At the beginning of this season, I had yet to ride a winner from over forty attempts. I wouldn’t say I was getting frustrated but was definitely starting to think was it ever going to happen. Having spoken to a lot of the lads, I was surprised to find some that you wouldn’t have thought would have taken so long to ride their first winner. As is so often the case, when I did eventually ride a winner at Leopardstown earlier this month, I followed it up with another on my very next ride. 

I don’t come from a horsey family, so I wouldn’t have been going racing every Sunday. I started off by going to the local riding school at home in Cobh, owned by my cousin Teresa McCarthy. I would have learned the basics there but aside from that and competing in a couple of newcomer competitions at local shows, that was all.

The pony I had went lame when I was 13, so I had a few years without any involvement. A friend of the woman who ran the yard I had that pony in worked for trainer Terence O’Brien. It was through him that I got the chance to spend a week’s work experience in that yard during transition year. I was raging that I hadn’t asked to spend the full two weeks with Terence. I ended up going to a local pet shop in town for the second week. It couldn’t have been any more different! 

First time riding out

I was with Terence from the Monday to the Friday. He let me sit up on one in the ring towards the end of the week and I was allowed ride out on the last day. The horse didn’t run away with me but he may as well have!

When I was leaving, Terence said to get back to him in the summer about coming in for those few months.

In February, it seemed a very long time until July but to be fair to Terence, he stuck to his word. After the summer, I stayed going in on weekends right through fifth and sixth year. By that stage, I was getting the hang of it. Terence was very good to me, letting me ride work to get more experience. 

After my Leaving Certificate, I went to Kildalton Agricultural College to do a two-year equine course. It ended up being very stop-start because of Covid. From September through to Christmas, we were only in college one week in the month. After Christmas, we weren’t allowed go back, so everything switched to online lessons. I still had to be in class but it meant I could do evening feeds with Terence and ride out at weekends.

Joseph O’Brien’s

From April onwards, the yard got very quiet, as Terence is mainly a jumps trainer. I had known a few of the lads out of Joseph O’Brien’s from college, so ended up going there for the summer of 2021. I continued to ride out at weekends and rode one lot every morning, right up to finishing college in April 2022.

In January, we had been asked what we wanted to do next after graduating. I had always wanted to be a jockey, while at the same time, I hadn’t a notion about it. Rosemary Gaffney, our course coordinator, advised me to contact a few different trainers. Pat Flynn was one of those that got back to me. I rode out for both him and Joseph between February and April, then went down to Pat full-time after finishing in college. 

I had started the process of applying for my apprentice licence while still in Kildalton. I had nine rides for Pat in my first season, 2022. It was an unreal experience, totally different to anything I had ever done. Last year, I rode in 25 races, which included my first outside ride for trainer Nigel Slevin. I can’t have done too bad because I kept the ride next time! Just to get an outside ride felt an achievement in itself, as it showed that I was doing something right.

Two winners

Over the last few seasons, I have been learning the whole way. Pat has been very good to me, putting me up on some decent horses. Although I was never put on ones that were strongly fancied, I managed to reach the places a few times.

I appreciate that Pat didn’t want to put me under extra pressure on horses that were expected to win. He is a great boss, an easy man to work for. He is understanding if I give one a bad ride.

Tudor Manor was a horse we always thought a lot of at home. For a long time, he was the best horse in the yard but he just never seemed to get his day. He had been so unlucky so many times that we were wondering would he ever get his moment. When he finally did manage to win at Leopardstown, it was unreal. He was just full of running coming up to the bend.

Having never ridden a winner before, I had no idea what it would feel like. Lads had said to me that the easiest finish you will ride is on a winner. I couldn’t quite understand it at the time but at Leopardstown it all made sense. Going to Cork four days after, I wouldn’t say I was confident of winning but I certainly felt more confident in myself.

I had so many seconds on Not Just Any Eagle but somehow it was different this time, just knowing that I could ride a winner. Cork is close enough to us, so they all came up from home. That just made it even more special.

They had driven me around the country as a child, up and down to Terence’s and anywhere I wanted to go. So, it was so nice to be able to share such an important moment with them. 

Robyn Donaghue-Leahy was in

conversation with John O’Riordan.