WINNING the Listed Colreevy Mares Novice Chase on Marsh Wren at Thurles last Thursday was as good a day’s racing as I’ve had.

As an Irish jockey making a living in the UK, to come over and do it at home was just brilliant. It was also the first time I had ridden a winner in Ireland, so it was nice to go back and show what I could do.

My home place is quite literally in the field of Tinahely point-to-point. Philip Rothwell’s yard is just behind our house, so the two families have been friends all our lives.

Dad did a good bit of driving for Philip over the years - he brought Native Jack to Cheltenham the year that horse won the Cross Country Chase. Philip bought me my first pony when I was 10 or 11 and I rode out in his yard from around the same age.

I went to secondary school in Coláiste Bhríde in Carnew, which is a big show jumping academy. I got to jump at Hickstead twice with the school; a brilliant experience.

As a teenager, I also did a good bit of hunting with the Shillelagh. Throughout all that, I rode out in Philip’s every chance that I got. To be honest, all I wanted to do was be in the yard and on horseback.

Mick Jordan, who was head lad, was a big thing for me. He never put me on breakers or any dangerous horses that young lads would often be put up on. I rode out five lots a day but Mick minded me.

A lot of lads can get a slap or fall and be turned off horses at an early age but because of Mick, I never reached that stage. Along with both my Dad and Philip, he was a big influence on me growing up. Even right up to the present day, I would still speak to Mick quite regularly.

Since I was 12, I had it in my head to go to the racing school in the Curragh, so once I turned 15, I left school and moved up to Kildare. From very early on, I knew I was going to England, so, with that in mind, I did my work placement with Conor O’Dwyer.

A lot of the lads would have gone to Dessie Hughes, as they had a chance of staying on after but I always knew I’d end up in England.

Through Conor O’Dwyer and Barry Walsh (RACE), I got the chance to go over to Philip Hobbs as an amateur. I finished at the racing school in July 2011 and started my new job in August.

First ride

Normally, it would be a good year or so before you got your first ride but Philip put me up on a 14-year-old schoolmaster in a point-to-point the following March.

After I managed to fall off him, it was another 12 months before I got my next chance!

Just Hattie, my second ride, was my first winner when landing a point-to-point for Exmoor farmer Denis Branton. Woodford County, for Philip, was my first winner on the racecourse when winning an amateur riders’ handicap chase at Newbury in November 2014. Both that winner and my second, War Sound, were owned by great supporters of mine, The Englands and Heywoods.

Towards the end of that first season, War Sound would give me one of the biggest wins of my career.

With 10 winners, I was still in contention for the amateur championship but Philip thought that War Sound had a leading chance in the Grade 3 Swinton Hurdle at Haydock.

He told me that not many people would remember who was champion amateur but that if I turned conditional, I had the chance of a real payday on War Sound.

I turned that evening and went on to ride my first winner as a conditional in the Swinton.

I had ridden a few horses for trainer Renee Robson before she died. Stuart Edmunds, who took over the licence, continued to use me after that. I won a bumper on Maria’s Benefit for the stable, then also rode her when she won over hurdles at Newton Abbot.

She turned out to be a great mare for me; I think I won eight or nine races on her.

Great link up

Myself and Stuart had quite a lot of winners together - we never really spoke about anything like stable jockey but I ride the majority of his horses. It was a great link up and still is.

Over in England, the likes of someone like me, who is never going to be champion jockey, can still make a good living. There is plenty of racing, so if you are getting the rides, it can pay.

You are always hoping to find a nice horse to take you to the next level and Maria’s Benefit was that horse. Among her wins were a Grade 2 and two listed races.

With Stuart’s being a smaller yard, I know most of the owners on a personal level and would speak with them regularly.

Ben Turner, the owner of Marsh Wren, found the Thurles race and was very keen to bring the mare over to Ireland. He is a big stats man and felt that she had a real chance at the weights given her rating. He was brave enough to take the chance, so it was brilliant that it worked out so well.

My Dad drove me down to the races so that was really nice as well. Marsh Wren has been another great mare for me - Thursday was the eighth time she has won.

Main aim

Looking ahead, the main aim for me every season is to be consistent. If I can ride 30 winners, then it would go down as a good year. I try to surround myself with good people in the hope of coming upon that next good horse.

Apart from Stuart, I ride out a bit for Kim Bailey, Alastair Ralph and Dan Skelton. Another remaining ambition of mine is to one day ride a winner for Philip Rothwell.

I’ve had a few opportunities over the years, at the likes of Galway but so far I haven’t managed to win one. That would be a great day; a real feather in my cap.

Ciaran was in conversation with John O’Riordan