; Conor, Benny, his wife Jenny and my partner Emma.

I’d love to get the chance to ride a bit more on the track in the big amateur races. Hopefully, the win last week will open more doors in that respect. However, point-to-pointing is the main thing for me.

I’d love to improve on my number of winners and maybe try to win one of the titles. I am riding freelance at the minute, but ride plenty for the like of my uncle Benny, Mark Scallon and Gary Murphy.

I’d like to thank those men and all the other trainers and owners I’ve ridden for over the years. Only for them, I wouldn’t have been celebrating a Cheltenham winner last Thursday.

Barry was in conversation with John O’Riordan