SINCE its inception in 2018, the Dublin Racing Festival has provided a shop window for the best of equine talent in this country. It affords the opportunity for trainers, jockeys and horses to showcase their talents to a wider audience and show what they are capable of.

I was fortunate enough to get among the winners last weekend, courtesy of Heaven Help Us in the Grade B Paddy Mullins Mares Handicap Hurdle. Hopefully that success will help kick start my career and open up further opportunities in the coming months.

I was probably always destined to become a jockey, as it is bred into me. Michael Condon is my uncle, so I have Davy as a first cousin. His career was flying high when I was growing up. At that stage, he was well established in the jockey ranks at Willie Mullins’s yard, riding Ebaziyan to win the Supreme Novices Hurdle, as well as striking up a great relationship with the quirky but extremely talented Holy Orders.

On the other side of the family, Paul Townend is also a first cousin, so the pedigree is certainly there! Add in the fact that I lived next door to trainer Liam Burke and was best friends with Johnny and there was only ever one way I would go in life. Every evening after school, Johnny and myself would meet up outside the local church and take our ponies out. Later, I spent a year and a half on the flapping circuit, a great experience that stood to me once I went on to ride under rules.

First job

Riding out for Liam Burke was my first job in racing. He had some very decent horses in his yard at that time, with names such as Thyne Again and Sir Frederick coming to mind. Liam also won the Thyestes with My Murphy during the time I was working there. In those days, he was the “go to” man when it came to point-to-point horses; a very well-respected figure in the game.

During my final year in school, I took out an amateur licence and rode my own horse in point-to-points. I had 10 rides in all, winning on one of them. After completing my Leaving Certificate, I moved over to Lambourn to work as an apprentice for Brendan Powell [Snr]. My weight was steady at 8st 7lb, so I rode on the flat for a full season, riding two winners during that time.

I then turned conditional and moved on to Kim Bailey, another man that gave me plenty of opportunities. It was hard graft at his yard but if you put in the long hours you were certainly rewarded. I finished fourth on First Flow in a bumper at Chepstow and won on Vinndication on his racecourse debut at Ludlow. Both those horses have gone on to win graded races, so it was nice to be associated with their early careers.

In 2019, I moved back home to Ireland, as things got tough. I had been in Britain since I left school, so all the travelling and long hours began to take a toll. We own a family farm in Cork, so I set about completing my Green Certificate course in order to be in a position to take over one day.

While studying for the certificate at Kildalton College in Piltown, Co Kilkenny, I went in and rode out at Joseph O’Brien’s yard. Again, it was a great experience working in such a large training operation and I also had around 10 rides for Joseph. After finishing the cert, I went freelance for a short time, before joining up with Pat Fahy about a year and a half ago.

I had around 50 rides over jumps last season and already have close to 60 this time round. Pat has been very good to me, essentially letting me ride the majority of the horses in his yard.

I rode my first Irish winner on Casamari Abbey at Clonmel in October, fittingly for Pat. When I first returned to Ireland, I had a bad run of injuries, dislocating my shoulder, then fracturing two vertebrae in my back.

I struggled for a time but Pat and my agent, Gary Cribbin, have been very good to me. It can’t be easy for Gary to promote the likes of me, as my CV isn’t that strong, so trainers may not want to use me. Hopefully the win at the weekend will help make life a bit easier for him!

Paul Hennessy

I live right beside Paul Hennessy’s yard in Kilkenny and rode out there for a few months late last year. His regular rider got injured, so he asked would I come in and help out once I finished in Pat Fahy’s in the afternoons. I spent three months with Paul before his own rider came back to work in January.

I hadn’t been in this year but received a call from Paul a week before Leopardstown - he told me he was going to claim off the mare and asked me to ride. I met him on the Curragh the Tuesday before the race and we worked Heaven Help Us up the Old Vic.

I think after that piece of work we both felt that she had a live chance at the festival, so her win on Sunday wasn’t a complete shock.

To be fair, she had some very strong form in the book; finishing second in a Grade 1 at the track as a novice and running well when mid division in the Supreme Novices Hurdle at Cheltenham. She was running in her first handicap over hurdles, had first time cheekpieces and 7lbs off her back.

I spoke to Paul Townend on the Saturday night and he was very helpful. Despite having just ridden three Grade 1 winners that very afternoon, he took the time to go through Sunday’s race with me in detail, advising me where to get a breather into the mare and where to kick on. The recent retired, David Mullins, has also been a great help to me in regards to race-riding and approaching a fence. Both lads deserve special mention for their support.

On the day itself, everything went perfectly according to plan and I was delighted to be able to share in such a big success with Paul Hennessy.