IF the old seanfhocal “tús maith leath na hoibre” is true, then we’re surely set for a crackerjack of a campaign in the top echelon of National Hunt jockeys in Ireland this season.
No rider in the weighing room will have the firepower that reigning champion jockey Paul Townend has at his disposal, but one of the stories of Ireland’s summer jumping action has been the rapid start from Darragh O’Keeffe. He has blasted out of the gates like a Wesley Ward speedball - and he’s showing no signs of stopping.
The Doneraile, Co Cork native could hardly have chosen a better way to start what feels like the most significant National Hunt campaign of his career. There is a fresh dynamic at play for him in 2025/’26 as he steps up into a plum role in Henry de Bromhead’s yard following Rachael Blackmore’s shock retirement in May.
The numbers are all adding up for the 25-year-old, who can give an air of the Duracell bunny in terms of his energy in the saddle - whether that is a summer Tuesday at Sligo or winter Sunday at Navan.
From Friday of last week to yesterday, a treble has seen O’Keeffe’s tally rise to a sizzling 45 winners for the young season, which already has him in clear sight of last term’s domestic total of 59. Crucially, he remains 18 winners clear of the current jockeys’ title holder and 19 winners clear of Jack Kennedy.
For context, the season that Kennedy won the championship after a duel with Townend, he was two winners behind the multiple champion on a scoreline of 26-28 by the end of September. O’Keeffe led Townend 41-22 at the same point this season, though Paddy Power still make Townend the 8/13 favourite to retain his crown over O’Keeffe at 5/4. Those odds were set at 1/2 Townend - 15/8 O’Keeffe up until this week, though.
With momentum high, an exciting few months lie in store for the challenger, who has been by far the most in-demand jockey in Irish National Hunt racing this season (his 281 rides before yesterday nicely clear of his nearest colleagues on 220 and 164). His seat at the top table has been well earned - a mere six years on from his breakout summer as a teenage claimer.
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I’ve read that you got a great grounding in pony racing from the age of 10, but you’ve also been in some great yards in that formative period of your career. Give me an idea of some of the biggest influences on your career.
“I’ve said it before, but Enda Bolger has definitely been the biggest person to shape what I’m doing. He made me work for it. When I went into his place for the first time, I was never anywhere like it before. You grafted, you schooled and every day he told you what you needed to improve on until it was right. When I was with him full-time, I knew that he was watching me ride for any other yards too, able to help me improve across the board. The next morning, you could be sure he’d have watched all of my rides. I couldn’t speak highly enough of him. He’s been the biggest influence on my riding, he improved me no-end.”
I don’t think I’ve ever spoken to a rider who wants to draw huge attention to a jockeys’ championship bid - and definitely not as early as we are in the National Hunt season now - but you’ve made an incredible start to 2025/’26. You’ve given yourself a serious chance to build on this platform for the rest of the season, whatever happens.
“I’d say every jockey riding would love to be champion jockey. That’s what you do it for. Paul Townend sets the standard and it the fella we all have to beat. In fairness, I’ve got a dream start - we went at it hard. It’s a great position to be in, but I’m under no illusions about what Paul and Willie can do when their top guns start rolling. Whatever happens, there’d be no shame come the end of the season if Paul and Jack [Kennedy] end up going past me - they’re brilliant riders. Every jockey’s goal is to be champion, though. We’ll have a go.”
You have a new dynamic this year with Rachael retired. There’s pressure when riding in any top role in racing, but given you rode plenty of the big guns when she was injured last season she missed time, I’d imagine it won’t be totally new territory for you in Henry’s?
“There is an element of pressure in it, but you’d rather be going out riding with that pressure than not at all. You’re on a better standard of horse. It wasn’t the best of circumstances to be getting the rides last season, but we had plenty of rides and a bit of success. It was great to see Rachael going out on her own terms. She achieved everything that could be done.”
We all know how Henry’s horses can explode into form at the spring festivals, but he’s still well able to have prominent winners in the autumn. What’s the vibe like around Knockeen at this time of year?
“The horses will be doing more over the coming weeks but I think everyone is happy with the team that’s here to go to war with. There are a lot of horses and plenty of new recruits, as well as some nice types from bumpers last season.”
Talk to me about some of the big names. The Big Westerner looks built for fences and ran a cracker to be second in the Albert Bartlett. Bob Olinger is turning 11 and surely will be trained for another crack at the Stayers’ Hurdle, and Air Of Entitlement is another Cheltenham Festival winner from last season. The old stalwart Envoi Allen has been mentioned as a possible to go back to Down Royal again for the Ladbrokes Champion Chase.
“You’d like to think The Big Westerner should improve for jumping fences, being a fine, big, scopey mare who won a point-to-point. She should be really exciting. Bob has been some servant to everyone, he’s such a classy horse. I’d say he surprised a few people last year but even at home, his work always tends to be very good. He’s not getting any younger but he’s retaining his ability. Air Of Entitlement is a fine mare. Looking at the performance, I think she outstayed Sixandahalf at Cheltenham and hit the line well. I’m not sure what route she’s going down but she’s back in and looks well - you’d be excited about her. Envoi has been another incredible servant and it sounds like they’re talking about Down Royal. To ride him, or even just look at him, you wouldn’t think he’s the age he is [11 rising 12]. He retains all his enthusiasm and they do a great job keeping him fresh and well. You couldn’t rule him out going there.”
You’ve already ridden winners for 16 different yards this season, but you ride prominently for the Robcour colours as well, and Dornan have been your sponsors. What’s it like to work closely with the Acheson team? They’re driving plenty of investment in the game and seem to have a real appetite for competing at the highest level.
“It’s brilliant to have a sponsor like them. They’ve been great to me and given me fantastic opportunities. Even the day that Bob Olinger was going over fences for the first time at Gowran back in 2021, he was one of the most exciting horses in training that season and they had no problem putting me up on him.
I was thrilled to win a Grade 1 for them on Hiddenvalley Lake at Aintree last season. They’ve been massive investors in the sport and you’d wish them all the success they can get.”
You touched on riding better quality horses, and that’s obviously key for any jockey making progress in the ranks, but is there something else you feel has helped you elevate your own riding in the last few years? Have you worked on a certain element of your riding, or felt self-improvement in an area that we mightn’t necessarily have spotted?
“A lot of it is experience. You get older and the more races you ride in, you use your head more. You get to know the tracks better and the style of racing. I think in the last few years, I definitely notice that there’s a difference between being in the ‘summer mode’ and heading into winter. You have to leave the summer behind then and can’t ride the same race in winter. I’ve got brilliant people who help me too, and riding a better quality of horse is big. I’ve got a fantastic agent in Garry Cribbin as well. He keeps me busy with outside rides if I’m not riding for Henry. You need to know when you’re making mistakes too.”
I remember speaking to you after Cheltenham last spring and you made a reference in the conversation to the sectional times of a horse. You were marking up the run of Senior Chief when he was sixth in the Coral Gold Cup, with a view to him being one to appreciate the step up to the Grand National trip. In fairness, you were on the money and he ran a big race at Aintree to finish sixth. Do you tend to place much emphasis on looking back at metrics like sectionals in your analysis of races and riding?
“I would. On that occasion with Senior Chief, I fancied him going to Newbury but he never got into a rhythm. What I kept telling everyone was that it felt like he flew home, and I looked back at his sectionals to confirm that he was nearly the fastest horse in the field through the last two or three furlongs. I look at the times rather than going deep into the jumping figures - you can feel pretty easily if one is jumping well or not if he’s rooting fences out of it - but I do look back at fast finishers from time to time. Sometimes a run can look worse than it actually was, and the times can shed more light on that.
Even in the winter, if you’re querying whether we went too quick on testing ground, or thought that we’d got racing too early, I would look into the timing - without overcomplicating it.”
I’m interested to know how you felt walking out of Cheltenham last season. You had 12 rides, only one of which was a single-figure price - the average SP of your rides was actually 56/1 - and you were in the money on all bar three without managing to get a winner. One of those that was unplaced definitely would have been too, Quilixios, but for tipping up at the last in the Champion Chase. Your horses seemed to run extremely well but it still must have been frustrating leaving without a winner.
“It’s funny, you’d have people saying ‘you must be sick not to get a winner’, but my best ride was The Big Westerner and bar not winning on her, you couldn’t have been disappointed or frustrated with any of the runs. She got a little hampered at the second last but still ran very well. I was third in the Gold Cup, was challenging at the last in the Champion Chase, finished second in the Ryanair, second in the Novice Handicap Chase… I obviously don’t like finishing second but when you’re riding in those races and running well, that’s where you want to be competitive. I enjoyed being in the mix at a big meeting like that.”
From speaking to plenty of riders coming out of Cheltenham last year too, it felt like there was added perspective for everyone when we were racing there without Michael O’Sullivan. I gather you would have sat beside him in the weighing room plenty - Cork lads sticking together!
“That’s it. When things like that happen, as much as you might be disappointed not to have a winner, you have to tell yourself it’s a sport. You hope that when you leave a place like that, you’ll be able to come back a year later and rectify anything that needs to be done. It was a strange meeting to be there after what happened. Renaming the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle after him was nice, but it was a weird meeting after all that happened.”
Even in those weeks after Michael’s fall, I’ve always felt it might have been underestimated slightly by some how well the industry - but especially jockeys as a whole - managed to keep going. Keeping turning up at the races with all that was going on. There was an awful lot to have to cope with on a human level, but you were all still expected to keep performing at a high level as professional athletes. That couldn’t have been easy on the mind?
“It was tough. It hit everyone and it wasn’t just jockeys - it was stable staff and all types of people involved. We all take the hit when something like that happens. That’s the one thing about the racing community, though - for all that we want to beat each other every day, we all come together when difficult times arrive. As tough as it was for everyone, you knew where it would be felt most was with his family. If anyone could have helped them in anyway... That’s all I was thinking of anyway
“For the first few days back, everyone wanted to get in and get out. Everyone has different ways of coping with things too. Jennifer [Pugh] had support there for us and we as jockeys looked out for one another, where you felt it was needed. I think everyone did a good job of keeping an eye on others.”
And the family made it clear that Michael would have wanted everyone to continue on their pathway in the game. He had great passion for the sport, and, from early on, I’ve always got the impression you have a lot of natural enthusiasm for racing too.
“It’s a great sport that we’re in and it’s great to be doing this - Michael was the same. I’d sit beside him a good bit and we had great craic, plenty of banter. He was always striving to be better. Even when himself and Barry Connell went separate ways, he got stuck in and put himself out there. He was probably going into places he normally wouldn’t, and wasn’t taking a backseat. He was out to make a point to get on with it, and over and back to France. He always tried to improve. He had a lot of passion.”
Looking at this season, is there one goal you have in mind? I won’t put pressure on you to have to say the title!
“I always set out to ride 50 winners - that’s a good number in Ireland. I’d love to get as close as I can to 100 winners someday; I’m not saying I will but I’d love to be up there in the 80s or 90s. Another Grade 1 winner or two would be fantastic too.”
What are you listening to on the road while travelling between yards and race meetings?
“Every day when I’m on my way to Henry’s, I’m normally in the car before 6am and start off listening to Red FM’s breakfast show with a coffee. When I get to the Waterford border, the signal starts to go so I switch to Spotify, but it’s funny, I’d be chatting on the phone lots too. My dad, who is in the building game, rings me at 6.30am every morning for 10 or 15 minutes. I’d ring lads going to work every morning and then Garry Cribbin is probably on the phone once he gets back from an ‘easy’ 10-mile run at 6.45am.”
Tell us something about you that might surprise people.
“I love playing pool and snooker. I’ve always had an interest and played as a kid growing up. I’m a big fan of following Ronnie O’Sullivan - he’s the best that’s ever been, and there’s still a bit of madness in him!”
What horse got you into racing as a kid?
“Hurricane Fly stands out. He was class to watch. I got a real kick out of Denman too.”
What’s your favourite film?
“A tricky question, but I’ve always liked Meet The Fockers.”
What advice would you like to have given your 18-year-old self?
“Work hard and surround yourself with people to make you strive to be better.”
What race has been your favourite to ride in?
“I love riding in the Grand Annual at Cheltenham. I know I won it on Maskada, but, even aside from that, it’s some buzz being in a two-mile chase with 20 runners around there.”
What race defeat still stings?
“Heart Wood [finishing a close second] in the Drinmore at Fairyhouse last year. Hopefully he’ll have a good season ahead.”
Give us a dark horse or two for the future.
“I think there’s a nice bunch of horses to look forward to in Henry’s this season. Scope To Improve won a bumper at Naas last season and I think he could be a nice horse for the year ahead, and I’d also give a mention to Salsinha. She won a fillies’ bumper at Cork in July and, fingers crossed, she looks smart.”