MIDNIGHT Dusk’s win at the Curragh on Derby weekend was my fourth flat winner of the year. I only had my first runner last August and sent out two winners just before Christmas.

Things have been going really well so far and it’s great to have doubled last year’s number already. Hopefully we can continue to build on that success over the coming months and add further winners.

I’m the oldest of five brothers. I started off with ponies at home. Jason, who is the second oldest, would have done a lot of hunting and cross-country with me. When we were older, our parents would have brought us off show jumping. That’s when we got involved in competitive events for the first time.

Jason would be very well known in show jumping and has represented Ireland on the international stage the last couple of years.

I stayed at the show jumping up until my mid-teens but then moved into horse racing. I was the only one in the family that went that route; the other four all stayed with the show jumping.

First real job

I would have ridden out in a few different places before I had my first real job with Tom Mullins. He is only a few miles from us at home. I would have been about 15 when I started riding out for Tom on weekends. I left school soon after that and spent a couple of years with Tom.

During that time, I got out a licence and had a handful of rides for him. I spent a season riding out in Nicky Henderson’s yard which was a really good grounding and experience; being surrounded by so many good horses and jockeys.

That summer when I came home, I went down to Donnchadh Doyle’s Monbeg Stables where I worked there for two full point-to-point seasons. I got a great education from breaking and handling young horses all the way through to schooling and riding work. I got my amateur licence out and I had about 30 rides for Donnchadh in point-to-points.

Different trainers

After that, I spread myself around a bit and, rode out for a few different trainers. Around Covid time, I came back up to Tom Mullins. As an amateur, I rode my first winner on the track for Tom on Rock Chica in a juvenile hurdle at Tipperary in October 2020.

I had a handful of rides after that winner before Tom advised me to turn professional. He told me that he would support me as best he could, and he did just that. I probably had up to 50 rides that first season.

I rode a double at the Morgiana Hurdle meeting on Chavi Artist and Grand Partner; both for Tom.

It was the following season (2021/22) that it all took off. I rode 43 winners for 23 individual trainers and was crowned champion conditional.

I was still based with Tom at the start of that season but picked up some rides for Willie Mullins that summer in the races restricted to those that had ridden 15 winners or less during a specific time period. That really helped to get my name out there.

I started getting a lot of outside rides that summer and was lucky to pick up some good rides for Willie at the Galway Festival, where I rode Burning Victory in the Galway Hurdle and Brahma Bull in the Galway Plate.

Opportunities

I slotted into Willie’s that season and, between himself and Tom, I got plenty of opportunities which led to getting a lot of good rides from a lot of outside trainers. I rode a couple of doubles and trebles that season which really helped with the championship. I also had my first ride at Cheltenham; finishing third in the Coral Cup aboard Ashdale Bob for Mrs Harrington.

Winning the €100,000 Grade A Novice Handicap Chase at the Punchestown Festival on El Barra for Willie Mullins and Susannah and Rich Ricci is one race that really stands out. It sealed the conditional title for me after a good battle all season with Shane Fitzgerald and Jordan Gainford.

Having ridden out the bulk of my claim that season, I lost my claim fairly quickly in 2022/23 season. I found it harder without the claim and, compared to the previous season it was slow. I rode a further 15 winners that campaign.

In June 2023, I got injured at Punchestown and that put me on the back foot. I missed a good few months and I struggled to get rides when I came back. It’s so competitive here in Ireland, with so many capable riders.

Yearlings

A few trainers I had a relationship with continued to support me but I never reached the heights of the previous two seasons. I would be very friendly with Ger O’Neill of Capital Stud, and from October 2024, I started helping out with their yearlings in the afternoons. I was still riding out in the mornings and going racing whenever the opportunities were there.

I enjoyed breaking the yearlings at Capital Stud and getting them going. It was the first time that I had really worked hands on producing the young horses which I really enjoyed doing.

Watching them progress through the stages, in the back of my mind, I thought that if a few of the breeze-up horses didn’t sell, I might get the chance to train them.

I sat the trainers’ course in March 2025. However, the breeze-up horses all ended up being sold.

Luckily, Donnchadh had said he’d give me a couple of horses to start off with. He later offered me his second yard to train from. I moved down to Wexford in June of last year. I had five horses starting off and sent out my first runner in August. Donnchadh also gave me Monbeg Park at that time to train.

He finished fourth in the Grade 2 PWC Champion Chase at Gowran on his second start for us. He was then runner-up to Heart Wood in the Grade 3 BetVictor Chase at Punchestown in October.

December 2025 and Liberation Date and Luke McAteer win at Dundalk for trainer Jack Foley with Donnchadh Doyle (right) and groom Becky Parson \ Healy Racing

First winner

During that time, I only had a handful of runners on the flat before Liberation Date gave us our first winner in a maiden at Dundalk on December 12th. Midnight Dusk gave us a second the following week.

Thankfully things have been going well since the turn of the year where we now have 20 horses riding out.

Incredible Army won at Dundalk in February and Ruler’s Control made a winning debut in the opening two-year-old maiden of the season at the Curragh in March. He was later sold to Reeves Thoroughbreds and he is now in training with Joseph O’Brien and finished fourth at Royal Ascot last month.

Catalani provided me with my first jumps winner in a hunter chase at Down Royal in May.

Midnight Dusk has won two further races and looked to still be improving when winning very impressively at the Curragh last weekend.

Fantastic opportunity

I’m very fortunate to have come across Donnchadh. He gave me the leg up and, without him I wouldn’t be in this position. A year ago, I hadn’t even had a runner. I don’t take it for granted. He has given me a fantastic opportunity to start my training career.

I’m determined to make the most of the opportunity. I am working out of a beautiful yard and, have some lovely, well-bred horses here.

Anyone who knows Donnchadh, will know that he buys a really nice type of horse.

He is a great man to train for. There’s never any pressure and If you make a mistake, you learn from it and move on. Donnchadh has put huge trust in me which I’m very grateful for and I want to prove that faith to be justified.

Jack was in conversation with John O’Riordan.