FOR anyone involved in point-to-points and hunter chases, the Joseph O’Reilly Memorial Hunters Chase at Fairyhouse over Easter is one of the biggest races on the calendar.

I was fortunate enough to win this year’s renewal on Five Star Getaway. What made it even more special was that the horse is trained by my father John Paul and owned by my uncle Darragh.

I don’t remember my father riding, but can remember him telling us stories about those days. He had already started to train point-to-point horses before he retired from riding, so I was born into a racing yard at home.

However, I didn’t actually start riding ponies until I was 11 or 12. I wouldn’t go near the horses up until then. It was all football for me until I started in secondary school. Even though I had a few ponies in my early teens and moved on to riding a few quiet racehorses at home, it was mostly still football until I was 15.

I started to ride out at home on weekends and whenever I had any free time. It gradually began to change around then. I still play football with the local club to this day, but the horses are the main interest now.

I was in fifth year in school when I rode my first point-to-point winner. That was actually on my very first ride, on a horse called A Rated. We had got a lend of him to get me started and he carried the family colours to win at Castlelands in March 2022. I won another three races on him that first season and we were also third three times.

I started off well the following season and rode a few winners. I broke my collarbone then and, with the Leaving Cert that same summer, I wasn’t allowed ride after that. The year after that, I was in Kildalton College getting the Green Cert in Stud Management. I rode a few point-to-point winners again.

Change of luck

Last year, I broke my collarbone again, so that kind of put paid to much of the season. I’ve already had seven winners this term, so thankfully things have been going well. Hopefully, I can ride a few more and build on that.

I’m based at home with my father full-time. In the afternoons, I ride out for my uncle Darragh. I also go into Vincent Devereaux and, on a Thursday, I go up to Denis Murphy to school horses. Last July, I rode Richieandsams Lady to win a bumper in Sligo.

That mare was my first winner on the racecourse. I rode her to win a point-to-point previously. She had been unlucky a couple of times as well, so we kept her for a bumper. Darragh doesn’t have a trainer’s licence, so we sent her to Brendan Oliver Walsh.

Five Star Getaway is a horse we know well. My father had trained him to win a five-year-old maiden before Christian Williams bought him. We followed his career closely and he did very well for Christian, winning four races.

When the opportunity came up to get the horse back, we were thrilled. He has been very good to me. I only won one point-to-point on him, but he has been really consistent.

Surreal success

We always wanted to run in a few hunter chases with Five Star Getaway this year. Aintree had been the plan, but when that didn’t happen, we picked out the Joseph O’Reilly at Fairyhouse.

We undoubtedly had luck on our side on the day, but it was just unbelievable. All the family were up at Fairyhouse on the day. Obviously, my father trained him and he carried my uncle’s colours to win. To be honest, it still hasn’t sunk in. It was only my second winner under rules and to do it for family made it extra special.

We hope to get to the Punchestown Festival with the horse in a couple of weeks. There is also a hunter chase in Stratford a few weeks later that we have one eye on. Looking further ahead, I’m just hoping that the injuries are behind me and that I can get a good run at it now. Hopefully, I can ride a few more winners.

I haven’t really thought about turning professional or anything like that. It would be great to pick up more rides in bumpers and hunter chases on the track, but for the next couple of years my main focus is on concentrating on point-to-points.

Josh was in conversation with John O’Riordan