LAST month I had the opportunity to travel to Australia and be a part of the victorious Irish team in the annual Australia v Ireland Jump Jockeys Challenge.

It was the first time in three years that the trophy returned to Irish soil and I was very proud to play a part in reclaiming the series.

Like many before me, I started out pony racing, before moving on to RACE aged 16. I was sent to Dessie Hughes’ yard on the Curragh and remained part of the set up right until the time he passed away. Dessie was a wonderful man and a great influence both on my career as a rider and development as a person.

I was also fortunate to share the company of many other good jockeys, such as Roger Loughran, Paddy Flood, Paddy Kennedy, Niki O’Shea and Conor Maxwell.

I rode my first winner for Dessie and he also provided my final winner before l lost my claim. Those successes opened up a lot of doors, with other trainers obviously believing that if I was good enough to ride for Dessie I must be some use.

Having lost my claim in 2014, I decided to go freelance, as I felt it would give me more opportunities being on the Curragh every day.

Although based with Ted Walsh, I ride out regularly for Oliver McKiernan and Jarlath Fahy, who have supplied me with winners in the last few months. I also ride work for Ken Condon, John Carr, Charles Byrnes, Stephen Nolan and many more.

I would like to thank all the owners and trainers I have ridden for, numbering 50 individual trainers in the last 12 months. Jennies Jewel has been the best I have ridden in the past few years, winning four times, placed on 24 occasions and just touched-off in the Grade 1 Champion Stayers Hurdle at Punchestown. She is back in training this season and is one I am really looking forward to.

AUSTRALIAN CHALLENGE

I had been selected on the Irish team to take part in the jockeys challenge against Australia a couple of years back but got injured and missed the trip.

Having felt that my chance had passed, it was a pleasant surprise to make the team in 2016, with Luke Dempsey and myself picked alongside Katie Walsh and Tom Ryan.

As part of the 12-day trip, we rode in three races at two different tracks; Murray Bridge and Morphettville. On the first occasion the two teams faced off in a flat race over a mile and a quarter, in which I finished fifth.

Murray Bridge is what is known as a bush track and would be more like a pony racing course than a racetrack here at home. The ground was very fast and rough, as the Aussies don’t water the surface despite how quick it may become.

The Irish trailed the series after the first meeting and had plenty of work to do in order to turn it around going into the Saturday. Morphettville is a much better track than Murray Bridge and would be more like a downgraded version of Leopardstown.

The South Australian Jockey Club host the main day of the series at the track, which has become known as `Irish Day’. The event itself is really well organised and it was great to see so many Irish people in attendance on the afternoon.

After Katie (Walsh) won the first race, in which I finished third to claim further points, Ireland were back in the series and it all came down to the final race.

In the finale, I was aboard a horse named Hucknall, trained by Robert Smerdon. The latter is one of the leading trainers in Australia, housing over 400 horses and regularly training 11 or 12 Grade 1 winners each season. Fortunately he also managed to send out Hucknall in top condition and I won the steeplechase, with Katie (Walsh) finishing in third.

Those two placings were good enough to see Ireland win the series by 39 points to 33.5 points, thus taking the prize for the first time since 2012.

For me personally, it was the trip of a lifetime and I really enjoyed getting to race ride in another country.

They certainly do things very differently to ourselves and I found both the lack of watering and whip rules alien. You are only allowed hit a horse 10 times before the 100 metres mark but then you can hit it as often as you want after that; I could never see that happening over here!

I got back from Australia at lunch time last Friday and rode a winner, L’Attesa, for Shane Nolan at Kilbeggan that evening.

I believe that hard work and graft reap their just rewards and hopefully I can continue my progress over the coming season. My agent Gary Cribbin has been working hard on my behalf, while Coldmove have been very loyal sponsors over the past eight years.

PRE-TRAINING

I recently built my own yard in Kildangan and am doing a bit of breaking and pre-training; while in May I sent out a winner from a sole point-to-point runner.

Further down the line I’d like to be involved with young horses as I enjoy bringing them on and teaching them.

Before that however, I have much to look forward to, with Jennies Jewel and a couple of others leaving me dreaming of an exciting winter ahead.

Ian McCarthy was in conversation with John O’Riordan