RIDING a first Grade 1 winner on Fleur In The Park in the WillowWarm Gold Cup was unbelievable. The only thing that made it better was that it was for Andy Slattery. The Slatterys have made my career what it is and, I wouldn’t be riding at this level if it wasn’t for Andy, William and Brian and their team at home. They put me on the map, so it was nice to be able to repay them a small bit on Sunday.

Mam and Dad weren’t actually into horses at all, although they did follow the racing. My cousins had ponies and once I got to sit up on one, it took off from there. I told Mam and Dad that I wanted lessons and, to be fair, they took me up to the Tipperary Equestrian Centre. I was only three or four at that time but I went up there every weekend after that.

I was involved with the Golden Vale Pony Club and hunted with the Golden Vale Hunt. Around 14 or 15, I started riding out in Pat Doyle’s. I learned a lot in the season and a half that I was there. I rode out in the mornings and Pat’s wife Mary dropped me to school afterwards.

I then went to Sam Curling for a season or two. I did my Leaving Certificate at 17, then took out my amateur licence with Andy straight after that. I spent a couple of seasons point-to-pointing but was light all the time. Andy and the lads said that I should turn conditional, as I would get more rides with a claim.

To be fair, the lads really got me going and gave me plenty of rides. I turned conditional in 2021 and had my first winner on Voice Of Hope in Kilbeggan that July. I rode three more winners that first season. I am in Andy’s every morning then go into Michael Bowe in the afternoon. He has also been very good to me.

Taking off

In my second season things really took off. I rode 16 winners and was well supported by Andy, Michael and trainers like Harry Kelly, Sam Curling and Tim Doyle. Michael McDonagh was another man who was very good to me. I picked up plenty of outside rides. Ken Whelan, who has been my agent from the start, does a great job.

I rode 13 winners in 2023/’24 but that was part of a stop-start period in my career. I was out for three months with a broken wrist. I wasn’t long back when I broke my leg and was off another six months. Then when I came back again I broke my other wrist and missed another three months.

In all, I was off almost 12 months in the space of a year and a half. I was lucky enough in that my brother was involved in the breaking and pretraining business with me at the time and that kept me busy and my mind ticking over. He later got a good job show jumping in Holland and is now based over there.

Last season I rode 25 winners and finished third in the conditional jockeys’ championship. I had a great run of it around Christmas, riding a winner or a double three or four days in succession. I was up there all the way in the title race and gave it a right good go. I came up short in the end but a good lad won it.

Big winners

I rode a big race winner for Harry Kelly and Michael Bowe on Glen Kiln at Fairyhouse last Easter. That was my biggest win up to that time and I was thrilled to get it for such great supporters. I also rode out my claim over the summer. Up to last weekend, I had ridden 16 winners for the season. I ride out Fleur In The Park at home every day.

I know he was a 22/1 outsider on Sunday but we fancied him strongly to be in the first three. He had done very little wrong in his career. He’s had excuses for his only two poor runs, as on one occasion the ground was very bad and, the second time, he had missed a bit of work before the race. We weren’t going to Fairyhouse thinking he was an outsider and the horse didn’t know what price he was.

I don’t really set any specific targets but it was great to ride a Grade 1 winner. Like everyone, I’d love to get a Cheltenham winner one day and maybe ride over the National fences at Aintree. I’m on around 75 career winners now, so getting to 100 would be something I’d like to achieve. Down the line, I hope I can develop the breaking and pre-training business further, but I’m not thinking about retiring from race-riding for a good while yet.

My parents have always been great supporters and all of the family texted me after the win at the weekend. We lost a first cousin of ours, Dillon, three years ago. He died playing hurling. I have no doubt that he was looking down on me on Sunday. I wear the logo of the Dillon Quirke Foundation on my riding gear. I know that he would have been delighted with the win at Fairyhouse.

Cian was in conversation with John O’Riordan.