ONE For Arthur’s win in the Grade 3 Handicap Chase at Warwick last weekend provided a timely boost to my career.

Like any jockey, I want to be riding those big Saturday winners that raise your profile and bring you to the attention of a wider audience.

The horse has now established himself as a credible Grand National contender, one I feel could run a very big race; granted luck in running and an ease in the ground.

My mother’s side of the family are all involved in horses, so I was interested from a young age.

I started off show jumping at eight years old and later did a lot of pony racing. My uncle, Mark McNiff, is now a trainer but was riding for Michael McElhone when I was a child, so I used to ride out at the yard every morning before school – initially on the ponies and quiet horses.

Having started off around 11 or 12, I moved on to riding racehorses in my early teens, by which time I was a regular on the pony racing circuit. I stayed flapping until 16 and after leaving school I started full-time with Mark, who now had his trainers license.

I began riding in point-to-points a year later, while also having around 20 rides on the track as an amateur. In all I had more than 60 rides between the flags, mostly for my uncle. It was a great experience and certainly left me well equipped for later in life.

I split my time between Mark’s yard and that of Noel Kelly, another trainer who was very good to me.

Indeed, the latter provided me with my first winner, Mighty Whitey at Sligo in March, 2010.

TAKING THE PLUNGE

I spent a year down in Limerick with Charles Byrnes, during which time I turned conditional. I also rode a winner for the stable - Saoirses Sister, at Clonmel in 2011.

Shortly after my 19th birthday, I returned home to Sligo and went back to Mark five days a week.

The remainder of my week was spent riding work for Noel Kelly. For the next two seasons, I rode for both men, both in Ireland and when they had runners in Britain. I always had it in the back of my mind to come over and give the UK a try, as I felt there would be greater opportunities here.

My cousin, Stephen Fox, worked for Lucinda Russell and he advised me to take the plunge, particularly as I was still claiming 5Ib.

Having decided to come to Britain, I rode a winner on my very first ride for my new boss – The Friary, at Hexham in November 2013. Everything went really well that first season and I ended up with 12 winners here, as well as a further two in Ireland.

Lucinda is a great woman to work for and a very good trainer. Her partner, Peter Scudamore, is assistant here and has been invaluable with his help and advice. He has seen and done it all before, so it is brilliant to have him to turn to.

PROGRESS

I have been making steady progress since arriving in Britain, ending last season in second place in the conditional jockeys championship, riding 27 winners.

I also rode five more in Ireland, returning to ride whenever I didn’t have mounts in Britain. I lost my claim around Christmas 2015 and thankfully the boss has retained faith in me, continuing to put me up on the majority of the stable runners.

I inherited the ride on One For Arthur after regular jockey Peter Buchanan retired at the end of last season and the horse has been wonderful for my career.

I won on him at Kelso in October and after a pleasing effort in the Becher Chase at Aintree, he gave me the biggest win of my career at Warwick last Saturday.

He now goes straight for the Grand National – a race he would appear to have a genuine chance in. Just to ride a horse in the big race is a thrill in itself, but to do so on a live contender is something else entirely.