DEREK O'Connor recorded his 1,000th win in point-to-points when successful on Death Duty at Cragmore in Co Limerick on Sunday (February 15th).

O'Connor achieved the landmark with a 15-length victory in the Brightwells Bloodstock 4YO Geldings Maiden on the Gigginstown House Stud-owned runner for one of his principal supporters, Pat Doyle.

The Co Galway rider went on to win two more races on the card.

O'Connor's records and achievements in pointing would have been considered impossible before he became involved in the sport,

He has dominated point-to-points in a way similar to A.P. McCoy's dominance of the British racing scene.

When you consider that McCoy has ridden just over 4,000 winners in 22 years riding, then it is clear that 1,000 winners by O'Connor after little more than 10 seasons of racing - and only approximately 60 days racing per season - is every bit as impressive.

Point-to-pointing is a sport which requires, for the main part, a young horse to conserve energy for the early part of the race with a view to maximising his ability and finishing best.

No rider has a style better suited to this than O’Connor. His ability to switch off young horses and get them jumping as if oblivious to the rest of the race at times allows him to come home best and win when in many instances, horses would not have even completed.

Getting a horse to jump efficiently in the early part of the race has always allowed them to gain confidence and be brave when required in the latter stages. Over 700 of his winners have come in maiden races.

As trainer John Kiely says further down in this article, Derek also knows when he is beaten and understands the sport. He will ensure a trainer goes home with a horse to work with and is more likely to win the next day than if the rider as overly hard on them.

There is a myth that top jockeys ride so many winners because they always have the choice of the best horses. Obviously there is some truth in that but a punter has a choice of all the horses in a race and most rarely return a profit.

The reason Derek O’Connor has ridden to an over 25% strike rate since his first ride in 2001 is that, once he chooses a horse in a race, he makes a real difference to their chances of winning.

It is making the difference in instances where there is little between two horses that separates the best jockeys from the others and allows one man to ride 1,000 winners when most of those he competes against on a weekly basis will never ride 100.

Some of those who are closest to him and have known him from the outset, give their opinion on what makes O’Connor stand apart from the others.

PAURICK O’CONNOR

Brother/Handler

Although mum was a well-known point-to-point rider and we always had ponies around, Derek showed very little interest in horses before he was 12 or 13. It was all hurling before that.

We set up a local hunt/cross country called the Turkey Trotters over 20 years ago - it’s still going strong now. Derek decided to come out with us one day and must have got the bug there.

Once he became a regular, many of the locals remarked on his hands and how natural he was. He went to Jimmy Mangan for a summer but mustn’t have ridden out much as he was known as Derek the tractor driver when he came home!

Eventually he had his first ride and fell at the first and on his second ride he fell at the second but he always wanted it and a couple of falls were never going to put him off.

Pat and John Lynch along with Eugene O’Sullivan were a huge help to him in the beginning. He was still in school when he divided his first novice title with Mark Grant. Niall Kelleher gave him the winner he needed on Lord Atterbury.

John Costello put him up on a better class of horse and he began to be really noticed and it was the Costellos who also introduced him to Wilson Dennison which was his initial break in the north which was crucial for winning titles.

I suppose where luck played a part was Davy Russell turning professional and Derek managed to pick up many of his rides in Cork and Liam Burke was a source of a lot of winners at that stage.

He then began to ride more and more for Robert Tyner who is his biggest source of winners in recent years. Tom Lombard commented to me in Dromahane after one of his very early winners that he hadn’t seen a rider with hands like it before.

I remember Derek riding a winner over hurdles at Clonmel years ago and as we were leaving, it was the first time we met Pat Doyle. Pat asked Derek if he would ride one for him that weekend. Derek told him to phone later in the week and he would let him know. Pat quickly replied - ‘if you want to ride it ring me but I won’t be ringing you to ride my horse!’

I remember the year he won the amateur title on the track when John Kiely was very good to him putting him up on a lot of bumper winners. It was a frantic year leaving the north at the last minute every Saturday to get to Naas, Navan or Fairyhouse to ride in the bumper.

He left Bruff one day after riding a double to go to Cork racecourse and rode a double there also. He even had a helicopter go from Loughanmore to Fairyhouse. It was a huge effort but he won both titles so it was worth it in the end.

In November 2008 he injured his shoulder badly at Roscommon point-to-point. He had a lot of nice horses to ride at the time and the timing could not have been worse. I think Mary Tyner even tried putting his shoulder in at the races but not only was it dislocated, it was fractured in about six places.

I remember the determination he showed to come back and ride at Ballindenisk only five weeks later. He strapped up the shoulder and won a four-year-old maiden on Tyrone Golden Rain and I’d say he must have been in some pain as the shoulder could not have been right yet. He could hardly get up on the horse. I suppose that’s the commitment you need to ride 1,000 winners.

YOGI BREISNER

From a reference provided 2002

Derek completed an intensive coaching course with [Yogi] Breisner in December 2002 and took home the following report.

“Derek was an extremely nice person to work with. He listened and absorbed all the instructions in a very good way and found it very easy to adjust and improve. He has a very good balance and hands and a natural empathy and feel for the horse.

“Derek sees a good stride and displays a very soft good seat into, over and after the fence. Horses respond to him in a very positive manner... it has been a great pleasure to work with someone as talented as Derek and I would like to take this opportunity to wish him the best of luck for the future.”

JOHN KIELY

Trainer who played a leading role in O’Connor securing the track title

I have known Derek’s mother Jean for years and although I hadn’t enough horses to take him on full-time I was delighted to use him. From the outset we always seemed to just understand one another.

I have great admiration for the way he rides and he is great to look after a horse and allow for the following day if things haven’t worked out - that’s very important.

Riding 1,000 winners is an exceptional achievement.

ROBERT TYNER

Champion point-to-point handler - provided the most point winners

I met his brother Paurick at Goffs one day and took horses to Galway for him and he mentioned his brother was riding for Tom Costello. I thought if he is good enough for Tom Costello he will do me and on his first ride for me on the Cork Waterford circuit he won.

I knew from the outset he was very professional for a young lad and it is always very natural for him.

Even up to two weeks ago at Dungarvan, he gave two horses rides that would be ideal for a young lad starting out to watch and he is riding as well as ever which is a credit to him.

No one would have thought 1,000 winners was possible and it’s a terrific achievement.

PAT LYNCH

Family friend and trainer of his first winner

When Jean O’Connor approached us to see if we could give Derek a job riding horses we were delighted to oblige, we knew little about Derek but Jean had a huge impression left on us some 25 years earlier.

Jean was fearless and a top class rider and a great worker so we knew the pedigree was blacktype. Derek was 17 and had had a few rides in point-to-points.

What was interesting is that I remember as a child he would get nervous before playing in a big hurling match but when it came to a horse that was different. That was always natural and he was very comfortable and cool about riding horses whatever the occasion.

The day in Killaloe when Derek rode his first winner started like any other, as usual he arrived early to get everything ready. We had two runners and he was to ride both. He would always help out in the yard whether it was cattle being tagged or horses to prepare, which is a great work ethic to have.

The first runner was Tisalladream, who was running for the first time and he was a little unlucky in finishing a close third. Derek had the same hunger to win even then and was clearly disappointed to be beaten, he gave an ice cool performance in riding his brother Sean’s mare, Rossy Orchestra, to victory in the next race and as they say the rest is history.

In typical Derek fashion, he rode the mare up to the boundary hedge to share his celebration with John (my brother) who was cooling off the previous horse.

I still remember even after his first winner he nearly spent as long looking at Tisalladream being beaten wondering should he have won on him which I suppose is what helps him stand apart from the others from the day he rode his first winner.

It was evident from this young age, Derek was an extremely hard working and very cool individual and I think whatever walk of life he ventured, he would have made a success of it.

CAREER LANDMARKS WINNERS

100th – REGAL SON (Bartlemy 16.05.2004)

200th – ROYAL RANGER (Killeagh 15.01.2006)

300th – THE BOX PLAYER (Dromahane 06.05.2007)

400th – KAITLINS FANCY (Bartlemy 18.05.2008)

500th – ISLE OF THE CELTS (Ballysteen 26.04.2009)

600th – CARRIGERRY (Dromahane 25.04.2010)

700th – VINTAGE KRUG (Quakerstown 24.04.2011)

800th – TAKEMETOTHEISLAND (Kinsale 02.06.2012)

900th – FIDDLERS WAY (Knockanard 16.02.2014)

1000th - DEATH DUTY (Cragmore 15.02.2014)

THE IRISH FIELD RIDERS TITLE

Year No. Of Winners

2013-12 70

2012-11 70

2011-10 110

2010-09 101

2009-08 113

2008-07 94

2007-06 75

2006-05 72

2005-04 63

2004-03 59

Novice Title Winner

Year No. Of Winners

2003-02 28

2002-01 16

HRI AWARD

2005, 200, 2009, 2010, 2011

CHAMPION AMATEUR ON TRACK

2003-04 31

MOST SUCCESSFUL TRACK

Track No. Of Winners

Dromahane 122

Loughanmore 59

Maralin 51

WINNINGMOST HORSE

Horse No. Of Winners

Top Twig 12

Tyrone Golden Rain 11

Media Queen 7

HANDLER GIVING MOST WINNERS

HANDLERS No. Of Winners

Robert Tyner 121

P M J Doyle 55

Colin McKeever 44

Paurick O’Connor 42

*as of 28th January 2015

CHELTENHAM WINNERS

2011 Chicago Grey, Zemsky