IT was 21 years ago this week that I rode San Sebastian to win the Ascot Stakes for trainer Michael Grassick. I was the reigning champion Irish apprentice at the time and, a year later, I had my first Group 1 winner aboard Preseli, in the Moyglare Stud Stakes, again for Michael.

Moving to England for the remainder of my career, I rode future champions Ouija Board, Snow Fairy and Authorized on the racecourse, and I returned to the Curragh to win the Irish St Leger in 2011 on Duncan, who dead-heated with Jukebox Jury.

There were 11 more Royal Ascot winners too and yet some would say my riding career was overshadowed by a 10-year ban I received in 2013, which effectively ended my days as a jockey.

Despite wholeheartedly maintaining my innocence against those corruption charges, I had to accept then that it was time to move on to the next chapter of my life.

It was always my intention to become a pre-trainer and I have now established a thriving business doing just that on the Curragh. I’ve never been happier. More about that later, but let me take you back to where it all started for me.

As the son of a shop owner from Templemore, Co Tipperary, I had no background in horses or racing. My older sister had a big interest and I used to follow her around as a child.

When she got a summer job working at Bill Harney’s stables, I tagged along. Later, I took riding lessons at Ryans of Mill Road in Thurles, before buying my first pony. My parents have always been my best supporters.

As we lived on the main street in the town, we had no land but we did have a huge back garden. With the only access being through the front door and house itself, that pony [Ginger] had to be led in and out each day!

There was grazing at the back of my school, so I would ride the pony bareback every day with my schoolbag on my back. Once there, I would lead the pony to the field, head to class and leave the bridle in the cloakroom. As we had no horsebox or lorry, when I wanted to go hunting, I would stand at the side of the road with the horse beside me and thumb a lift!

One day I met Charlie Swan at a hunt, although at the time I had no idea who he was. He invited me to come ride out for his father, Captain Donald Swan. That education that really stood to me. The Captain was real old school gentleman, believing in the importance of a young lad having manners and being polite, and the staff there were great.

I rode very successfully on the pony racing circuit during my time in Swans and, when I reached 15, the Captain sent me to RACE. After completing the 10-month course I was apprenticed to Michael Grassick (senior).

My first four rides on the track were for Captain Swan, but it was Ardlea House, trained by Oliver Finnegan, who was my first winner at Dundalk in 1994.

Champion apprentice

I was named most improved apprentice in my second season and in 1997 I became champion apprentice. I rode out my claim during that campaign but the rules were changed subsequently, meaning not only did I get my apprentice licence back for the following season but I also got to claim a further pound! Michael was a great boss to work for and really looked after me. He helped me buy my first house and was always available if I needed advice, either racing related or otherwise.

I must also mention Peter and Ross Doyle who have been very helpful to me in several ways through my career in racing. It was Peter who first put me in touch with Norwegian trainer Wido Neuroth, who still dominates racing in Scandinavia.

In the late 1990s, when his retained rider was injured, Wido approached me about the possibility of travelling over at weekends to ride for him. So, I would go over every Sunday, ride in six or seven races, usually winning four or five, and often including a classic!

Mobile phones and the internet had yet to really take off in those days, so news of my successes would be slow in reaching Ireland. I would come in to work on Monday morning and Michael [Grassick] would ask how I got on at the weekend. I would tell him something like “I won the Derby” or “I won another two Group 1s”.

Through Swedish owner Mikael Magnusson I started riding a few horses in England for trainer Gerard Butler, again at weekends when I had no rides at home. I had been traveling back and forth for a couple of years before Gerard asked the question I had been waiting for – would I be interested in signing on as stable jockey? Having talked it through with Michael Grassick, I took the decision to move to England full-time.

I was put up in an apartment owned by Gerard Butler’s main employer Erik Penser and an extensive promotional campaign was set in motion. My new agent, Chris McGrath, telephoned a number of leading Irish trainers for testimonials and he took out a huge advertisement in the Racing Post. Among those who gave me a ringing endorsement was Dermot Weld, for whom I had won the American Derby on Pine Dance.

During that first season in Britain, I rode 85 winners, a figure I improved on in each of the next two years [108, 136]. In fact, I rode over 100 winners every season from then on.

After leaving the role with Gerard Butler, I spent three seasons on a retainer with Jeremy Noseda, before going freelance. I had ridden a few times for Henry Cecil, a man I had always looked up to in racing. One morning, Chris [McGrath] called me to ask if I had read that day’s Racing Post. Henry had given an interview in which he referred to me as the stable’s second jockey.

On my agent’s prompting I called Henry and asked if it was true or had he been misquoted. He simply replied: “I’ll see you on Tuesday morning”. So, that is how I found out I had got a job at Warren Place. I was thrilled to ride a Royal Ascot winner for him, Father Time.

Ed Dunlop, trainer of Ouija Board and Snow Fairy, provided me with plenty of winners and I also enjoyed notable success riding for Ed’s late father, John. Indeed, the rather appropriately named Times Up was my final winner as a jockey and John Dunlop’s as a trainer, when taking the Doncaster Cup in September 2012.

Banned

I was subsequently banned following a long-running investigation into a minor all-weather race.

Five years on, looking back on it with an older head, I know there are things that I should have done differently. I accept that I sailed a little too close to the wind on occasions, in being too open with people and not keeping myself to myself. As a very outgoing person, I found it hard to be disciplined, something that undoubtedly led to problems.

If I could offer one piece of advice to any young lad starting out, it would be; get in your car and drive home after racing. If you must go out for a drink, do so in a quiet country pub, not a busy one in Newmarket. Alcohol is and always has been a big part of our sport. If you can control that or turn your back on it entirely, then you are a better person than most of us.

As I mentioned earlier, I always wanted to pre-train, so that is why I went to work for Richard and Tiffany Morgan-Evans in Newmarket. Richard is one of the best in the business and has had many good horses through his hands. Tiffany is an accomplished event rider. I soaked up as much knowledge from them as I could before I came back to Ireland.

I wanted to spend more time with my three sons – Corey (21), Conor (14) and Niall (13). I missed out on a lot of family time when I was living in England, not just with my own lads but I also missed my own brothers and sisters and seeing their children grow up. Now I never miss a birthday or confirmation.

When I returned to Ireland I was still not allowed to go racing but I got permission from the Turf Club to work for David Wachman. After David retired in 2016, I moved back to Kildare and resumed my plan to become a pre-trainer. I felt I needed more experience, so I worked with Dick Brabazon at Rangers Lodge until I secured my own yard on the Curragh.

Now, on a typical day, I am up early to do my own horses before going to Dick for 9am. I finish there at 12.30pm and go back to my own yard. I have 12 horses in at the moment.

So this has all been a long-term plan and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I love nothing more than producing yearlings, meeting owners and showing them the yard and the amazing facilities here.

Good education

When I was a jockey, riding two-year-olds, I would always notice when a horse had been given a good education by the person who broke it in. Now I’m doing that work myself and I would hope that the likes of Rory Cleary, Seamie Heffernan or whoever is riding a horse that I produced, would say to themselves ‘Eddie Ahern did a good job with this one.’

I do a lot of flat-work with them, so they ride in a nice outline. My experience as a jockey gives me an edge in that I can jump off a young horse at home now and tell the owner ‘this horse would act well around a bend’ or ‘don’t run this one on a downhill track, look for one with a stiffer finish’. I can give them a bit of extra feedback. Even in pre-training, I’m thinking about that horse’s career - races that would suit them and how they should be ridden.

I’m also kept busy buying and selling Connemara ponies. I produce them and find new owners for them. A lot of British trainers contact me when looking for ponies for their children or hunters for their wives. My phone is constantly ringing!

I love hunting myself and some readers might recall that I won the famous Golden Button cross-country race with the Ledbury Hunt on New Year’s Eve in 2007.

I bought and prepared my own horse, Hillary John, for the race last year but he was training so well at home I had to sell him to go racing. He duly won his point-to-point at Necarne and then won a Downpatrick hurdle race by 10 lengths before being sold on again.

I also broke and pre-trained a particularly nice yearling last year. By Shanghai Bobby, he is named Grand Shang and is in training in Italy.

I plan to concentrate on pre-training but I am open to getting involved in breeze-ups too.

Having my jockey’s licence taken away in 2013 was a bitter pill to swallow as I am adamant that I did nothing wrong. Ironically, I feel I am a better rider now than I was 10 years ago, both physically and mentally.

The experiences I have gained in a variety of different disciplines have turned me into a more polished rider. My aim now is to use my talents to educate some stars of the future.

Eddie Ahern was in conversation with John O’Riordan