Thomas Lyster (TL): When did you first realise that you had a serious interest in working with horses?

Sean Corby (SC): I first got an interest in horses when I was quite young. My dad (Sean) owned a couple of racehorses, so I used to go racing with him and I got an interest then through him, mainly.

TL: You rode your first winner in March 2014 as a 16-year-old and 45 winners in total, including seven in Britain. What was it like being a jockey?

SC: Yeah, it was good, I was apprenticed to Michael Halford and I got along quite well. It was very good at the time but unfortunately weight just got the better of me really.

I got quite tall after riding my second year on the flat and then I spent a year in England with Neil Mulholland but unfortunately I was not brave enough to be a jump jockey, so I came back to Ireland then.

TL: Are there any horses that you have looked after over the years that stand out in your memory?

SC: Since I went to Joseph’s, the horse that has got me around the world has been Twilight Payment. I went to the Melbourne Cup the first year he ran in it and he ran quite well.

He had a good summer last year and went to Melbourne and won, so that was brilliant.

He had a good comeback run recently and was due to run at Leopardstown last night. I would imagine Ascot would be an option and l would imagine he will get to Melbourne again.

TL: Tell us about your time in quarantine before the Melbourne Cup and the experience of winning a race like that?

SC: This year was a little bit different. The horses always must do two weeks’ quarantine. We have a quarantine facility at the yard, so they can do their two weeks before they go.

Last year was different because there were five of us going over and we all had to do two weeks in isolation in our own hotel rooms in Sydney when we arrived.

We travelled two weeks before the horses arrived, so a few of the lads at home looked after our horses while they were doing their quarantine in Ireland. We timed it so that we were getting out of our isolation when the horses were arriving. Isolation was done in Sydney and then we were driven to Melbourne to meet the horses.

Winning the Melbourne Cup was massive. The Williams family who own Twilight Payment are Australian and it is very important to them. It was a massive buzz, even with no crowds there. There is such a build-up to the race over there and we were kind of hoping that he would run into a place but to win was just unbelievable.

TL: What is your day-to-day routine in the stables or going racing?

SC: Most of the time I am at home riding out, so I would ride five or six lots some mornings. Then you would be back in the evening for an hour and a half or so. That routine does not change.

When you are going to the races it is kind of similar. You would go in and do your morning’s work unless the races were quite far away.

I would be in at 7am and tack up the first lot and start riding out at 7.30am, or so. The horses are fed by the lads who are in a lot earlier, around 5.30am or 6am.

TL: What are the work demands like and how much time would you have off?

SC: Well, it is an early start, obviously, but at this time of year you have plenty of time in the evening. We would be out of the yard at 12.30pm and you would not be back until 3pm to about 4.30pm, so you have quite a long break in the middle of the day. Once you finish up at about 4.30pm you have plenty of time to yourself. Weekend work is rostered.

TL: How special is it to work in a yard like Joseph O’Brien’s?

SC: Excellent because there are obviously very good staff. It is quite a young group of people and we all get along very well.

Joseph has very good owners who send us plenty of good horses. We are quite lucky we get to deal with plenty of quality horses along the way. The facilities are second to none. Joseph’s gallop is world-famous and the facilities are of a very high standard.

TL: How is Thunder Moon after his 2000 Guineas run and which race is his next target?

SC: He has been fine since he came home. It was a bit of a disappointing run, I am not sure why. Hopefully he will put that behind him and go back to his high-class form from last year. Joseph will discuss plans with the owners

TL: Pre-pandemic, or even during it, how do you prepare the horses when travelling abroad to meetings?

SC: I suppose it was quite a lot of work for the office, and especially with everything going on now, I think there is quite a lot more paperwork to go through. It is mostly down to the office to get everything organised.

There are plenty of good staff ‘on the hill’. They have everything prepared for us, like all the equipment we need. So there are plenty of people who have their own things to do before a horse travels.

TL: Are there any horses in the yard to look out for the rest of the flat season?

SC: Baron Samedi is a horse who looks to be progressing a lot. He did well last summer and he will continue to do so this year. He has run once so far this year and won, so he looks to be going the right way. If he keeps improving, he could end up being a Group 1 performer in a lot of those staying races.