IN July of last year, I probably thought that racing was an easy game. After three winners in less than a fortnight, I’d ridden out my 10lb claim. Looking back now, maybe that turned out not to be the best thing for me.

I had only had 11 rides before that, so was still very green and inexperienced. I certainly couldn’t have imagined that it would take me another five months before I’d next visit the winner’s enclosure.

I grew up around horses. My grandad on my dad’s side had horses in training with Paddy Mullins. The racing would always have been on in the house when dad and my uncles were younger.

On the other side of the family, my mom’s father was Master of the Waterford Hunt. He would have had the horses stabled at home.

Both my parents, Jack and Cheryl, hunted and rode eventers. I suppose it was a natural progression for my two brothers Ben and Cian, and myself to get ponies and do pony club.

I never did much hunting as a child but would have done a bit of eventing and IPS stuff. I live just five minutes from Henry de Bromhead in Knockeen and would have been in the same class in school as his son, Jack. We would have been good friends and rode ponies together.

Towards the end of sixth class, Jack had started riding out for his dad. I would have always been asking him how the horses were going. One day, he brought me in to the yard with him and, I’ve never left.

Good to me

Henry, who is a family friend, has been so good to me. The start that he has given me in racing is unreal. He rang me up last January and said that he had a horse in the yard that would get me going. I had taken out my apprentice licence with him three months earlier.

Catena Zapata had been off injured but we brought him home and did a lot of flat work and pre-training with the horse. When we sent him back to Henry, I rode the horse in five of my first seven races on the racecourse.

I would eventually get a winner on Catena Zapata but before that Stepdance was my first one under rules.

She had won her previous start at Tramore, so when she went to Limerick for an apprentices’ race on July 12th, we expected her to run well. There was a sense of anticipation in the yard that morning that I could ride my first winner.

Fortunately, everything went to plan on what was only my seventh racecourse ride. I sat in the box seat throughout and, when I grabbed a hold of her, she quickened up well. I could hear the horses closing behind me but she stayed on to win.

I never thought something like that (riding a winner) could happen but it was an incredible experience.

Confidence

Four days later, I was still on a bit of a high from Limerick, when I won on Catena Zapata at Killarney. I was riding with plenty of confidence after that first winner and it definitely helped.

Catena Zapata was bittersweet. I had put a lot of work into getting the horse ready and he gave me my start as a jockey. It was great to get him over the line. However, that Killarney race was a claimer and, we lost him to Ian Donoghue afterwards.

I rode my third winner later in July when Curious Bride won for Eamon O’Connell at Leopardstown. Like I said, it all happened so quickly for me and, I probably wasn’t quite ready for it at the time.

I started in a new school when I went back after the summer and that, too, took some time for me to settle in. I continued to get rides but not as many outside rides. Henry was very good to me. I had two rides in the Racing League in Newcastle and rode at Leopardstown on Champions Weekend.

I had 31 rides between July and January. I started riding out for Pat Murphy in Kilkenny. Through my agent, Kevin O’Ryan, I got to know Danny McLoughlin. Although he is based on the Curragh, I try to get up there the odd Sunday or when I am off school.

Great supporters

Both have been great supporters over the last few months. I was delighted to ride a winner for Pat on Mythical Rock at Dundalk last week. It was also a bit of a monkey off my back. I had been waiting five months to get my first as a 7lb claimer. That horse had been second the time before, so I was confident that he would be placed at least.

It was great to get the winner, especially for Pat. I’m in fifth year in school at the moment, so the plan is to keep both that and the riding up. I think it’s definitely harder when you are in school. At the same time, there isn’t a lad in the weigh room that would tell you to leave school. It’s important to have that to fall back on.

Once I do my Leaving Certificate next year, I hope to give the riding a proper good go and see how far that takes me.

Conor was in conversation with John O’Riordan